June 9, 2023 |
Photo – Flood Warning System – Courtesy National Weather Service
The Carbon County Office of Emergency Management received a grant to purchase early warning flood monitors for the Mullen burn scar.
Starting in September of 2020, the Mullen fire burned over 176,000 acres of Wyoming and Colorado wildlands. The loss of so many trees and bushes has left the area especially vulnerable to flash floods.
Last January, Emergency Manager Lenny Layman asked the Board of Carbon County Commissioners to allow him to purchase several wireless weather stations to put into the Mullen burn scar. Questions over the price of maintaining and monitoring the stations caused the board to deny Layman’s request.
At Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, Layman expressed appreciation for the collaborative effort among different agencies in securing the grant for the weather monitoring systems. Layman said the grant covered 90% of the $55,000 cost of six flood monitors.
Layman said in remote areas, such as the Mullen burn scar, the National Weather Service has no way of knowing if their forecast models are accurate. The emergency manager said the warning gauges will provide better weather predictions for the areas where the devices are placed.
Layman said the county will not be responsible for underwriting the cost of the monitors. He said he is working to secure the 10% grant match of nearly $5,500 through other channels.
The board originally rejected Layman’s purchase request because of a lack of understanding of who would pay for the continued upkeep of the early warning gauges. Layman said he had signed a contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The emergency manager said NOAA would handle all data collection and maintenance for the gauges. Layman said the entire operation would cost the county nothing.
Board Chairwoman Sue Jones asked Layman to confirm that the cost of monitoring the early warning gauges would not be the county’s responsibility. Layman said the county will not be asked to pay anything.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Layman said he had around three more days’ worth of work before he would have the 10% grant match secured. With the grant in hand, Layman can finalize the purchase of the weather monitors. The first location for the early warning gauges will be the Mullen burn scar. After six months, Layman said the monitors can be moved to another part of the county.
