Detection dogs winning hearts by sniffing out water leaks in Illawarra

Joey is a water leak dog and his nose is so good he can detect a drop of leaking water 2.5 metres below ground level.

For the past four days he and fellow English springer spaniel, Hydro, have been hard at work across the Illawarra, they've searched 15 kilometres of water mains and found 17 water leaks, particularly around Port Kembla.

During the past year they've found 80 separate leaks in 110kms of water mains across the Illawarra, and not only can they find a leak, they can trace it back to its source.

Dogs are trained to detect chlorine and fluoride in water and when it's leaking from pipes they can sniff it out.

The Mercury was invited to watch Joey in action at Port Kembla on Wednesday, June 26.

He darts from side-to-side, nose to the ground as he rushes across the grassed nature strips outside homes.

Pretty soon he finds one, drops his body to the ground, puts his chin down onto the grass and holds that position.

It's a set-up leak so we can see his skills in action, but it's exactly what happens when he finds a real leak.

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"We use the dogs by covering where the water mains run and the dogs can actually find water leaks up to 2.5 metres underground," Sydney Water's water leak detection dog handler and trainer Nicole Harvey said.

"They find water leaks on hydrants, on service valves, water mains, on main to metre leaks and also private leaks which is great for our customers across the Illawarra.

"I average about 25,000 steps a day when I'm working with the dogs."

The reward for the dogs? Well, all dogs like different toys, but for Joey he's all about the tennis balls and finding a leak means he's going to get to play with the ball.

The idea of detection dogs isn't new, but their use in finding water leaks is.

For years dogs have been trained to detect drugs, accelerants, wanted people, drops of blood and deceased people.

Poo-sniffing dogs have become a key weapon in the fight to protect Australia's endangered native animals from feral pests.

When Sydney Water first came up with the idea of water leak detection four years ago it was a new concept and there were no other groups they could get training advice from.

"We had to work out how these dogs were doing to do it and how to train the dogs and it was very, very hard to mimic a live leak," Ms Harvey said.

"At an airport you would mimic a passenger, in this environment the dogs know when it's set up so you've got to be able to use live leaks to be able train them."

Three-year-old Joey was among the first dogs trained and they thought it'd take him 18 months to be ready to work in the field.

"Joey was an exceptional dog, he was in the field at nine months of age and was finding leaks at six months of age," Ms Harvey said.

English springer spaniels were bred to hunt and they were chosen for this type of detection thanks to their exceptional odour finding abilities.

"They keep low to the ground and they're quite agile in areas where we need them to, the environment is quite uneven, we work in national parks, on beaches, in residential areas," Ms Harvey said.

"We need that light, agile dog that we can lift down, move, but also be very good at what they do."

Sydney Water also has wastewater dogs that can detect sewer leaks and salt water ingress in storm water channels.

The programs have been such a success that they have been adopted across Australia and also in Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.