Navajo County and the federal government will spend more than $316,000 to monitor and maintain seven stream flow gauges for the next three years. The cost to the county is just a single item in one department as officials face the difficulty of balancing a tight budget in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Navajo County Flood Control District points out that the information provided by the gauges is necessary in order to protect citizens and their property.

“The information that is received from these gauging stations is utilized for early flood warning and data collection,” a memo notes. “Navajo County benefits from the early flood warning that these gauges provide us to be able to alert our citizens of impending danger.”

As part of a cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Navajo County will pay $180,600 of the total cost while the USGS contributes $136,080. The gauges include those located on the Little Colorado River at Holbrook, Winslow and Woodruff; Jacks Canyon in Winslow; Show Low Creek in Lakeside; Puerco River at Chambers; and Chevelon Creek.

The cost to maintain the gauges, collect the information and analyze it breaks down to $14,990 in 2015, $15,080 in 2016 and $15,170 in 2017, for a total of $45,240 per stream flow gauge for the three-year period. Navajo County will contribute $25,800 per gauge, and the USGS, $19,440.

Included in the cost is the time and expertise necessary to analyze the data collected by the stream flow gauges. Under the terms of the agreement with the USGS, the data will be freely shared between the two agencies and made available to the public as quickly as possible after it is received.

Funds used for Navajo County’s portion of the cost will come from the flood control district, which levies a special property tax for such purposes.

In addition to providing early warning against flooding, the gauges also provide historical data regarding rainfall and stream flow. That data is used in studies and to predict future conditions.

“The historical data records that are also maintained by the USGS are used in hydrologic studies and hydraulic modeling countywide,” the memo states.

The county and the USGS have been jointly funding the stream flow gauges for many years, and the current agreement is at approximately the same cost as in the previous agreement.