LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will be conducting low-level helicopter patrols July 12 to inspect electric distribution lines for maintenance in rural and remote areas in parts of Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
The flights will also help locate dead hazard trees in those areas.
In Lake County, flights will cover Highway 53, the city of Clearlake and the communities of Lower Lake and Hidden Valley Lake.
In Mendocino County, flights will cover Highways 20 and 29, the towns of Potter Valley and Redwood Valley, and the community of Pomo.
In Sonoma County flights will cover Highway 12 and Calistoga Road, the towns of Sonoma, Santa Rosa and Kenwood, and the communities of Oakmont, Spring Lake Village, El Verano, Temelec, Eldridge, Sonoma Mountain as well as the Petrified Forest area.
The flights will take off from the Sonoma County and Ukiah airports. Flights will start at 8 a.m. and finish by 4 p.m.
A helicopter will fly at approximately 500 feet, depending on the area and if livestock are present. PG&E patrols remote power lines, which are often located in rural areas, by helicopter as part of its continuing effort to ensure safety and reliability of its electric system.
If issues are identified, it’s possible that they may need to inspect at a lower altitude.
PG&E patrols and inspects all of its lines annually – nearly 134,000 miles of them – to ensure safety and reliability, and to identify equipment in need of repair.
This allows PG&E to proactively schedule repairs that might otherwise result in power outages. In rough country, remote areas or areas where there are fewer trees, the most efficient and sometimes only way to accomplish this is by helicopter.
PG&E uses a helicopter company to fly the PG&E inspectors.
PG&E to conduct helicopter patrols July 12
- Lake County News reports
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