Helicopter canvasses Petaluma to assess power line safety for PG&E

That low-flying helicopter seen circling over Petaluma for most of the day Monday was conducting aerial surveys for PG&E, the utility confirmed.

“I can confirm that PG&E was patrolling the Petaluma area today, performing our LiDAR inspections for our transmission lines,” said Angela Lombardi, a utility spokesperson.

The routine surveys – which are sometimes conducted with outsourced helicopters that lack PG&E markings – focus on transmission lines near trees to determine if any present a fire risk.

LiDAR, which stands for “Light Detection and Ranging,” is used to create a 3-D digital map of an area or region. In this case, Lombardi said, the data is being used to “evaluate the power lines that are adjacent to the trees” in Petaluma in order to determine whether any present a fire risk.

Similar surveys are conducted periodically throughout Sonoma County and other fire-prone counties.

Lombardi said she did not immediately know the results of the aerial survey.