Released June 3, 2009
LINCOLN, Neb. — This is not your grandmother's water dousing. University of Nebraska-Lincoln geologists are analyzing data collected by high-tech helicopter-mounted equipment to pinpoint locations where water is likely to be found.
Resource districts and others will be able to use the analyses for exploration, development and protection of groundwater supplies, said Jesse Korus, groundwater resources coordinator for the Conservation Survey Division of UNL's School of Natural Resources.
The helicopter was overhead the week of April 20, with a large, missile-shaped object hanging beneath it. The helicopter electromagnetic surveys are collecting data about Nebraska's aquifers, Korus said. Interpreting this data requires direct sampling of materials from test holes and a team of geologists.
Equipment towed about 100 feet below the helicopter in a long tube maps geologic structures beneath the earth. The helicopter company, Fugro Airborne Surveys, of Ontario, Canada, works with pilots who are specially trained for low-level flying.
The surveys "can tell you what types of soils and materials exist under the surface," Korus said. "The red is materials like sand and gravel, from which groundwater can be pumped in large quantities, if it's saturated with water. The blue are materials in which groundwater doesn't flow readily, like clay or silt."
Korus used visualization software to produce a three-dimensional image that combines survey data with test-hole data for an area near Firth. This image is a preliminary version of a much more comprehensive analysis that will include maps, cross sections and images.
The most recent helicopter flights gathered data over study sites near Hickman, Sprague and Hallam in Lancaster County and Wahoo, Weston, Ithaca and Swedeburg in Saunders County. These studies build upon earlier HEM surveys conducted in 2007 near Firth, Ashland and Oakland.
Collaborators include the U.S. Geological Survey, the Lower Platte North and Lower Platte South Natural Resources Districts, the School of Natural Resources and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
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http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0906031.shtml
Source: Jesse Korus, (402) 472-7561
