4/23/2020

Thanks to clean water operators all around the region, we are better protected from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and other infectious diseases. Finally, it seems the profession is getting some respect and admiration. There has been a lot more positive press about wastewater operations lately. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler wrote a letter to the Governors in all 50 states at the end of March regarding the essential nature of drinking water and wastewater operations.

“Ensuring that all Americans have clean and safe water is a high priority for the agency and I want to thank the water sector for their courageous efforts at a time when workforces are being challenged and stretched,” said Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Having fully operational drinking water and wastewater services is critical to containing COVID-19 and protecting Americans from other public health risks. Our nation’s water and wastewater employees are everyday heroes who are on the frontline of protecting human health and the environment every single day.”

Not only do Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) act as a barrier to COVID-19 entering the water cycle, they can be play a major role in the response and recovery efforts. Thanks to these “everyday heros” we will get through this novel coronavirus pandemic and maybe come out of it even better – especially if economic stimulus money can be directed to important water infrastructure projects.

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) -- “Poop Patrol” in the Battle Against COVID-19
Because scientists know how to identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA, and because the RNA can be detected in sewage, the study of wastewater has become a huge tool for epidemiologists and researchers who study the distribution and patterns of disease. At the University of Michigan, Krista Wigginton and her team which includes Stanford University researchers are working on building a model based on behavior of past viruses to predict the fate of the novel coronavirus in the environment. The model uses data obtained from wastewater analyses. The University of Arizona is tracking the coronavirus countrywide. Similar studies are going on all across the globe.

Closer to home, Biobot of Somersville, Massachusetts, is working with MIT and Harvard on a similar effort. Biobot started sampling for COVID-19 indicators in wastewater (including from a large WRRF in Massachusetts) before the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the United States. After the outbreak began, Biobot samples began testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at higher levels than expected by the researchers. The same kinds of results were reported previously from a study in the Netherlands. More information about this particular study can be found in the most recent NEBRA Member Research Abstracts courtesy of Dr. Sally Brown and Northwest Biosolids.

Sewage Surveillance is an Important Tool
The Netherlands is working on a national “sewer surveillance” program to complement the country’s health surveillance programs. Netherland researchers are putting their hopes in sewer surveillance to provide early indicators/warnings of the reemergence of SARS-CoV-2 or to predict future outbreaks. In the United Kingdom, researchers have developed an inexpensive paper device that can test for generic material in wastewater. Having these kinds of easy-to-use tools commercially available will improve data in the future.

A lot more research and data is required to groundtruth and fine-tune the epidemiological models based on sewer surveillance. Concentrations in wastewater are helpful but much more data and more varied datasets are needed by all researchers. For example, information such as how much virus is in stools from patients testing positive over the course of the disease’s progression and recovery are key to being able to interpret what the researchers are finding in sewer systems. That data will make the models more useful. And good models will be needed to help with crucial decisions about when to ease up on social distancing and other restrictions -- or when to reimpose them.

Due to the great interest in WBE right now, the Water Research Foundation (WRF) will be hosting a virtual research summit on April 27 from 3 to 5 pm (EST) on “Environmental Surveillance of COVID-19 Indicators in Sewersheds”. The virtual opening and closing plenary sessions are open to the public. For more information, go to WRF’s website.