Chelan PUD Conducting Annual Inspections Using Helicopter

The Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) will be conducting its annual inspection of powerlines in the region tomorrow (June 7).

PUD spokesperson Rachel Hansen says that means area residents might notice something a bit out of the ordinary above the ground.

"It's that time of year again when we put a helicopter in the air to fly low and slowly over our high-voltage powerlines. So residents might notice a low-flying helicopter. We need to do a couple of these inspection flights, so that's going to continue over the next couple of weeks, weather permitting."

Hansen says it's a routine inspection that will serve several basic purposes.

"The principle purpose is to check the equipment and check to see if there's any hazard trees around the transmission lines. It's really just an annual maintenance check to make sure we're good to go for the next year and that nothing's changed around the power lines."

The inspection will cover over 300 miles of transmission lines from Stevens Pass to Wenatchee and Palisades to Manson.