City of Austin
From the City of Austin:
Austin residents can now see how much it’s rained in different parts of town on their computers, tablets or smartphones at www.ATXhydromet.com. The City of Austin, in partnership with LCRA, has launched this new web site to display data from the Watershed Protection Department’s network of 78 gauges.
Modeled after LCRA’s Hydromet, the site displays rainfall and creek “stage.” Creek stage indicates how high the water has risen in a creek at the gauge site.
“We’re in the heart of flash flood alley, here in Austin,” said Joe Pantalion, P.E., the director of the Watershed Protection Department. “With our propensity for flooding, I can’t stress how important it is for everyone to be aware of their surroundings. It is our hope that this web site can help the public monitor flooding conditions, so that they can take the appropriate steps to protect themselves, their families and their neighbors.”
The City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department has been using a combination of City, United States Geological Survey (USGS) and LCRA gauges to monitor rainfall and flood levels in order to protect the public from flooding and to close low water crossings since the 1980s. To make the City’s gauge data public, the department partnered with LCRA to host the data. LCRA already has reliable and stable technology in place to display their own gauge data.
Watershed Protection’s online tools to help prepare for and respond to flooding now include:
ATXhydromet.com – Real-time rainfall and creek stage data
ATXfloods.com – Real-time map of flooded roads
ATXfloods.com/alerts – A service to send text or email messages about flood hazards on roadways or along creeks
ATXfloodpro.com – Online floodplain information including maps and engineering models
Using these tools, the public can increase their awareness of the conditions around them during floods.
Contact: Lynne Lightsey: 512-974-3538 (Office), 512-802-7423 (Pager)
Scott Prinsen: 512-974-2090 (Office), 512-802-7487 (Pager)
Watershed Protection Department
