As the mother of a six-year-old boy, I am unfortunately used to asking another person about their bathroom habits. But over spring break this year, I was involved in a conversation about the flushing habits of adults. It happened around a backyard barbecue at my family’s home in Cincinnati, Ohio — also the site of this year’s first-ever WEF Public Health and Water Conference and Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit.
On the eve of that event, the conversation turned to what my plans for the next day would be. As I explained wastewater-based surveillance to aunts and uncles, I answered several questions: How does it work? How long has this been going on? What else can this technology and the science behind it tell us about the composition of a community? (Thanks to my college-aged niece for that one.)
The next day, presenters and attendees of the Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit posed those same questions. In a packed room and streaming online, a theme emerged several times: Poop Doesn’t Lie.
As vaccination rates rise and clinical testing slows, the science behind wastewater monitoring continues to evolve. The Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control are using wastewater to identify new variants and breakthrough cases of the Coronavirus. And the disparity between clinical testing data and what our wastewater plants show will continue to grow due to the increase in the availability of at-home tests; the results of which are not reported to local health departments.
This month, our cover story looks at drinking water — and more specifically at how the City of Santa Monica, Calif., has focused its efforts on developing alternative water sources and expanding local groundwater resources to enhance the sustainability of its local water supply. Several projects are in the works, including the construction of a new state-of-the-art treatment facility; a $72 million undertaking with the potential to restore up to 3,200 acre-feet per year of water, according to city leaders. On Page 8, author Daniel Gaddy outlines several parts of the project.
On page 12, a digital platform has transformed the way the Franklin (Mass.) Department of Public Works operates eight booster pump stations, six water storage tanks, more than 2,000 hydrants, 157 miles of water main, and approximately 9,000 water services. The town’s sanitary sewer system has 137 miles of sewer pipe, more than 3,400 utility access holes, and 23 pump stations; and all of these assets are now managed in one central repository. The shift has saved countless work hours for administrative and management staff, as well as crews working in the field.
Both features highlight innovation in utility planning and management, to provide the highest quality of service for rate payers. And, both utility partners were able to make extensive changes with buy-in from the community members they serve. As I learned in Ohio, positive, early communication lies at the intersection of water and public health. The more we learn about the effects of the virus on our communities, the better we will be equipped to manage changes as they come down the pike.
We are entering the next stage of the pandemic, and our actions — whether that refers to masking or working from home versus the office — will also change in the coming months. No matter how our testing habits change, however, our wastewater will always be the most reliable diagnostic test we have for tracking the prevalence of the virus in our communities. (At any case, it’s something to think about the next time you flush!)
As always, thanks for reading. WW
Published in WaterWorld Magazine, April 2022.
