FLINT, MI -- The city may be putting a specially trained canine to work sniffing out human waste in stormwater drains and outfalls to prevent it from entering local streams, creeks, and the Flint River.

The City Council is expected to consider accepting a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for the program during a committee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

With the $39,970 grant, the city wants to purchase a scent detection dog trained to smell for human waste and ignore animal feces in Flint’s 345 outfalls, 8,338 manholes, and 14,962 catch basins.

A spokesperson for Mayor Sheldon Neeley did not immediately comment on the grant on Monday, Oct. 6, but information supplied to council members indicates his administration supports establishing the

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