Flood warning system Steinach

Challenge

Steinach creek originates in the hills above the town of St. Gallen, passes through town and then heads north where it flows into the Lake of Constance. During heavy rains, Steinach creek can swell up to a raging river, posing a threat to several areas within St. Gallen. Among other infrastructure, the canton St. Gallen’s Emergency Response Center (ERC) is at risk of flooding. St. Gallen’s fire department is ready to mount mobile flood barriers, but an early warning is necessary for this to succeed. Additionally, because ERC staff will be busy during heavy storms, the alarm must be plugged straight into ERC’s internal IT and alarm infrastructure.

Solution

In close collaboration with our partners at Egli Engineering AG St. Gallen and the ERC, Geopraevent designed a system to specifically meet the complex requirements of ERC and the fire department. Central to the system is its complete redundancy to ensure the highest possible reliability.

A radar gauge and a pressure gauge ensure redundancy based on two different measuring principles, and the alarm is transmitted by radio as well as DSL connection. If one sensor or transmission technology fails, the other one automatically takes over.

The alarm is transmitted directly into the IT and alarm system of the ERC (TUS anc Certas systems), allowing the emergency response staff to keep working with the systems they are familiar with. This is necessary to make sure an efficient response in case of flooding that offers maximum safety.

Further information