Wastewater surveillance can provide a leading indicator of rising COVID-19 cases, several days before positive cases and with no individual clinical testing. This is extremely critical in correctional facilities, where close proximity can lead to large outbreaks. It is crucial that correctional facilities quickly identify potential outbreaks and isolate infected individuals to protect the rest...

By Roni Gehkle, Clean Water Editor When the COVID-19 virus began spreading rapidly throughout the United States, the staff at Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD)wasted no time planning and developing a wastewater sampling system that could help monitor and track the SARS-CoV-2. “First, we wanted to demonstrate that our treatment plants were effective at...

By Roni Gehlke, Clean Water Editor Testing wastewater has been successful as a method for early detection of diseases such as polio and cholera as well as to monitor opioid use in communities, so it isn’t surprising that California wastewater agencies began testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 2019. Known as wastewater based epidemiology or WBE, this...

 This UC Berkeley webinar features CWEA-WEF member Dr. Kara Nelson Professor from their  Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Did you know that you have been helping to manage the COVID pandemic, just by going to the bathroom? Since April 2020, a large team of researchers at U.C. Berkeley has been working with local...