Webinar: Expanding the Use of Oil Detection Canines to Detect Oils Submerged Under Freshwater

Oil Detection Canines (ODCs) are essential in oil spill response surveys and operations. ODCs have been trained to only respond to a specific type of oil in the presence of multiple oil deposits and have successfully detected weathered oil targets on land buried 5 meters below the surface. The ability of ODCs to detect submerged and sunken oil has not been investigated.

To address this knowledge gap, a field study was conducted in Lake 260 at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.  Deposits of three types of oil that sink in freshwater (weathered diluted bitumen-heavy crude mix, Bunker C/No. 6 fuel oil, and burn residue from Maya Crude) were placed at target locations on the lake bottom at 1, 3 and 5 meter depths in triplicate. Poppy, a five-year-old English Springer Spaniel trained and certified as an ODC, and her trainer performed blinded searches from a boat. The trainer noted ODC alerts (detections) and matched to the GPS coordinates of the targets and prevailing wind directions after conducting searches of 400-500 m linear lake areas. Detections were successful at 1, 3 and 5 meters for weathered dilbit-crude mix and Bunker C oils, but not for burn residue. The IISD-ELA team will conduct additional testing of ODC detection of submerged oil at deeper target depths in open water and with oil under floating freshwater ice.