116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Low-flying helicopter to survey Cedar Rapids, Linn County this week
CEDAR RAPIDS - The public is invited to a news conference about a groundwater study planned for this week, one that will require a low-flying helicopter to hover over parks of Cedar Rapids and Linn County.
The news conference will take place at 11 a.m. today in the Northwest Water Treatment Plant, 7807 Ellis Road NW.
Those at the conference will discuss the flights to be taken over the city and the county in order to collect and record underground geologic measurements for the U.S. Geological Survey 'to better determine groundwater resources in the Cedar River Aquifer,” according to a news release.
Starting Tuesday, a helicopter operated by CGG Canada Services, under contract with the city of Cedar Rapids, will tow a large, cylindrical sensor and fly about 200 feet above the ground at roughly 70 miles an hour.
'The data will allow us to map and model the aquifer system so that the city can effectively manage these critical water supplies long into the future,” USGS scientist Greg Delzer said in a news release.
The survey is expected to last two days.
More information on the news conference can be found at the USGS website. For more information on the study, a past USGS remote geophysical study can be found at sd.water.usgs.gov.
A helicopter towing a large, cylindrical sensor makes low-level flights as part of a USGS remote geophysical survey, which collects data about underground geology. The scientific system, called Resolve, is operated by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. (Greg Delzer, USGS. Public domain)
This sensor, called a bird, is tethered to a helicopter during USGS geophysical surveys. As the helicopter flies low over specific areas, the bird transmits electromagnetic waves deep into the ground to measure the below-surface physical properties. This scientific system is called Resolve and is operated by CGG Canada Servives, Ltd. The bird pictured here was used for a groundwater study in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Marisa Lubeck, USGS. Public domain.)
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