Kentucky’s Division of Water has revolutionized resource monitoring by combining drone imaging with unmanned surface vessels to gather richer, safer data on water bodies. Since launching its UAV and USV program in late 2019, the division has used aerial drones equipped with thermal cameras to detect leaks and thermal anomalies, while deploying the rQPOD USV—armed with a Sontek ADCP and YSI EXO2 sonde—to perform bathymetric surveys and measure water quality in hard-to-reach coal‑pond basins and reservoirs. This hybrid tech allows officials to generate accurate reservoir-volume curves, track parameters like turbidity, algae, pH, conductivity, and temperature, and deploy faster—with less risk and at lower cost than manned crews . 

While infrastructure and regulations present real challenges, Cahill emphasized how operators are strategizing around these limitations. For example, when flying from Fairbanks to Nenana with the Sea Hunter, a 300-pound twin-engine drone, operators avoid populated areas, fly at higher altitudes and rely on a chase plane. But Cahill underscored the need for more reliable onboard detect-and-avoid systems to fly these missions safely without additional support. “The issue with Alaska is that our communications infrastructure and radar coverage are far from adequate to support beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations without onboard solutions.” 

Kentucky’s Energy & Environment Cabinet has really taken drone use to new heights, deploying UAVs across nearly all divisions to enhance environmental oversight and safety. Since August 27, 2021, the cabinet’s drone team has been flying over every landfill in the state annually, inspecting hard-to-reach hazardous waste sites, mapping underground storage tank installations with precise GPS, surveying dams, identifying water leaks and algal blooms, measuring wetlands, collecting water samples, and operating an unmanned surface catamaran for detailed aquatic monitoring. As Sarah Hettel, the Division of Waste Management drone coordinator, puts it, this approach not only speeds up inspections and keeps inspectors out of danger, but also delivers richer data for informed decision-making—ultimately benefiting both the Commonwealth and its residents.

By embracing a suite of drones for land, air, and water applications, Kentucky is modernizing how environmental protection gets done—from landfill monitoring to dam and wetland assessment—with unmatched speed, safety, and precision.

Kentucky’s Energy & Environment Cabinet has significantly boosted efficiency and worker safety by deploying drones across its divisions since mid-2020. In the wake of a mudslide in Pike County that derailed a train into the Big Sandy River, EEC’s Emergency Response Team leveraged drones to safely assess river conditions—something that would have been hazardous and time-consuming via boat. Among their toolkit are high-altitude drones equipped with advanced sensors, aerial units for 3D mapping of abandoned mine lands and bathymetric surveys of reservoirs, and even drone boats to collect water samples in remote areas like Estill County. This smart mix of aerial, aquatic, and imaging tech keeps personnel out of harm’s way while delivering rich data that would have taken crews far longer to capture on foot or by boat.