Sweden standardizes dog searches for water leakages

A Swedish standard will soon be in place to ensure quality and facilitate the use of search dogs in cases such as drinking water leaks. The use of search dogs for leaks in pipes for district heating, drinking water and gas is becoming increasingly common. Dogs trained to locate leaks are a fast and environmentally friendly complement to traditional methods used by the energy and water supply industry.

The Swedish Standards Institute, SIS, is developing a standard for leak detection with dogs together with several organizations in the energy and water and sanitation industry. The aim of the standard is to ensure that the dog and handler are meeting the necessary requirements for training, detection ability and safety. 

Standardized method

Leak detection with dogs is a sought-after complement to traditional methods. In order to be used effectively and on a larger scale, the method needs to be quality assured. With a standard, this becomes possible, says Bledar Beqiri, project manager at the Swedish Standards Institute, SIS, in a press release. “With a national standard, municipalities, energy companies and water and sanitation organizations will have a tool to assess and hire companies that work with leak detection dogs. This can, among other things, help save resources and increase the security of the water supply”, SIS writes in the press release.

Organisations invited to contribute to upcoming standard

“There are several advantages to using dogs. It is fast, environmentally friendly and cost-effective”, says Susanne Kihl, CEO of the dog training institute Kihls Hundägarservice Specialsök AB, who is participating in the work of developing the standard. The new standard is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Eon, Rise, Norrtälje Energi, Varbergs Energi, Ulricehamn Energi, Stenungssunds Energi and Kihls Hundägarservice Specialsök AB are participating in the work. The Swedish Standards Institute welcomes more organisations to participate in the work and influence the upcoming standard. SIS is part of ISO and CEN, a network of experts working to create international standards.

Reduce water leakage is mandatory

According to the Drinking Water Directive, water leakage levels should be assessed by all Member States and reduced if they are above a certain threshold. Member States are required to assess water leakage levels from suppliers that produce more than 10,000 m³ of drinking water per day or supply more than 50,000 people, and inform the European Commission in 2026. By early 2028, the Commission will have adopted a threshold for leakage rates.

This article was published first by the Swedish platform for water professionals cirkulation.se