Medina Lake agency to drone pilot: surrender your dam photos

A commercial drone operator has been ordered not to fly his camera-equipped craft over two dams at Medina Lake — or publish photos or videos from previous flights — by the agency that manages Medina Lake, whose lawyer cited the potential threat of terrorism in a “cease and desist” letter.

Images from the flights have been posted online by Save Medina Lake, a group that has feuded with the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Counties Water Control & Improvement District No. 1 over its management of the reservoir and its transparency. The group said it relies on drone flights to monitor how BMA releases water for downstream farmers because BMA won’t provide the information.

John Parisoff, who runs New View Video of Helotes, said he does not intend to comply with the Oct. 13 directive from BMA lawyer Patrick Lindner, which called on Parisoff to hand over all photos and video footage taken of the agency’s property, disclose to whom they were released, and to “take all efforts” to recover the images and scrub them from the internet.





Photo: Water flows over the Medina Lake spillway May 31, 2016 as seen in an aerial image taken with a remote control quadcopter. A lawyer for the agency that manages Medina Lake cited the potential threat of terrorism in a “cease and desist” letter sent to a commercial drone operator who has been ordered not to fly his camera-equipped craft over two dams at Medina Lake.Water flows over the Medina Lake spillway May 31, 2016 as seen in an aerial image taken with a remote control quadcopter. less A lawyer for the agency that manages Medina Lake cited the potential threat of terrorism in a “cease and desist” letter sent to a commercial drone operator who has been ordered not to fly his ... more Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Medina Lake agency to drone pilot: surrender your dam photos 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Parisoff denied the letter’s assertions that he was breaching Federal Aviation Administration rules and a state law governing the operation of unmanned aircraft over “critical infrastructure facilities.”

Save Medina Lake leaders accused the BMA of trying to intimidate Parisoff, and criticized the BMA for not providing requested information about when the dam gates are opened, and for how long, data the BMA says it does not maintain records about.

Lindner denied that the agency has wrongfully withheld records and said the letter to Parisoff was its attempt to uphold regulations and laws, not throw its weight around.

The BMA has received no threats concerning the dam, Lindner said, noting, “That’s the problem with terrorists, you never get advanced notice.”

Read the full story at ExpressNews.com or in Thursday’s Express-News.

zeke@express-news.net