DC Water and Sewer Authority will start evaluating sewage in order to track down potential COVID-19 infection hotspots, contributing to a national study.
The water and sewer authority has become part of the project conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“COVID-19 is the health issue of our lifetime and I am proud that DC Water can participate in a study as critical as this one to learn more about this virus and find ways to prevent it from taking even more precious lives,” said David Gadis, DC Water Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, about the move.
Samples of wastewater will be taken from 100 treatment plants that cover approximately 10 percent of the country’s entire population. The program will expand into 42 states serving 30 percent of the population later this year.
With the program, the Health and Human Services is aiming to look for signs of any COVID-19 spikes before there is a community spread.
“The samples will be taken from the waste stream, where feces can indicate the presence of a COVID 19 infection even if the person is showing no symptoms and may not even be aware they are sick. DC Water treats all of the wastewater produced in the District, along with some of the wastewater generated by the nearby Maryland and Virginia suburbs,” said the agency in a press release on December 15.
“Because SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, shows up in stool samples, it provides an almost immediate indicator of the presence in the local community,” according to the release.