Nov. 7—A new partnership between federal, state and Keene officials is asking residents to monitor water levels in Beaver Brook using text messaging and a water gauge, aimed at helping improve forecasting in a historically flood-prone area, according to the state department of environmental services.

The City of Keene, N.H. Department of Environmental Services and the N.H. Silver Jackets, a team of federal and state agencies, came together to install a water gauge in October where the brook crosses Roxbury Street according to a recent news release from NHDES.

To participate, volunteers read the water level gauge, a measuring pole constructed against the wall of the brook, from the sidewalk and text the phone number listed on the sign. The text should have the station number, NH1000, followed by the written reading of the gauge.

The city and emergency management officials will use this data to determine how quickly the brook fills up in different weather conditions and predict where it will spill out.

East Keene, near Beaver Brook, has a history of flooding, most recently in the summer of 2021 after Keene saw more than five inches of rain, which resulted in washed out roads and evacuations. The brook runs through the heart of the city's east side, and the neighborhood was one of the worst-hit areas by the 2021 storms.

Data received from these submissions will be added automatically to a long-term database and can be viewed live at crowdhydrology.com/listing/nh1000. CrowdHydrology is a nationwide crowdsourcing initiative that allows members of the public to submit water level data.

The gauge was installed using leftover grant money from the U.S. Geological Survey had left over half a year ago, according to Keene Public Works Director Kürt Blomquist.

Now that the gauge has been installed, Blomquist said the next phase of the initiative is to begin crowd sourcing, following the model of the National Weather Service's "weather spotters." This federal program enlists residents of specific areas to become regular reporters of local river conditions.

This site in Keene is the first of its kind in New Hampshire, according to the release from NHDES.

The project also involved the N.H. Silver Jackets, which focus on flood risk management to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from floods. The Silver Jackets were created as a Tropical Storm Irene response team in 2011.

Given the Beaver Brook area's history of flooding, State Geologist Shane Csiki said she hopes the new gauge will develop a loyal base of volunteers.

"We hope we have some individuals who want to become long term gauge readers that want to go out there and record information during low flow and rain events," Csiki said during a phone interview.

Even while the brook is low, it's helpful to have people report the information because they can, over time and with enough information, establish relationships and correlate water levels with weather patterns.

"We wanted to provide the opportunity for citizens and those interested in rivers and the environment to engage with collecting data in real-time, at any time," Csiki said in the release, "that also provides direct benefit to public safety and rivers management."

Jamie Browder can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1427 or jbrowder@keenesentinel.com

Yes, our queen wears nude gloves.View Entire Post ›

The Trump-backed Republican recently filed two appeals after losing a lawsuit over her gubernatorial election loss.

Charlotte McKinney, an Instagram model and Guess Girl, skyrocketed to fame in 2015 when she starred in a Carl’s Jr. commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLIX.

TikTokers are warning her that the wedding photographer captured a huge red flag.

Fox NewsA guest on Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s show on Wednesday knocked her and the network over several past scandals, including claims of sexual harassment by network stars and even the time Ingraham mocked a school shooting survivor.In the wake of a frightening incident which saw Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer a cardiac arrest during Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ingraham spoke to Steve Almond, whose 2015 book Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto argue

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) was met with boos on the House floor after she claimed Democrats were drinking alcohol on the job amid the speaker fight.

Damar Hamlin's family wants negativity directed at Tee Higgins to end.

A FBI surveillance team was tracking Bryan Kohberger and his father on their cross-country road trip and directed Indiana police to pull the two over.

(Bloomberg) -- House Democrat Brad Sherman floated a potential deal Wednesday that would trade Democratic votes to make beleaguered Republican Kevin McCarthy the speaker of the House in return for rules aimed at preventing a US government shutdown or a debt limit crisis.Most Read from BloombergIf You Have Student Loans, Mark These Dates on Your CalendarWhy Conservatives Are Blocking McCarthy as Speaker — and Throwing Congress Into ChaosFed Affirms Inflation Resolve, Pushes Back Against Rate-Cut

FS1Fireworks erupted on Wednesday when NFL Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe lit into his FS1 co-host Skip Bayless over a universally condemned tweet regarding Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who is currently fighting for his life after suffering cardiac arrest on-field.Bayless, the trollish sports pundit known for his controversial hot takes, sparked intense backlash when he questioned how the NFL could possibly postpone Monday night’s game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals af

Arizona's new governor was criticized for not taking her oath of office in public, but Katie Hobbs outfoxed the minions of a disgruntled Kari Lake.

The three passengers inside the Tesla were reportedly the man's wife, his 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has said that Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has cancer and will die very soon, but after Ukraine's win in the war with Russia. Source: Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in the interview with ABC News Quote: "He has been sick for a long time; I am sure he has cancer.

Sharpe's no-show was interpreted as a protest of Bayless' viral tweet about the Bills-Bengals game after Hamlin was stricken

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted chatting with her GOP congressional colleagues Matt Gaetz and Paul Gosar during Tuesday's votes.

One reporter detailed how Bills-Bengals might be rescheduled, if at all.

Dorrian Glenn said Hamlin's heart stopped twice — once on the field and again at the hospital.

More confirmation of Joe Burrow's actions during Monday night's events.

Fox NewsFox News host Sean Hannity engaged in an unusually heated discussion with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Wednesday about why she and a handful of her colleagues won’t coalesce around Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House Speaker.“McCarthy has 202-3 votes. Your side has 20. So if I’m going to use your words, and your methodology, and your math, isn’t it time for you to pack it in and your side to pack it in considering he has over 200 and you have 20?” Hannity asked.The interview immediately

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.