Sewage Could Become Next Virus Surveillance Method, EPA Says

Raw sewage could be a new element of states’ coronavirus surveillance efforts once the EPA completes a new research pilot project.

The Environmental Protection Agency is testing sewage as a potential indicator of the number of symptomatic and asymptomatic coronavirus cases across entire communities.

The agency’s six-month pilot project, in conjunction with the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, would contribute to Ohio’s growing surveillance network for virus cases, Jay Garland, senior scientist in the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, said in an agency webinar Wednesday.

The EPA is looking to develop a coronavirus test method over the next four to ...