WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio — This weekend, the City of Willoughby Hills launched a new online dashboard with real-time information on Chagrin River water levels.

The launch comes as many portions of Northeast Ohio are recovering from a weekend of severe weather and flash flooding.

“We use these monitors essentially to gather the data to tell us what the water level is,” said Willoughby Hills Fire Chief Robert Gandee. “And currently they’re set so every hour that they are gathering data.”

Gandee explains that in the last year and a half, the fire department and Chagrin River Watershed Partners installed two monitors to track both depth of the river and the rate at which the water rises.

Gandee says the fire department has been working to refine the data collection process and use the data to prepare for potential weather risks.

“From an emergency preparedness [standpoint], it’s important to stay ahead of the curve,” said Gandee. “We really really try to avoid having a situation where we have a flash flood event and we know nothing about it.”

And now, that critical information is available to the public with the new dashboard — an especially significant update for those living along the Chagrin River.

In February, Milann Drive residents saw water rise and cover their yards when an ice jam formed in the Chagrin River, leading to localized flooding.

The new dashboard offers residents a firsthand look at the current conditions, helping them anticipate potential flooding before it happens.

Gandee says the fire department is constantly looking at ways the water level tracking system can be improved, and they’re hoping to add additional monitors to track water levels in the coming months.

You can take a look at the dashboard HERE.