Reporting required for meteorological towers
by Wyoming Department of Transportation
April 18, 2009
Owners or lessees of meteorological towers 50 feet in height or greater in Wyoming must report the location and height of the tower to the Wyoming Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division by April 30.
The new reporting and marking requirements created by the 2009 Legislature include the location latitude and longitude or UTM, type of marking and height of the tower, and owner information such as company, representative, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
The reporting form is available through the WYDOT Web site at www.dot.state.wy.us by clicking the "Aeronautics" and "Meteorological Tower Locations" links or by going directly to http://gf.state.wy.us/METTowers/default.aspx.
Locations of future towers must be reported at least10 days prior to erection, and towers being removed must be reported within 10 days of removal.
The new law also requires the towers to be lighted, marked, painted, flagged or otherwise constructed to be visible from a distance of not less than 2,000 feet in daylight.
Towers existing prior to March 4, will only be required to be marked if brought down and re-raised. The law pertains to structures not otherwise regulated by state or federal law, rule or regulation and located outside the boundaries of any incorporated city, town or recorded subdivision. Towers over 200 feet are normally regulated by federal standards.
The tower location information will be available to pilots and the general public through the WYDOT Aeronautics Web site.
The towers are especially difficult for pilots to see because they are tall, very slender, and utilize supporting wires. Pilots flying for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and federal wildlife agencies have reported narrowly missing several of the towers.
Anyone conducting low-level flights can access the meteorological tower location and marking information prior to a flight through a data query available on the same Web site as the reporting form.
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