I must say that I love a good, entertaining conspiracy theory, but I also do prefer that it be based on facts. That's why I want to let you know that you might see an unmarked low-flying helicopter in Illinois soon. No reason to panic though. I think I know why.

Get our free mobile app

The USGS just announced via a press release that they're about to do a survey of the Illinois River region including a huge region over Illinois. Here's their handy map of where they'll be.

USGS
USGS
loading...

For example, here is what they look like.

The smart geniuses at the USGS also provided details at what they'll be up to. This is me pretending to understand what they said:

Geophysical measurements will be collected by the helicopter as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) project to support studies of groundwater in the Illinois River Basin.

My takeaway? The USGS want to look at stuff and I'm pretty sure that it has something to do with groundwater. Smart, right? I did find a video where they tried to explain this to ordinary folks like you and me.

The takeaway? It has something to do with water. Oh, and those low-flying helicopters? Don't worry about them. They're just researching stuff for smart Illinois people.

This Illinois Cabin Floats on the Mississippi River Backwaters

More From 100.9 The Eagle, The Tri-States' Classic Rock Station