FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In the summer of 2010, 16 people died in a flash flood at the Albert Pike campground near Langley, Ark. To prevent similar tragedies, a team of biological engineering students from the University of Arkansas – Zach Callaway, Danielle Frechette and Clark Trapp – have designed a system that can detect floods and warn campers. Their system is currently in use at Devil’s Den State Park.

“The superintendent of Devil's Den, Monte Fuller, has worked closely with us while designing and implementing the warning system,” said Frechette, who graduated from the College of Engineering and Honors College in May.

The warning system consists of two sensors that are set up at a specified height. When the sensors come in contact with water, they set off a strobe siren, which alerts campers to the flood danger. Frechette explained that although the system was designed for flash floods, it can also be used for other purposes, such as detecting dangerous levels of water on bridges.

The students won Best Student Presentation at the National Hydrologic Warning Conference for their paper covering this project, titled "Design of a Flash Flood Warning System for Campgrounds."

“The students’ presentation and presence was well-received at this conference,” said associate professor Brian Haggard, one of their mentors.

Haggard and their other mentor, associate professor Tom Costello, challenged the students to design a low-cost, minimal-maintenance system. The system is designed to be used at any campsite that has a risk of flooding, and the students can provide a list of parts for campsites that wish to reproduce their system.