PORT JERVIS – They say timing is everything. This weekend is forecast to be rainy and with leftover snow on the ground, there is expected to be minimal to possibly moderate flooding of smaller streams and rivers.

Orange and Rockland Utilities recently installed an overhead streetlight at the end of its Second Street circuit in Port Jervis to light up the depth gauge painted on the side of the Port Jervis-Matamoras Bridge that spans the Delaware River linking New York and Pennsylvania, said spokesman Michael Donovan.

“Anyone who has lived along the Delaware in the spring knows the importance knowing just exactly where the river is and how fast it’s rising,” he said. “So, we consider this new light down in Port Jervis to be a win-win for our customers who live along the Delaware in both Pennsylvania and New York.”

The gauge is key to first responder operations in both states during the spring flood season. Emergency preparedness officials keep an eye on that gauge to plan their operations from the evacuation of low lying riverside areas to road closings to activation and deployment of emergency services personnel.