As a mom of two, I have an uncanny ability to smell a poopy diaper from across the room. Little did I know that sense of smell can also be important to watershed work. I recently learned of two unique methods for sniffing out illicit sewage discharges.
The Center has been helping communities track down illicit discharges for almost 10 years now and, although we’ve refined our outfall survey protocols to focus on the most cost-effective and reliable techniques for identification of suspect discharges, actually tracking them to their source can be a challenge. Source tracking can be costly when closed circuit TV services are required and can be hampered by insufficient storm drain mapping and the intermittent nature of many illicit discharges.
Enter Canine Scent Tracking. The idea of applying Canine Scent Tracking to IDDE, aka “sewage sniffing dogs,” was first explored by the City of Santa Barbara in a WERF-funded research study in 2011. The results showed that Canine Scent tracking should be expanded in its use by stormwater managers. Environmental Canine Services, LLC has since used their dogs to track down sources of bacteria in more than 15 communities in Michigan, Maine and California.
The second technology is the trained Electronic Nose. This technology has been around for a while, but has only recently been applied to help solve environmental problems. The Center for Watershed Studies at Virginia Tech is interested in exploring use of the Electronic Nose to detect failing septic systems and illicit discharges because, although it does not have the range of human olfaction (vocabulary word of the day!), it can provide an objective, reproducible response that is not susceptible to odor fatigue.
- Tell us what you think of the potential for using Canine Scent Tracking and the Electronic Nose to track down sewage and other types of discharges
- Have you used either technology in your community and what was your experience?
- What are some other innovative or cost-saving techniques for tracking illicit discharges to their source?
Karen Cappiella, Director of Research at the Center for Watershed Protection, has over 13 years of experience providing technical assistance and guidance to communities on responsible land and water management techniques. She conducts applied research on topics related to watersheds and stormwater to better understand the influence of land use change on water resources and how best to prevent or mitigate these impacts. Karen is co-editor-in-chief of the Center’s peer-reviewed journal Watershed Science Bulletin and edits the Center’s e-newsletter Runoff Rundown. Her areas of interest include protecting forests and wetlands through watershed planning, use of GIS to analyze land cover impacts and costs and benefits of water quality management practices for MS4 and TMDL compliance. Karen is trained in various field methods and has extensive project management experience. She has a B.A. in Geography from Millersville University and an M.A. in Geography from East Carolina University.
