by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
City’s aerial inspections help prevent outages and improve infrastructure across Northern Colorado
LOVELAND, CO — The City of Loveland Utilities is taking innovation to new heights—literally—thanks to the success of its drone inspection program. Launched in July 2024, the program has transformed how utility crews monitor and maintain infrastructure, delivering faster, safer, and more reliable service across the city.
In less than a year, Loveland’s drone team inspected 1,102 utility poles—nearly 28% of all poles in the city. With a rate of 29 poles per hour, drones far outperform traditional inspection methods. The technology not only enables crews to inspect poles visually from above but also utilizes thermal imaging to identify issues such as overheating fuses, electrical arcing, and damaged components.
“About 60% of the problems we found had the potential to cause power outages,” said city utility officials. “By catching them early, we estimate we’ve prevented over 504,000 minutes of outages for our customers.”
Drones have also proven essential in areas where ground access is limited, such as rear easements without alleys. In many cases, they are the only viable means of accessing critical infrastructure safely.
However, the benefits of the program extend far beyond the electric grid. The City of Loveland’s drone has supported projects in multiple departments:
- Alexander Mountain Fire Burn Area: Surveyed tributaries of the Big Thompson River to guide erosion mitigation and protect water quality.
- Green Ridge Glade Reservoir: Compared aerial imagery from 2024 and 2025 to monitor shoreline erosion.
- Namaqua Hills Pump Stations: Aided engineers with terrain data to design new infrastructure for growing neighborhoods.
- 43rd Street Water Tank: Documented construction from groundbreaking to concrete pour.
- Solar Fields: Used thermal imaging to detect hail damage and underperforming solar panels after severe storms.
“Drones help us solve problems before they become outages or failures,” the City noted. “It’s just one more way we’re using technology to serve the community with precision and foresight.”
Loveland’s drone program serves as a model for how municipalities across Northern Colorado can incorporate innovative, data-driven tools to enhance public services while maximizing safety and efficiency.
To learn more about Loveland Utilities, visit cityofloveland.org.
Information provided by the City of Loveland.