Debbie Palmer from the Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District received permission from the Marshall County Drainage Board to fly a drone down the Yellow River and some of its tributaries during their meeting on Monday.
Palmer said they plan to highlight the headwaters of the Yellow River and some conservation practices in the Watershed Management Plan. She said, “If you are flying a drone over property you need to have the owner’s permission, thus the County Drainage Board.” She said they plan to use the public waterway and stay within the 75 foot easement on either side to fly the drone with a video camera. Private property owners whose land they need to fly over will be contacted individually.
The Yellow River watershed encompasses some land in Kosciusko County, a small portion in Elkhart County and also some in Saint Joseph County and they plan to video tape in those counties too. She said the southernmost tip of this watershed ends in Centennial Park.
Palmer said, “The Watershed Management Plan is about the overall water quality in the Yellow River and its tributaries in that watershed.”
The video created from this project will be shared with the County Drainage Board and could be used as a tool to see potential problems.
