Fairhope Bringing in K-9’s to Sniff Out E-Coli Bacteria
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
February 5, 2026
FAIRHOPE, Ala. Police, Search and Rescue Teams, Corrections and Security Guards and even exterminators have used to sniff out the bad guy, bugs or bad smells.
And now, the City of Fairhope has contracted with a company that also uses dogs to sniff out bad smells. The dogs will help city personnel to sniff out sewage leaks.
Specifically, the four-legged helpers will search for E-coli bacteria and where it’s escaping from.
City grants manger Nichole Love said for years excessive E. coli bacteria has been periodically detected in Fly Creek but pinpointing where and how it was seeping into the area has been difficult. Thus, a new method is being tried.
Love said that using the methods of submitting samples frequently to a lab is costly.
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) has devised a possible solution by using specially trained K-9’s to sniff out the problems.
Cody Aloi in partnership with X & O Consulting’s Paul Orcutt, are preparing to help locate the leaks in a different way. The program will cost $65,000 this year.
Information gathers will be submitted to the city council.
The dogs can quickly alert to possible human-specific contamination so possible sources may be quickly identified. Some traditional lab testing will be required too later, for confirmation.
The goals of the new program are to “reduce time and cost involved identifying human sewage wastewater pollution, allow augmented response and mitigation and to gather actionable data for fast response.”
Malfunctioning private septic tanks as well as municipal sewage collection systems are two of the possible sources of pollution.
Dogs used are certified by The United Police Working Dog Association.
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