The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and energy announced on April 3 that it will begin another round of airborne electromagnetic surveys in collaboration with the US Geological Survey.
To complete the work, EGLE groundwater data unit supervisor Sydney Ruhala said a helicopter tows a large hoop that maps underground geology. That helps EGLE determine how groundwater moves and is stored in aquifers.
“It's really important for us as a resource to understand where our groundwater is, how much of it's available, and how it's being used so that we can protect that resource moving into the future," Ruhala said.
Flights are scheduled to begin the second week of April and will continue through the summer. As for what the flights will look like, Ruhala said the helicopter will fly low — with the hoop suspended roughly 100 feet above the ground.
“They will make an effort to try to avoid flying directly over people or houses and things like that. But the technology is safe. It poses no risk to humans or animals or plants," Ruhala said. "It's not taking any photos or videos. It's simply just collecting this electrical data."
She said the pilots are all specially trained and follow all FAA regulations. Flights are slated to cover 16 counties in West and Central Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties.
The data from the survey will be used to improve groundwater management across the region — Ruhala said Southwest Michigan depends more on groundwater as a drinking water source.
“We also have some some counties in the southwest part of Michigan that have had some groundwater availability issues where they struggle to find available groundwater for drinking water or other uses," Ruhala said.
She said the department hopes mapping groundwater can help reduce aquifer depletion.
