DELAWARE — Del-Co Water Company, a member owned water provider proudly serving Delaware, Marion, Morrow and five other counties for over 50 years, has expanded its team. They are proud to introduce Keena, a leak detection canine.

Keena is a full bred Belgian Malinois trained to detect the scent of treated drinking water. Zach Lohr, Keena’s handler, has a dual role in distribution and leak detection. With more than 10 years of canine handling experience, Lohr takes Keena on customer calls on Del-Co’s system and occasionally supports other Ohio water systems.

“Keena is producing consistent results while learning leaks are rare and she won’t get a reward every time she gets out of the truck”, Lohr said. “She identified leaks on her first two searches, three more are pending, and several homeowner irrigation system leaks were picked-up in routine searches.”

Del-Co Water is using Keena to refine an already rigorous water loss program and to respond to the occasional customer that believes they have a leak.

“We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our natural resources and Keena is proving to be a fun effective solution and she works for treats”, said Glenn Marzluf, Del-Co Water Company CEO.

Del-Co Water serves approximately 54,000 customers including residents in eastern Marion County.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Del-Co Water Company using a dog to detect water leaks