Charlotte County installs continuous water level stations

Charlotte County is stepping into the 2025 hurricane season with new technology to monitor water levels more effectively.

The county recently installed five continuous water level stations, a first for the area, though other counties have used similar technology.

These sensors will track water levels, storm surges, and flooding and can also be used by boaters for recreational purposes. They are being placed in locations such as Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Lemon Bay, and Boca Grande.

Brandon Moody, the water quality manager for Charlotte County, emphasized the importance of the data collected by these sensors.

“The magic is in the data collection, the data storage the ability for people to see it online and for the data to be translated into a value that everybody can kinda understand and compare across the coast,” said Moody.

Moody explained that the county chose sensors from the company Hyfi due to delays and costs associated with NOAA’s equipment. He believes they will provide timely information for emergency management during storms.

“The nice thing about this is their low cost its a minimal investment to determine if they provide the information we need and if they dont no harm no foul we return them and look for additional avenue,” said Moody.

With more data than in the past, like during Hurricane Ian, Moody expects to see trends and changes in water levels and surge events over time.

“We can see over time trends and changes in water levels and surge events and how high the water gets,” said Moody.

Business owners in the area are supportive of the new technology. Alina Cosman, owner of HipNotique Boutique, believes it will help them prepare better for storms.

“Definitely, any more information that we can have is definitely going to help us, so we can prepare a little bit better, so we can make a game plan, and you know how severe it will be, and whether we need to really, you know, just move everything out, or secure things in place, or just move things up,” said Cosman.

The county plans to start placing the sensors on Friday. This initiative marks the first step in improving storm data tracking in Charlotte County.