Dog detective sniffs out water leaks for Arkansas utility

Categories: 

December 24, 2019

A precocious pooch is successfully detecting water leaks for Central Arkansas Water (CAW), a first for North American water utilities after similar paws-itive experiences in Great Britain and Australia.

The dog detective, a black Labrador mix named Vessel (pictured right), has tracked down several leaks since completing six months of specialized training last month. CAW is the largest water supplier in the state and serves more than 450,000 people in the Greater Little Rock-North Little Rock area.

“The training introduced Vessel to the scent of chlorine, which is what triggers her response,” said Doug Shackelford, CAW’s director of public affairs and communications. Vessel responds to the command “find leak” by putting her keen and precise sense of smell to work. She identifies a leak site by laying down.

“When the chlorine degasses from the treated water, she picks up that scent,” he added. “When she works, she’s not looking for water. She is sniffing for gas from surfacing and non-surfacing leaks. She also can distinguish between ground water and treated water.”

Before Vessel joined CAW, she was rescued from an animal shelter for the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ Paws in Prison program. The program enables inmates to work with rescue dogs to socialize and teach them basic obedience skills so that the dogs are more likely to be adopted.

CAW decided to try out the idea of a leak-detection dog after the utility’s CEO, Tad Bohannon, traveled to Great Britain in 2018 and heard about Snipe, a dog at United Utilities. “He learned more about that dog and the concept and brought it back here to central Arkansas,” Shackelford said.

The concept of canine leak detectors was first tested in 2017 by Australia’s Water Company, which conducted a trial with specially-trained sniffer dogs to detect leaks in below-ground water mains. The training was done by Steve Austin, an Australian dog trainer who had worked with other agencies to train dogs to detect different smells for use with feral animal control and narcotics detection.

Because Vessel was identified as a star student in the Arkansas Paws in Prison program, she was recommended to CAW as a good candidate for leak detection training. Her specialized training to detect water distribution system leaks was provided by local dog trainers Carrier Kessler and Tracy Owen.

As expected, Vessel passed with flying colors.

“A recent example was a leak that we knew existed and sent a crew to repair,” Shackelford said. “When we took Vessel to the site, she actually triggered on another location near the spot we had identified. Our crew chose to dig at Vessel’s mark and found a substantial leak with only one dig.”

Stephen Sullivan (pictured right with Vessel), a 12-year CAW employee, switched jobs from foreman to leak detection specialist to earn the enviable responsibility of being Vessel’s handler. He said there is still a human aspect to CAW’s leak detection process, but it’s great to be more innovative and they don’t have to take a sample.

“We are impressed and amazed at Vessel’s accuracy,” he said. “She pinpoints the exact location of the leak…whether the water is coming up or not.”

CAW, a member of the American Water Works Association since 1938, recommends utilities consider trying leak-detection canines to supplement their other processes and technologies.

“We have used some really unique and amazing technologies to find leaks in our system,” Shackelford said. “As successful as they are, a dog like Vessel puts a positive face on the work that utilities do every day to provide safe, dependable drinking water for their communities.” (American Water Works Association, Dog Detective Sniffs out Water Leaks for Arkansas Utility).

More Articles

Welcoming our Newest Infrastructure Specialist

Welcoming our Newest Infrastructure Specialist

Welcome to the Team! Zach Cox has joined Mountain Waterworks’ corporate office in Boise, Idaho as an Infrastructure Specialist. Mr. Cox will provide support during planning efforts, constructability review during design, and on-the-ground resources during...

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Post-Disaster Funding for Emergency Repairs Procured for Yellow Pine, Idaho Boise, Idaho, August 2021 - The Yellow Pine Water Users Association’s (YPWUA) public drinking water system (PWS) encountered severe damage and disruption to service area residents and...

How to remedy five management flaws and create resilient teams

How to remedy five management flaws and create resilient teams

Jennifer L. Donahue, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, is the founder of JL Donahue Engineering — a globally recognized seismic analysis and engineering firm. With her 25 years in the U.S. Navy, she is well qualified to offer advice for how engineers can use lessons learned from...

How wet is your wetland?

How wet is your wetland?

In April 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army published the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the Federal Register that finalized a revised definition of which waters are considered “jurisdictional waters” in the United...

How I aced the P.E. exam

How I aced the P.E. exam

With the next round of P.E. and S.E. exams approaching, it’s nearly crunch time for those seeking professional licensure this spring. But even if you’re not a test-taker this April, it may be something you’ve considered for a while or have looked forward to at some...

Now is (finally) the time to future-proof our infrastructure

Now is (finally) the time to future-proof our infrastructure

Constantine Samaras, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, is the director of the Center for Engineering and Resilience for Climate Adaptation at Carnegie Mellon University, an adjunct senior researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation, and past chair of ASCE’s Committee on...