Iqaluit (May 15/06) - It happens. It has its own special smell and once you have smelled it, you'll never forget it.

When the honeywagon dumps its load, it stinks. The smell is bad when it is being dumped into the lagoon, but when it happens on the street, public workers have to respond.

Possible consequences of exposure to raw sewage include infection by pathogens, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms. Conditions caused by these include: aseptic meningitis conjunctivitis pericarditis diarrhea encephalitis The Norwalk Virus Hepatitis A Source: Health Canada

On April 18, at 5:15 p.m., Iqaluit's sewer truck made an unexpected drop off. About two gallons of human waste were spilled on the ground between the Quik-stop and the Public Works building, said city officials.

A city worker was sitting in the passenger seat when the driver, who was exiting the Quik-stop with two bags of potato chips in his hands, saw the spill. He held the chips in his right hand, turned off the hose with his left and got back in the truck.

Mark Hall, the head of Public Works for Iqaluit, admits that spills happen fairly frequently in the city.

"It happens around six times a year, and we have a protocol we follow when it does," explained Hall.

In this case, it was reported right away and, on the next day, the spill was cleaned. The sewage-soaked snow was carted off to the lagoon.

As long as the spill is only a few gallons, the clean-up is minimal, he said.

In February 2005, an entire truck emptied its contents near Northmart. That truck held about 13,000 litres.

In March 2003, somewhere between 400 and 900 litres of liquid waste were spilled in two separate incidents. One was near the breakwater and the other near Joamie school.

The largest fine ever levied against the city for waste violations happened in 2001. The city was fined $100,000 by the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans for various spills that made it into the harbour.

One spill in that period resulted in a enough liquid to fill Iqaluit's only swimming pool to the one quarter mark.

If a major spill happens again, Hall believes his department is ready.

"We have an emergency plan for the lift stations. You would see the trucks on stand-by to help," said Hall.

The rank stench of a sewer truck malfunction isn't unique to Iqaluit. With communities all over the territory using the trucks to ship raw waste, mistakes can be made everywhere.

"It does happen, but very, very rarely," said Kugluktuk SAO Paul Waye.

"Our most common problem is when the truck is full, the hose can empty out. If we do have a spill, we get the loader out and take it to the lagoon," explained Waye.

The hamlet has three trucks and is looking to replace the oldest one this year, he said.

The trucks date from 1996, 1998 and 2001. The 1996 model is the back-up truck, and with a new truck, it will be retired.

"These trucks are good for between five to seven years," said Waye.