Better flood mapping in Delhi? USGS hopes so

Not a minute too soon: Soggy, soggy Delhi is joining nine other communities across the country in a pilot project to map flooding data.

Locally, the study is being sponsored by the USGS and the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District. The goal: Better predictions that can help towns forecast where water will go, improve emergency responses, and avoid building new structures on often-inundated ground. From the Daily Star:

[Delaware County Soil and Water spokesman Graydon] Dutcher said several communities in Delaware County -- including Margaretville, Hancock and Walton -- could have been eligible for the pilot project, but Delhi was chosen because the river gauge at Bridge Street is a forecasted gauge.

Dutcher said readings from the river gauge can be used to correlate the water flow with predictions of how deep the water will get in certain areas. The results can then be posted to real-time maps on the Internet.

Real-time maps on the Internet? We very much like the sound of that.