Aid Cannot Wait – Hydrachem Urges Global Action to Break Barriers to Clean Water
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Barnsley Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Underway with £11m Yorkshire Water Investment
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Curio Water Partners with SKion Water to Bring Advanced Ozonisation Technology to the UK
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At H2O Global News, we love dogs and make no excuses for including a story about one of our furry friends. Especially when she is doing a great job finding oil spills and keeping freshwater lakes pristine. Poppy, a beautiful Springer Spaniel working in Canada’s IISD Experimental Lakes Area, puts her nose to good use snuffling out oil hidden under ice. To find out more, we interviewed Sumeep Bath, who told us more about the role sniffer dogs can play in water quality. 

Could you tell us about yourself?

I’m Sumeep Bath, and I’m lucky enough to be the communications manager for IISD Experimental Lakes Area, the world’s freshwater laboratory. Seriously, my science communication friends are a little jealous! I love this role because I can reach different audiences, whether I’m writing a serious policy brief or making a fun TikTok.

The best part? The place itself is incredibly photogenic, and the organization understands the value of communicating its work to the outside world.

What is the IISD Experimental Lakes Area?

IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) is a one-of-a-kind natural laboratory. It’s made up of 58 pristine lakes and their watersheds in a remote area of northwestern Ontario, Canada, where they’re completely untouched by human activity.

This unique setting allows scientists to manipulate entire lakes to study how everything in the ecosystem—from the air to the fish—responds. Because these are real-world experiments, the findings are more accurate and reliable than research conducted in smaller, lab-based settings. This approach led to groundbreaking discoveries that have influenced billion-dollar decisions by governments and industries, shaping cost-effective policies and regulations to safeguard freshwater resources.

Why are oil spills such a problem and why are they difficult to detect?

An oil spill is the unintentional release of oil into the environment during transport via trucks, rail, or pipelines, which can contaminate freshwater ecosystems. In North America, one common type of oil transported is bitumen from the Alberta oil sands. Because bitumen is too thick to flow through pipelines, it’s diluted with lighter oils to create a mixture called diluted bitumen or “dilbit.”

Northern Canada is particularly vulnerable to oil spills, as pipelines and rail lines often cross frozen waterways. Spills in these remote, ice-covered areas are incredibly difficult and expensive to detect. Traditional methods require heavy machinery for drilling or underwater navigation, making the process time-consuming and challenging. Detecting these spills is vital to preventing devastating economic and ecological impacts.

How can sniffer dogs help? 

Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, which is why they work in places like airports. A dog’s nose has up to 300 million scent receptors, while a human’s has only about six million. The part of a dog’s brain that processes smells is also 40 times bigger than ours.

Essentially, dogs “see” the world with their nose. That’s why using trained dogs to find oil spills is so effective—it’s a new application of a skill they’ve always had.

What are the advantages of using sniffer dogs? 

Recent research at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area yielded excellent results: specially trained detection dogs successfully located two different types of oil under lake ice in a double-blind study. In all six trials, the dogs correctly identified the oil’s location with no false negatives.

This is a significant breakthrough. Current technologies for detecting oil under ice—such as ground-penetrating radar and remote or autonomous underwater vehicles—are slow and extremely expensive, with some systems costing up to $6 million plus daily operating fees of $30,000.

While canine detection has not yet proven effective in complex urban environments, this research highlights the growing potential for using dogs in environmental surveys.

How long did it take to train Poppy? 

Poppy, a detection dog specializing in environmental surveys, was trained by Paul Bunker, a British Army veteran and founder of Chiron K9. With over 40 years of experience with working dogs, Bunker began training Poppy as a puppy after receiving her as a gift.

The training process is straightforward. A target scent—like oil, explosives, or even endangered species—is paired with a reward, such as a squeaky tennis ball or a treat. For Poppy, this makes the work feel like a game. When she successfully hunts down and finds the scent, she’s rewarded, reinforcing the desired behaviour.

Have you any plans to expand the programme?

A representative from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island contacted us for help finding several undocumented and abandoned oil wells. Following the story, they reached out to see if our oil-sniffing dog team could assist. Our head scientist, Vince Palace, is currently in discussions to determine how our technology can help.

Perhaps the most important question: What is Poppy’s favourite treat?

For Poppy, her favourite squeaky tennis ball is the ultimate reward. It’s not just a treat; it’s the payoff for a job well done. When she successfully finds an oil spill, we celebrate her success together, and she gets to play with her ball, making the whole process a fun game.

Finding Oil Spills with Poppy: Are Sniffer Dogs the Answer?
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Wessex Water has introduced two new canine recruits, cocker spaniel brothers Bluey and Bandit, to help tackle sewer misconnections and protect rivers across the region.

Misconnections occur when household appliances such as toilets or showers are incorrectly plumbed into surface water sewers. This can cause untreated wastewater to enter rivers and streams, threatening aquatic life and polluting the environment.

Bluey and Bandit form part of Wessex Water’s award-winning canine unit, trained to detect wastewater odours through manhole covers. With up to 300 million scent receptors—compared to just six million in humans—the dogs can identify pollution far more quickly than traditional methods.

Nikki Glover, Senior Environmental Detection Dog Handler at Wessex Water, said: “Bluey and Bandit have been training for the past six months using odours on manhole cover lids. They are already proving very effective alongside our Stream Clean team, finding misconnections faster, saving time and money, and delivering clear environmental benefits.”

The dogs were trained by Cape SPC, specialists in canine leak detection. They follow in the footsteps of Wessex Water’s earlier detection dogs Freya, Newky and Obi, who made headlines for locating protected great crested newts.

As part of Wessex Water’s wider Stream Clean programme, the canine unit helps to reduce pollution, restore river health, and protect communities across the company’s service area.

Quick Reference Links

• Wessex Water
• Cape SPC
• YTL UK Group

Bluey and Bandit: Wessex Water’s Detection Dogs Sniff Out Pollution in Sewers
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Element Materials Technology has launched a new mobile solution to help businesses monitor on-site emissions in real time, responding to tightening environmental regulations across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

The company has invested £500,000 in state-of-the-art Selective Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) instrumentation. Mounted in a mobile laboratory van, the system can be deployed by Element’s 50+ Safety and Environmental Compliance teams to measure low-level emissions at sites including landfills, chemical facilities, wastewater treatment plants and industrial stacks.

Entering service in August 2025, the mobile SIFT-MS is the first of its kind in the UK and Ireland to target process emissions. It provides immediate, laboratory-quality data on hazardous gases such as nitrosamines and PFAS, supporting faster decision-making and helping operators comply with evolving regulatory frameworks.

Mark Elliot, Technical Manager at Element, said: “As part of the journey to net zero, identifying pollutants at ever-lower levels will play a big role. The emergence of new pollutants such as nitrosamines and PFAS chemicals can create compliance challenges unless the right monitoring is in place. Having a mobile unit that delivers real-time results with lab-level accuracy means businesses can respond quickly and stay ahead of regulatory changes.”

The Environment Agency has highlighted the need for more stringent monitoring to meet tightening Emission Limit Values. By leveraging rapid ion-switching and soft chemical ionisation, Element’s SIFT-MS enables highly sensitive detection across ppt, ppb and ppm ranges. Future upgrades will further expand its ability to identify additional pollutants through negative reagent ion chemistry.

Element’s innovation is designed to give operators confidence in direct analysis methods, improving emissions management while supporting sustainability targets.

Element Materials Technology Unveils Mobile Emissions Monitoring Solution
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A key £2 million project to help protect Warminster from the impact of potential pollution is nearing completion, fully reopening an important route through the historic Wiltshire market town.

Traffic resumed travel in both directions on Weymouth Street, just to the south of the town centre, on Sunday evening (17 August) following the lifting of the northbound closure that had been in place while crucial upgrades to the sewer network were carried out within a public car park.

The project, which got under way last August, saw an underground storage tank built to hold more than 400,000 litres of excess water from sewers during heavy storms, to help improve the quality of water in the Were river running through the town.

Work on the scheme was extended by three months, following discussions between Wiltshire Council, Warminster Town Council and Wessex Water, after problems caused by groundwater filling up the shaft for the tank delayed the construction team earlier this year while it was pumped away and a solution was found.

Work on the environmental improvement scheme near the centre of Warminster started last year

The tank will now play a crucial role in reducing occasions when heavy rain overwhelms the town’s sewer system and causes nearby storm overflows to operate automatically to protect properties from flooding.

It will retain the increased water volume from the combined sewer system – a diluted mix of used water from homes and businesses as well as rainwater draining into the pipes – until storms subside before returning it to the system and onwards to a nearby water recycling centre for treatment.

Greg Andrews, Networks Project Manager for YTL Construction, which carried out the work on behalf of Wessex Water, said: “We’re delighted to have completed this important project in Warminster and be able to reopen Weymouth Street fully for local through traffic.

“This was a complex scheme in a sensitive location and our team have worked hard to get it completed as quickly as possible, despite the challenges they have encountered along the way.

“Clearly, the delays were frustrating, but we’d like to thank local customers and road users for their patience, co-operation and understanding while these were overcome, as well as Warminster Town Council and local Wiltshire Council members for their support throughout.

“Our team will remain on site to demobilise equipment, reopen the footpath and reinstate the car park over the next couple of weeks.

“This work was vital towards helping to protect the environment in Warminster and Wessex Water’s progressive push towards preventing the automatic discharge of untreated water.’’

The Warminster project continues Wessex Water’s environmental protection investment throughout Wiltshire, with similar schemes totalling more than £4 million having been completed in Bradford on Avon and Chippenham in the last two years.

The company’s work to progressively and substantially reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater is also growing significantly over the coming years, with plans for 2025-30 outlining a £580 million investment – more than double the 2020-25 figure – to reduce the operation of storm overflows, introducing more nature-based solutions and promoting better rainwater management.

Pollution prevention takes step forward as Warminster work nears finish
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Over 840 litres of harmful pesticides and chemicals from farms across Devon and Cornwall were safely collected and disposed of last year to help protect the environment and natural water quality.

The work was carried out by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust, through funding from South West Water’s pioneering catchment management programme, Upstream Thinking, with further collections already underway for this year.

The pesticide amnesty encouraged farms to hand in unwanted, outdated or banned chemicals so they could be safely disposed of and to prevent them from accidentally entering the environment. Through the scheme, old containers of pesticide were confidentially collected and disposed of for farmers for free, with the aim of promoting cleaner watercourses, healthier ecosystems and safer crop production.

Upstream Thinking works with landowners to look at how land is managed to drive improvements in raw water quality in rivers across the region. It focusses on practical, preventative measures to address problems before they arise.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust have run two targeted pesticide amnesties in recent years and over this time farmers are becoming much more willing to part with their pesticides. The number of farms storing and using chemicals has also fallen, down 40% over the period that the Upstream Thinking team has been working with farmers.

Carolyn Cadman, South West Water’s Director for Natural Resources, said: “Often farmers hang on to outdated pesticides because they don’t know what to do with them or just don’t get round to disposing of them. These old containers can easily crack and lead to accidental spills to the environment. One gram of pesticide can be detected many kilometres downstream, which shows the importance of reducing potential harm by removing these products from the environment before they soak into the ground and reach the watercourse.”

Annabel Martin, Head of Land Management at Westcountry Rivers Trust, said: “Since 2016, we have collected and disposed of more than 7.3 tonnes of unwanted pesticides, herbicides and insecticides from 117 farms in our Upstream Thinking catchments in Devon and Cornwall. Given the highly mobile nature of these chemicals, it is incredibly important to remove the risk of spills and leaks, even when the river is distant to the farmyard. Providing this service enables farmers to do the right thing by the environment, without the risk of them having to transport the chemicals themselves.”

Successful pesticide amnesty helps protect natural water quality across Devon and Cornwall
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AqueoUS Vets® Expands Its Reach to US Communities with PFAS Contaminated Water Through Addition of Ten Channel Partners
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Yokogawa Corporation of America and Australian cleantech company Synergen Met Limited announce a partnership regarding the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” in North America.

This relationship will leverage the unique strengths of both companies. Synergen Met will provide its foam fractionation and thermal plasma technologies that capture, concentrate, and totally destroy PFAS without creating harmful, residual byproducts. Yokogawa will provide sensor, control, and remote access technology to enable remote autonomous operations, along with local manufacturing, support, and services. Together, the two companies are committed to a shared mission to address the pervasive issue of PFAS contamination affecting society.

PFAS are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water, such as fire retardants, nonstick materials, and rainproof clothing. Known for their robust chemical structure, PFAS compounds are often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their enduring presence in water bodies and landfills. Their resistance to degradation contributes to their persistence, posing long-term environmental and health challenges. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the PFAS group of chemicals is associated with many impacts on human health, including reproductive effects, developmental effects in children, increased risk of cancers, reduction in the ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, interference with the body’s natural hormones, and increased cholesterol levels.

To begin to address this, the EPA recently established legally enforceable maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for PFAS within the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR), which apply to public water systems.

“Yokogawa is proud to take this significant step forward regarding the issue of PFAS. We are collaborating and investing in best-in-class treatment technologies to address environmental challenges in line with our corporate sustainability goals for net zero emissions, circular economy, and human well-being,” commented Steve Hayden, Industry Director at Yokogawa Corporation of America. “This is co-innovation at its best. We have high expectations for leveraging Synergen Met’s unique technologies in North America.”

“Synergen Met is delighted to be collaborating with Yokogawa to roll out our PFAS technology in North America,” said Christopher Dunks, Managing Director. “The delivery of our powerful PFAS concentration and destruction technology requires best-in-class automation and project delivery capability. Yokogawa delivers this as a core competence, and we look forward to building out critical treatment solutions together.”

Yokogawa and Synergen Met to Partner on Water Treatment Technology in North America
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