USGS Repairs Flood Warning Gauge at Porter, Vandals Expected

PORTER, Wash. - One of the flood warning stations being used by the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority near Porter has been vandalized twice in the past two months, temporarily knocking it out of commission, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS Public Affairs Spokesman John Clemens tells us the cost to return the station to normal operation is estimated at $4,500.

Real-time streamflow data from the USGS station are used by the National Weather Service, Grays Harbor County, and other agencies to monitor river conditions and issue flood warnings to protect people and property.

Clemens said the station was restored temporarily on Friday, but it will be three or four weeks before new equipment can be purchased and installed at a more visible location on the river to deter thieves.

A report was filed with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Department. Anyone with information about the damage to the flood warning station is asked to contact the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Department at (360) 249-3711.

The station was USGS Station 12031000, on the Chehalis River about a tenth of a mile west of Porter, WA. (On the Web at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv/?site_no=12031000)