Aerial surveying services will become especially important in these days, weeks, and months following Hurricane Harvey and the devastating effect it has had on the states of Louisiana and Texas. In fact, aerial surveying images are filling the television and internet as the rest of the nation, in fact the world, looks to find a way to understand the significance of this epic weather event. The dangerous conditions that are threatening the people in the Houston area are difficult, in fact, to comprehend the expansiveness of this Hurricane and its after effects. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moves is to assess surface water quality and other issues, is will be aerial surveying that will provide the needed documentation.
Environmental engineering efforts have relied on aerial surveying for years, but the increased use of drone photography means that these aerial images may be even easier to access. From the largest of these environmental projects to the private and individual legal cases about water contamination, aerial surveying companies will continue to be important. Consider some of these facts and figures about the increasing use of aerial services:
- 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the U.S. every year, and many of these eventually wash into the nation’s rivers and lakes.
- 25% of all rainfall in the U.S. becomes groundwater. Groundwater which provides much of the flow of many streams and lakes. Environmentalists know that these lakes and streams provide a virtual “window? into the water table.
- 66% of the estuaries and bays in the U.S. are severely degraded because of phosphorous and nitrogen pollution.
- Water quality reports indicate that 45% of U.S. streams, 47% of U.S. lakes, and 32% of U.S. bays are polluted.
- High resolution 39 megapixel digital color photographs are the primary aerial photographic product.
- 73 different kinds of pesticides have been found in U.S. groundwater supply. Unfortunately, these pesticides that end up in the ground water eventually end up in our drinking water, unless the water is adequately filtered.
- As many as 500,000 new residential wells are constructed a year, according to National Ground Water Association (NGWA) estimates. The construction of these important water supply systems involves the use of more than 18,460 drilling machines by as many as 8,085 groundwater contracting firms. These firms, in turn, rely on the images provided by aerial surveying companies.
Today, this week, and for months to come, the images presented by aerial surveying companies will continue to inform Americans about the latest effects of Hurricane Harvey. Before and after this epic weather event, though, the nation will continue to rely on the high resolution images provided by aerial surveying companies.
