PLAINFIELD, MARSHFIELD – Beginning the week of November 3, weather permitting, there will be a low-flying red helicopter flying over the Great Brook and the Winooski River. This helicopter will be collecting LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data as part of a study of the river. The study is being funded and managed by the state of Vermont.
The helicopter will head up over parts of Plainfield, as far as John Fowler Road, and western Marshfield.
This is not government surveillance. The helicopter was requested. Plainfield has two Hazard Mitigation projects underway, one to understand the impact of Batchelder Dam removal, and the other to understand how the Great Brook behaves in order to plan road repairs or realignment. These low-altitude (under 500′) scans will show the exact brook and river width, depth and direction.
