Is It Safe to Come Out of Lockdown? Check the Sewer
Wastewater could provide early, painless and localized data about the rise or fall of coronavirus levels.
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Poop May Tell Us When the Coronavirus Lockdown Will End
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Roxanna XiaEvery day, millions of Americans could be flushing critical coronavirus data down the toilet.
With the nation growing ever more weary of sweeping stay-at-home orders and a worsening economy, some scientists say our poop could be the key to determining when a community might consider easing health restrictions.
From Stanford to the University of Arizona, from Australia to Paris, teams of researchers have been ramping up wastewater analyses to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Initial studies show that sewage monitoring, or “wastewater-based-epidemiology,” could not only tell us how much the virus might actually be spreading in a community — but also when the virus has finally gone away.
Coronavirus Causes Delay in EPA’s Rule for Managing Wastewater
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Lawby Amena SaiyidThe EPA has been too busy responding to the deadly coronavirus to work on its long-awaited proposal to manage huge volumes of pathogen-infested sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, the agency’s top wastewater official said Wednesday.
“We think we have a potential path forward,” said Andrew Sawyers, director of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Wastewater Management, said in a webinar on water priorities for the year.
But “with Covid-19, there are a lot of things under consideration,” he said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.
“We will provide additional information on timing and potentially when we can move this forward,” Sawyers said about the wastewater rule.
Sewage Monitoring Could Provide Covid-19 Early Warning
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /WWTby Denise ChevinWastewater in sewage systems could provide a quicker and earlier indication of the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Covid-19 virus, claim scientists working with Northumbrian Water and global partners.
San Diego Plans to Spend $70M Upgrading Sewer, Water Pipes Near San Diego State
/in Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /The San Diego Union Tribuneby David GarrickSeveral streets in neighborhoods near San Diego State will be torn up for short periods over the next four years so the city can widen and upgrade sewer and water lines that lead to the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Opinion: Wastewater Treatment Kills Most Pathogens, Including COVID-19 Virus
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /PPICby Lori PottingerCalifornians reuse treated wastewater as a water supply, to irrigate crops, and to support freshwater ecosystems. To get answers to questions about managing the new coronavirus in the “sewershed,” we talked to two experts: Kara Nelson, an expert in waterborne pathogens at UC Berkeley; and Adam Link, executive director of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies.
One Way to Potentially Track Covid-19? Sewage Surveillance
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Wiredby Gregory BarberHow many people have been infected with the new coronavirus? A group of Bay Area researchers aims to find out—by tracking what’s in the local wastewater.
American Water Continues Project Work Amid Coronavirus Woes
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Yahoo Financeby Zacks Equity ResearchAmerican Water Works announced that its subsidiary, Illinois American Water will continue with planned infrastructure projects across its service areas amid the novel coronavirus threat. Infrastructure maintenance and upgrades at regular intervals are quite essential to ensure potable water and wastewater services to customers.
Illinois American Water provides water and wastewater services to 1.3 million people in its service territories. Per World Health Organization, washing hands with soap at regular intervals and maintaining social distancing are crucial measures to avoid the infection.
EPA Urges States to Support Water, Wastewater Operations During COVID-19
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Water WorldIn a letter to Governors in all 50 states, territories and Washington, D.C. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler asked states to ensure that drinking water and wastewater employees are considered essential workers.
Shredded T-shirts No Substitute for Toilet Paper; Critical Sewer Spill Averted
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Record Searchlightby Mike ChapmanThe toilet paper shortage is leading some people to resort to other ways of wiping and it caused a problem for part of the Redding sewer system Wednesday night.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
