Edinburg has a new way to measure when floodwaters in their drainage systems get out of hand, and they say other cities are looking to do the same.

The city installed a gauge along its canal to measure water levels and anticipate flooding. It's the first of several it's seeking

"It's a very complex system," Edinburg Public Works Director Vincent Romero said.

Edinburg owns a web of 50 ditches that water runs into other water from other cities.

It all channels into one big ditch, the main drain, where, when things work according to plan, it drains properly to the Laguna Madre.

"We're competing with a lot of that conveyance of water," Romero said.

At the Fairhaven ditch, Romero points out a sensor and a little computer that measures the water level. The new system cost $10,000, but it helps them anticipate when something is going wrong.

"It'll basically give us a pre-warning. An advance warning of what the water is doing, how it's coming into the city, how it's conveying throughout the city and how it leaves the city," Romero said.

Romero says another gauge is on the way, and they're asking for two more. He says other Valley cities are asking for them as well.

The new gauge is funded by the North American Development Bank, which is funded by the U.S. and Mexico governments to support development on the border.

Other cities also installing these systems are Donna, San Benito, Harlingen and Mercedes.

NADBank is doing this as part of its health and environment goals for 2025.