Mysterious helicopters are community news gold. So we’re kind of ruining things by posting this but, be warned. The Washington State Department of Health says a low-flying helicopter will be traveling over our area sometime between July 11th and the 28th:

The measurements will be used to determine what normal radiation levels are various locations. The data will provide a baseline that can be used for comparison should there ever be a nuclear accident, the Department of Health said.

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After the recent nuclear reactor accident in Fukushima, Japan, Japanese officials measured radiation levels in the surrounding area, but could not tell how elevated they were because they had no pre-accident measurements for comparison.

State radiation experts expect to find natural radioactivity and material produced by licensed radioactive material users such as hospitals, the Department of Health said.

The crew from Airwolf

Flights to measure baseline radiation levels will begin over the Seattle and Bellevue area and then move to other parts of Kind and Pierce Counties. For any Black Helicopter types out there, know that a grant from the Department of Homeland Security helped pay for the survey.

You can learn more about the program here http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/rp/rep/aerial.htm

A helicopter flying over some urban areas of King and Pierce counties will gather radiological readings July 11-28, 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measurement System will collect baseline levels of radioactive materials. The helicopter’s equipment can detect the presence of radioactive materials that emit gamma radiation such as cesium and radioactive iodine. The baseline would be used in the event of a radiation emergency to compare radioactive contamination to the normal levels found during this study. The Washington State Department of Health Office of Radiation Protection is overseeing the project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The helicopter will fly a grid pattern spaced about 600 feet apart at an altitude of 300 feet, flying at 70 mph. The results will be provided to local agencies from the surveyed area by year-end. Some of the data may be withheld for national security purposes. The state Department of Health has been planning this project since 2009.