ST. CHARLES, Minn. (AP) — Starting next spring, residents of St. Charles should be better warned about floods, thanks to a new river gauge.

The town along the Middle Branch Whitewater River in southeast Minnesota has been hit with two floods in recent years, including a major one in August 2007.

But with help from a $15,000 grant, a gauge with real-time technology will be installed upriver of St. Charles. The Post-Bulletin reports the gauge will send data via satellite telemetry to alert people that the river is rising.

The Department of Natural Resources helps set up the gauges. Supervisor Greg Kruse of the DNR’s Water Monitoring and Surveys Unit says there is a growing number of such gauges throughout the region and state.

The grant comes from a special legislative session following September floods.

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