Blue Ridge Twin is building a monitoring system for the rivers above Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure. We are starting with ten sensor nodes and are looking for hosts and partners. First warnings are expected Q1 2027. Flood alerts will be free. Measured, not assumed.
At ten junctions above Bat Cave, two waters become one, and a sensor just below each reads the combined flow. As flood sensors go in, the amber lines will light up on the map, providing warning; today, nobody is watching any of it.
Drop a pin anywhere, or use your location, to see the warning you would have.
The Hickory Nut Gorge is shaped like a bowl and it funnels all the water down to the Rocky Broad River, which Bat Cave, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure share. Our network will tie together what is sensed upstream and provide warning to all three communities.
From the nearest junction sensor to the US-64 bridge, and up to two hours for water coming off the top of the basin. Ten sensors stand between the headwaters and town.
The village sits mid-gorge, where every upstream sensor buys it time. Water off the top of the basin passes every one of the ten stations on its way down the river.
The lake and the dam sit at the end of the line, with the most warning of the three. Every station reports before river water reaches the lake head, and the lake itself adds time after that.
On August 2, 2026, our pilot station on Big Reed Island Creek in the Virginia Blue Ridge rode a flash flood from the first band of rain to a 10.2-foot crest, reading the water every 15 seconds, all night, on battery, and escalated alerts from advisory at 11:30 PM to evacuate at 2:05 AM. Watch the water rise:
The station's hydrograph from that night, stage and rainfall, minute by minute. Full station data at newriverheadwaters.com.
Sensors powered by a small solar panel with a ~2-foot footprint on host land, reading stream height, rainfall, and soil saturation up to every 15 seconds.
Blue Ridge Twin fuses our stations with USGS, NWS, and FIMAN public weather and watershed data into one live picture of the watershed.
Advisory → warning → evacuate, emails/push notifications/SMS free to anyone signed up in the gorge, minutes to hours before the water arrives.
Ten sensors need ten pieces of ground, and the people who know
where this water actually goes live here, not on a map.
We're looking for:
You don't have to commit to anything to talk to us.
Email hello@blueridgetwin.com and we'll reach out.
Every junction needs one host property, and on each reach one landowner gets the full station free.
Whether you are interested in alerts as they become available, hosting a station on your property, or just following as we grow the network, sign up here and we will keep you informed.
River frontage on one of the ten reaches? The full setup is free, hardware, solar, install. You get every alert first, and your name on the map if you want it.
We respect those who work to keep the community safe and understand you are important partners as we grow the network. Please reach out and let us know how we can best fit with how you work.
Fit decides who gets each setup. We read every application ourselves.
Interested in free alerts, hosting a sensor, or helping build the network - tell us what you're after. We read every response ourselves and follow up personally.