If there ever was a good year to cut funding for flood monitoring it might be this year.
A dry winter with little snowpack up north means the flood threat is lower than average.
The decision to eliminate river monitoring in Middletown was not an easy one for the U.S. Geological Survey.
"We were hoping that the city of Middletown would be able to fund it. We've been operating it for the last several years in good faith," Virginia Delima, of the USGS, said.
The funding cuts have been years in the making. The Army Corps of Engineers initially funded the gauge but cut funding several years ago. The USGS continued operating the gauge that measures the river's level while it worked with Middletown to fund the program but no agreement could ultimately be reached.
A city official told NBC Connecticut that the city would like to be able to operate the gauge itself and find a way to transmit data back to the USGS. It's unclear if such an arrangement is possible, however.
Some people who live and work in flood-prone areas near the river gauge are concerned.
Jarvis Martin, a marina owner in Portland,said letting funding lapse is foolish.
"All the towns should work out a deal. All the ones on the water know it's beneficial." Martin said.
With no data being transmitted from Middletown, the The National Weather Service will no longer be able to issue forecasts or warnings for the Connecticut River around Middletown until the funding is restored or another solution is worked out.
Guy Russo, Middletown's director of sewers and water, said the city will be able to monitor river levels upstream in Hartford and that should be sufficient for emergency management purposes.
Martin, whose store has a plaque on the door frame showing the water level from the 1984 flood, disagrees.
"There's a big difference between Hartford and Middletown. Middletown stays high when it's dropping down up there and you really need to know it," Martin said.
