ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — During the next several weeks, MidAmerican Energy will be inspecting about 5,000 miles of powerlines from the sky throughout Iowa and the Illinois Quad Cities area, according to an email from the company's media relations manager.
MidAmerican's crews periodically inspect equipment for signs of damage and wear from the ground, but it's going about inspecting its overhead equipment in a unique way. Using a low-flying helicopter, the energy company said it will survey transmission lines, towers, and poles.
During the aerial inspections, the public shouldn't be alarmed to see a helicopter flying unusually close to power lines, substations, and generating facilities.
It's all done with the goal of identifying locations that need repairs, replacement or upgrades to prevent service interruptions, according to the energy company.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel
