Here’s the release from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Kara Lamb):
Reclamation employees will perform aerial panel placement for surveying along the Lower Arkansas River Valley corridor March 7-17. The panel placement is part of Reclamation’s National Environmental Policy Act research on the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit and Long Term Excess Capacity Master Contract.
Reclamation has identified five possible pipeline routes from Pueblo to Lamar that will be surveyed. The survey crews will use large white panels shaped like giant plus signs in conjunction with aerial photography to map the potential routes.The panels are constructed flat on the ground and the locations are calculated using global positioning equipment. Once placed, they need to remain on the ground for up to three weeks. The panels are used with aerial photography from an airplane flying at 5000 feet to obtain topographic information. The topographical data will be used to design the water pipeline.
During the survey process, some private land may need to be accessed by Reclamation surveyors. In those cases, most property owners will be contacted in person by Reclamation staff.
To learn more about the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit, proposed Master Contract, and the related NEPA process, please visit: www.usbr.gov/avceis. Media is invited to contact Kara Lamb at (970) 062-4326 or klamb@usbr.gov.
More Arkansas Valley Conduit coverage here.