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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** *
May 8, 2026 
Jeff Johnston, EGLE Public Information Officer, [email protected], 517-231-9304

Open house offers up-close look at aerial geological survey

"*Public, media invited to Marshall airport May 19 to see equiment, meet researchers*"

*MARSHALL, Michigan* — Members of the media and public are invited to a special open house to learn more about a unique low-altitude aerial survey underway in Southwest Michigan to gather data about groundwater. 

Throughout the summer, specially equipped helicopters are flying at about 200 feet above the ground across 16 Southwest Michigan counties (listed below) as part of the Hydrologic Enhancement for Michigan (HEMI) Project [ [link removed] ], a cooperative research effort of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 

EGLE, USGS, and geophysical surveying company SkyTEM are presenting the open house at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Brooks Field Airport, 1243 S. Kalamazoo Ave. in Marshall. Attendees can see the helicopter and its specialized scientific equipment up close, watch a demonstration takeoff, and speak with scientists conducting the survey. 

Michigan relies heavily on its vast underground aquifers for drinking water, agricultural irrigation, industrial and business use, and support of the natural environment. Residents and businesses collectively use hundreds of millions of gallons of groundwater daily. While abundant, these resources are not unlimited. The HEMI Project will provide critical data to help state and local officials make informed decisions about water use and long-term sustainability. 

*About the survey* 

Each survey flight will carry a large, hoop-shaped frame suspended about 100 feet below the helicopter. The frame carries sensitive instruments that measure subtle differences in the Earth’s electrical and magnetic properties created by different rock types. These measurements allow scientists to map underground geology and aquifers in three dimensions, to depths exceeding 1,000 feet. 

Survey flights will cover all or parts of Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties. A USGS flight tracker [ [link removed] ] maps daily progress. 

Pre-planned flight paths are spaced about a mile apart, with denser data collection over the Dowagiac River watershed and around the tribal lands of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi (Gun Lake Tribe). The corridors of the Kalamazoo, Thornapple, St. Joseph, Paw Paw, and Rocky rivers also will be overflown to improve understanding of connections to subsurface geology. 

Operations do not capture photographs or video and pose no risk to people, animals, or the environment. Flights are conducted only during daylight hours by specially trained pilots, avoiding densely populated areas and not passing directly over buildings at low altitude. 

Michigan’s Water Use Advisory Council [ [link removed] ] determined the state needed additional data to better characterize water resources across the state. Southwest Michigan was selected for the survey due to its growing population, significant agricultural irrigation demands, and known groundwater availability challenges. 

Data collected will improve understanding of aquifer systems, groundwater supply, and connections between groundwater and surface water. Survey results will be made publicly available on the USGS ScienceBase [ [link removed] ] data website once the project is complete. 

More information is available on a dedicated USGS [ [link removed] ] webpage and in a MI Environment newsletter article [ [link removed] ]. 

 

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