Daily world article

MONTESANO — The county commissioners approved a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey on Monday to save a popular river gauge on the Humptulips River used by fishermen, farmers and emergency services personnel.

But County Commissioner Terry Willis says the county still doesn’t know how it’ll pay for the gauge.

Willis says the federal government will continue operating the river gauge through the end of next year. The county must pay for it by December 2010.

“This makes sure the river gauge stays operational as we continue to look for funds,” she said.

The county is supposed to pay $8,870 to operate the river gauge, but the funding was cut off in the commissioner’s approved operational budget. The total cost to operate the river gauge is $16,870. The federal government chips in the other $8,000.

The river gauge, the only one on the Humptulips, is used by fishermen to determine the depth and flow of the water.

It’s also used by farmers to determine how much water is in the river in the summer time and helps give emergency services personnel a heads-up for possible flooding during storm months.