AMASA — White Water Associates, an environmental laboratory based in Amasa, participated in a statewide monitoring program for the COVID-19 virus in wastewater sponsored by The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

The results indicate wastewater can be reliably tested for the presence of COVID-19 and the results appear to mirror the presence and spread of the disease in the population.   

“These initial results show promise for the field of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring in Michigan,” said Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health at MDHHS. “This project has demonstrated the feasibility of this laboratory method and local partnerships for a longer-term wastewater surveillance system. Participating laboratories continue to adjust methods to produce the most reliable results, and state and local public health agencies are beginning to interpret the data and incorporate the results into public health responses, when appropriate.”

More detailed analysis of these data is pending, including comparisons to confirmed COVID-19 cases in the corresponding communities. The data are not yet normalized to account for factors that could affect the amount of virus present in samples, such as flow rate and population size. More information is needed to compare data across wastewater treatment plants or sample sites and to understand the average amount of SARS-CoV-2 shed by people in their feces.

Nineteen laboratories across the state of Michigan participated in a standardized and coordinated network of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring systems. These labs have been working with local partners to collect and test wastewater samples for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The samples were collected from over 270 testing sites, including sewers and wastewater treatment plants. White Water Associates collected and analyzed samples from wastewater treatment plants in Escanaba, Menominee, Norway, Iron Mountain and Iron River.

Monitoring wastewater for the SARS-CoV-2 virus can provide an early warning sign for the presence of disease in a community. This virus is shed in human feces, including in people who are infected but not ill or have not yet become ill, and can be detected in wastewater up to seven days before infections lead to increases in clinical cases. A significant increase in the virus detected in wastewater over time can show that cases may be increasing in a community. 

This type of surveillance can be used to detect possible outbreaks in communities and at congregate living facilities, such as college dorms and long-term care facilities, before clinical cases are identified. In the future, local public health agencies can use this wastewater surveillance data, along with corresponding clinical case data, to inform public health decisions to prevent further spread within a community. Wastewater monitoring may also be of use in evaluating future immunization efforts.

The surveillance of COVID-19 in wastewater will continue across Michigan during the next several years and an EGLE website will allow public health and wastewater treatment personnel to track and monitor their results.

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Bette Premo is CEO of White Water Associates.