PG&E Postpones Inspections By Helicopter In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA —UPDATED: PG&E was set to begin inspecting power lines Thursday by helicopter in Sonoma County but PG&E has decided to push the Sonoma County flights back to August. "Of course, there are a lot of other reasons why PG&E may be flying helicopters but these LiDAR-equipped flights won’t take flight until August," PG&E Spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said.

ORIGINAL POST: Residents of Sonoma County beginning Thursday, July 11, may see helicopters flying low near power lines. PG&E said Wednesday night that helicopters equipped with Light Detection and Ranging —LiDAR — technology will be used to conduct inspections of power lines in places at an elevated or extreme risk of wildfire as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission.

"The inspections are part of PG&E’s expanded and enhanced vegetation management work, implemented following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires as one of many additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce wildfire risk," said PG&E Spokeswoman Deanna Contreras.

Through Friday July 19, helicopters will be flying along Sonoma County power lines at low altitudes of 300-500 feet.

Sonoma County residents will receive an automated phone call notifying them ahead of time when helicopters are scheduled to fly in their community.

The LiDAR helicopter inspections are also taking place in Napa and Solano counties, and are in addition to ground inspections. The flights help gather data to allow PG&E to identify hazardous trees that have the potential to fall into the lines, Contreras said.

A total of approximately 25,200 miles of distribution lines will be inspected based on the CPUC's High Fire-Threat District Map. The data gathered will supplement PG&E’s ground inspections by capturing imagery that can be analyzed to take measurements, reveal patterns and identify any potential risks, Contreras said.

More information about the helicopter inspections is online at pge.com/enhancedveg. Questions about the work can be emailed to wildfiresafety@pge.com.

Community Wildfire Safety Program

PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program involves increasing real-time monitoring and intelligence capabilities, putting in place new and enhanced safety measures, and strengthening the resiliency of the electric grid to further reduce wildfire threats. More information can be found at pge.com/wildfiresafety.