OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) - The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) is changing how they survey power lines; it's key to maintaining their current power grid, but also will help in future development.

With the help of Valmont Utility, a private utility company, they are now able to survey power line in a safer, and more efficient manner.

“We’ll take our drone with a Lidar sensor, and fly it over their power lines, over their right-of-way, and provide them with all the data for that,” said Brad Wood, principal pilot for Valmont Utility.

In the past, OPPD typically would use line trucks, or a helicopter to conduct these surveys.

The data the drone captures will help OPPD recognize potential problems that may need to be addressed- but also get an overall layout of the land in case any future maintenance or development is needed.

“Anything from the contours of the land to the sag of the lines, to the overall health of your structures,” Wood explained.

This new way of surveying power lines also reduces environmental damage.

“We don’t want to wreck crops or anything like that," added Wood. "We could fly our drone from the road, much less of an environmental impact, and it’s a lot safer."

OPPD says they will be examining 100 total miles of power lines across their 13-county service area.

“Millions of people depend on electricity every day, and we like to play a big part in that- making sure people have that,” Wood said.

Officials say they expect to be finished with these surveys by April 15th.