We have exciting news!

Recently, the Stormwater Management Commission purchased a drone to improve task efficiencies and expand capabilities in areas with access limitations. Our two licensed pilots were required to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aeronautical Part 107 Knowledge Test and were vetted by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) in order to receive their Remote Pilot Airman Certificates.

The acquisition of the drone will allow SMC to cut down on the time and staff required to complete many of our day-to-day operations, including: stream and detention basin inventories, construction site inspections, developing 2D and 3D imaging, and more.

During the recent flood event, you may have noticed a number of aerial photos and videos showing the extent of the flood impact. Many of these were captured by one of SMC's drone pilots, Neil Schindelar, and were invaluable to our flood response teams. The SMC drone was used to fly over areas that were inaccessible due to flooded roads. This allowed staff to complete damage assessment forms by looking at the video and pictures collected during the drone flights, which helped to keep the assessment process moving forward - rather than having to wait for the water to recede in those areas before being able to begin assessing the damage. These assessments will support the documentation needed for disaster funding of repair and reimbursement due to flood damages, as well as future flood mitigation project funding.

Keep an eye on our page for more information, and feel free to contact us with any questions at 847-377-7730 or email [email protected].