© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KBIA 91.3 FM will be at low power for a portion of the day on 3/29/2024 starting at 9:30 a.m. to accommodate a tower crew doing some maintenance on equipment

Low-Flying Chopper To Follow Rivers In Missouri And Other States, Mapping Aquifers

People along rivers in seven states may see a low-flying helicopter towing a long cylinder, starting late this month and going into July.

The 30-foot-long tube holds an electromagnetic instrument that the U.S. Geological Survey uses to make maps of aquifers. Those are underground areas from which water can be drawn. The helicopter holds more equipment.

The helicopter will generally fly along rivers in Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Illinois. It will start in what's called the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which the agency says is the nation's third-largest area of irrigated cropland. Flights also are planned along rivers above the Chicot Aquifer in southwest Louisiana.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.