Faster inspections - Drones efficiently navigate complex environments, covering large areas quickly and reducing the time required for inspections. This translates to increased productivity and cost savings.

Reduced labor costs - Drones minimize the need for manual labor, lowering associated inspection costs. Additionally, early detection of issues through frequent inspections helps prevent costly repairs and downtime in the long run.

Improved vegetation management - Drones provide accurate data on vegetation encroachment, enabling proactive management and reducing the risk of outages caused by trees and foliage. This minimizes the operational costs compared to manual inspections and reactive maintenance.

Reduced employee risk - Drones eliminate the need for workers to physically access dangerous areas, minimizing falls, electrocutions and exposure to other hazards. This improves safety for both utility personnel and the communities they serve.

Enhanced accuracy - Drones provide high-resolution imagery and thermal imaging, enabling early detection of faults and potential issues in power lines and equipment. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and ensures more reliable power delivery.

Increased inspection frequency - Compared to manual methods, drones can be deployed more frequently for quicker and more comprehensive assessments, leading to more timely identification and resolution of problems. 

Difficult terrain & remote locations - Drones readily access areas inaccessible or unsafe for humans, providing insights into infrastructure condition in challenging environments. This ensures complete evaluation of the utility network and contributes to improved reliability. 

Thermal inspections - Thermal imaging detects temperature variations, identifying hotspots and potential issues invisible to the naked eye. This allows for precise and proactive maintenance, reducing failure risks and optimizing system reliability.

Wildfire mitigation - Drones equipped with thermal imaging and high-resolution cameras help monitor high-risk areas, detect fire hazards and enable preventive measures like vegetation management to safeguard infrastructure and communities. 

Our drone was purchased in 2023 with 2023 Enterprise funds* approved during the 2022 budget proposal cycle explained below. This purchase is part of a program that has been in development within the Utility Application Services division since 2019. 

Early each year, LWP divisions submit budget proposals for the following year to the Loveland Utilities Commission (LUC) for approval. If approved, budget proposals will then move on for approval from City Council in fall. 

*Loveland Water and Power (LWP) maintains three Enterprise business units (Electric & Communications, Water and Wastewater) funded through revenue from customer rates, charges and fees. These funds are allocated to utility budgets that help the department cover operational, maintenance and capital expenses.

LWP has two licensed pilots capable of operating our utility-owned drones. When our pilots are out operating drones, they will be wearing yellow City of Loveland vests, be able to provide utility employee badges and will post signs nearby where they are working.  

For transparency reasons, you can identify our utility-owned drone by the model we have in use, the Matrice 30T.  Please reference the section below to find out how you can learn if drone operations are happening near you. 

 

Drones have wide-angle, zoom and infrared cameras capable of taking high-resolution pictures from strategic vantage points. 

 Imagery capable with drones:

• RGB
• Thermal
• 3D modeling
• Digital evolution models.

An example:

Thermal imaging is a cost-effective way to inspect and maintain power poles, as the sensors detect temperature variations that can identify issues with poles and their electrical equipment.