Helicopter flights for geophysical surveys planned in November

By Elizabeth Larson | Oct. 31, 2021
Airborne electromagnetic geophysical surveys in Lake County, California, will take place in November 2021. The data is collected by a helicopter towing a large hoop beneath it. Photo courtesy of the county of Lake.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Airborne geophysical surveys will be conducted throughout Lake County in the month of November.

The surveys are expected to start Nov. 8 to 11.

These surveys will help improve understanding the communities’ groundwater resources and support local sustainable groundwater management efforts.

During these geophysical surveys, also referred to as airborne electromagnetic, or AEM, geophysical surveys, data is collected via a large hoop towed beneath a helicopter.

Surveys will only be conducted during daylight hours. The helicopter will not fly over businesses, homes and other inhabitable structures, or confined animal feeding operations.

The helicopter operator follows all established Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations, and their highest priority is public safety.

For more information about the surveys, visit the California Department of Water Resources AEM project website.

Email Water.Resources@lakecountyca.gov or call the Lake County Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344 for more information.