PG&E will conduct aerial patrols of gas transmission pipelines in Alameda and Contra Costa counties from April 22 to April 25.
Residents may notice the low-flying helicopter at a height of 300 to 500 feet, which at times may hover.
In the East Bay, flights will be conducted in the Concord area, the Hayward area, from Concord to Richmond, from Concord to Oakland, and from Oakland to Hayward. Flights will occur between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., including weekends.
PG&E conducts semi-annual aerial patrols of all its gas transmission pipelines in the interest of public safety and system integrity.
PG&E patrol crews consist of a pilot and an observer. The observer uses a GPS-enabled tablet with GIS mapping data to navigate the pipelines right-of-ways, and document excavation and construction activity, or other observations that warrant follow-up.
Where appropriate, PG&E ground personnel are then sent to the identified areas to verify that safe practices are being followed. This includes confirming that 811 was called prior to excavating, so underground utility lines could be marked.
This inspection uses helicopters equipped with LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to visually inspect gas transmission pipelines. A LIDAR device is installed on a helicopter to collect data by emitting an eye-safe laser towards the ground surface, which returns to the sensor immediately after hitting the object. An operator is present on every flight, controlling the system with a standard laptop interface and verifying the integrity of the data.
Damage from digging is a common cause of natural gas pipeline accidents. Dig-ins cause damage to underground gas, electric and telecommunications infrastructure, which is one of the most critical threats to public safety.
Striking a gas line during excavation can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages to an entire neighborhood.
The 811 one-call service is free, and it’s a requirement of California digging laws.
24 comments
If PGE is flying over us, we deserve a free ride on the helicopter since we ae paying high power bill
Well, at least they don’t use Black Helicopters!
@chuckie the troll….That’s just a yellow vinyl wrap, it’s black underneath it!
That’s the BAAQMD
I’m not very happy with PG&E. I emailed them numerous times trying to find out who’s property a guy wire is supposed to be on and they never could answer my question.
Wouldn’t the guy wire go wherever it gives most support to the pole?
You and your neighbor both agree to the easement.
Both me and my neighbor weren’t born when it was installed.
Lol, either your landlord or you signed and agreed to when purchasing the property. It’s in the documentation.
@anon – The people installing a guy wire won’t know exactly where a property line is, and they don’t care. Their focus is positioning the wire relative to the pole and terrain.
If you need to know the exact location of a property line then hire a land surveyor.
@anon….A “guy wire” you say?….how sexist is that?
@anon…..A “guy wire” you say?….that’s just sexist!
It’s kind of funny that people have an answer regarding the guy wire but PG&E didn’t have a clue.
The guy wire between my property and the neighbor’s property is located on the property line. There used to be a property marker near the curb, but I believe it was destroyed in the process of installing sewer lines some forty or fifty years after the houses were built.
There are too many heritage oaks in Contra Costa. They need to be cut down so these eye in the skies can have an unobstructed view of bare dirt covering their gas lines. (sarcasm alert)
Oh no not their precious trees …. what would they do without their precious trees… ( sarcasm)
Shooting laser beams towards the ground? Suddenly the tin foil lining my hat doesn’t sound so crazy.
I guess you didn’t read the part about it being “eyesafe”. But then in your phobic world everything is an issue. So I guess you do need a better hat.
Can’t be any worse than jojo’s Tinfoil mask.
Gas transmission pipelines unlike residential lines are under higher pressures. What is troubling to me, “… document excavation and construction activity…” Not exactly inspiring confidence in Safety, . . . . . never mind.
Shouldn’t they already know about all excavation and construction activity well in advance of it ever being started ? ? ? ? ?
PGE is only aware of excavations properly called in through 811. Many do not know or wish to call 811.
I’d an excavation is present without 811 documentation, the person digging can be fined.
Could be worse. They could be flying a Robinson R22.
That would be a great use of a UAV and would save a lot of money.
It’s coming, they’re already using drones in fire risk & high risk areas.
It could be cheaper to lease or buy a helicopter for that specific use case.
That sensing gear is usually heavy and requires a good power supply. You could not use a commercial DJI or something like that. They need extended duration capabilities and a dedicated base station. Maybe a Workhorse SureFly or similar. TCO is probably similar to a helicopter.
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