A new rain gauge on Mill Creek will be the county's ninth gauge on waterways

Manatee County is installing a new stream and rainfall collection gauge to help it anticipate floods in the Mill Creek area.

The installation should be complete within 90 days.

“It communicates as it operates every second, every minute,” said Sia Mollanazar, the deputy director of engineering for the Manatee County Public Works department. “We could look at real-time data on any given day, how much rain was falling where, at what rate. It will show the corresponding flood level within the river rain system.”

So why is that so important?

Mill Creek is a flood-prone watershed and such information is useful for Manatee County staff as it monitors conditions. It also provides important information when it comes to the design of stormwater facilities associated with road projects.

Long term, if data show the Mill Creek area floods less than indicated on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, that could mean a roadway could be built at a lower elevation, saving on engineering, stormwater, fill dirt and other costs.