The City of Boston’s Rodent Action Plan (BRAP) is poised to take a significant step forward as the plan launches a pilot program to install high tech, non-toxic, eco-friendly rat traps in city sewer infrastructure with known rodent activity. The pilot’s primary goal is to see if new technologies can assist in decreasing the rat population and will begin in Boston’s North End neighborhood.
Sewers, especially older sewers and those with defects, including the laterals and lateral connections, provide ideal habitat for the common Norway rat. Indeed, the Norway rat is also known as the “sewer” rat. Many sewers also have heavy grease deposits, a major food source for rodents.
PILOT PROGRAM KEY POINTS
- The pilot is focused on deploying non-toxic sewer traps in the public sewer system to reduce rodent activity in the North End. These traps use motion and heat detection with a piston activated trap, instead of poison, offering a smarter, safer, and more sustainable alternative.
- The products are The Sentinel Sewer Rat Trap
- The neighborhood was selected based on historical rodent activity and 311 complaints. This pilot is part of a broader push under the Boston Rodent Action Plan to use data and technology to address rodent issues more effectively.
The BRAP is an innovative collaboration among multiple City agencies, including Public Health, Inspectional Services, Public Works, Boston Housing Authority and Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC). Leading up to the rat trap pilot program’s launch, the BRAP’s focus has been on site cleanliness, rodent resistant trash containers and overall waste management.
Data collected during the North End pilot program will help the City and BWSC assess how effective the traps are and guide future decisions on citywide rodent mitigation strategies.