High-Tech Aerial Surveys Help Keep Electric Service Reliable
Submitted by Chelan County PUD
Chelan PUD customers will see a helicopter flying along PUD transmission lines for several days starting Monday, June 11, similar to the work that was done in spring 2017. Bad weather canceled these flights originally scheduled for last fall.
Flights will cover lines in the upper Wenatchee Valley between Cashmere and Lake Wenatchee, followed by the Chelan Valley from Lake Chelan Dam to Manson.
Crew on the flights will take pictures and gather high-tech survey information to help PUD engineers maintain reliable electric service in the county.
Jim Caldwell, senior transmission system engineer, said the information gathered during the flights is used for detailed computer models of the PUD’s transmission system that are vital tools for making sure the high-voltage lines continue to provide reliable service for PUD customer-owners.
Caldwell said it could take up to two weeks to complete the flights over both areas. The helicopter will fly twice along the transmission lines. A high-level flight to take wide-angle aerial photos will be done first, followed by low-level flight at less than 500 feet above the line, to gather the survey data using LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging sensors).
The flights will start Monday, June 11 and be done during business hours.
Chelan PUD is alerting residents near the lines about the flights, as well as city officials and law enforcement.
For additional information, call 509-663-8121 or visit the Chelan PUD website.
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