El Paso joins the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System to track Covid-19 in sewage

EL PASO, Texas– Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new public health tool that will help provide critical information on Covid-19 trends.

The CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System, used to detect the Covid-19 virus in sewage, will now start collecting that nationwide data and making it available on their Covid Data Tracker, which will allow you to compare data across states.

According to the CDC, over 400 testing sites around the country have already begun their wastewater surveillance efforts.

El Paso has now been added to that list. 

The Department of Public Health and water utilities partnered with the CDC to be part of the NWSS and are working on the enrollment process, according to city officials.

A spokesperson for EL Paso Water tells ABC-7 that El Paso Water is cooperating with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on their study to monitor the presence of Covid-19 in wastewater on a national scale. 

She said they are currently collecting samples of untreated influent wastewater at all four wastewater sites in El Paso. 

EPWater officials said they have started taking samples last week and will continue doing so for about the next 12 months

Plant technicians take the samples twice a week, store them in kits provided by the CDC and then FedEx picks them up within hours, officials said.

Dr. Amy Kirby, team lead for the National Wastewater Surveillance System said in a CDC Media Telebriefing that estimates suggest between 40-80% of people with Covid-19 shed viral RNA in their feces, making wastewater and sewage an important opportunity for monitoring the spread of infection.

"Shedding in feces starts very early after someone is infected. It's, in fact, one of the first signs that we see of infection which is really important for this early warning capability for wastewater," said Dr. Amy Kirby.

Dr. Kirby said the data are powerful because it can be used to make public health decisions like where to place mobile testing and vaccination sites. 

Dr. Kirby said wastewater data can also be used to forecast changes in hospital utilization, providing additional time to mobilize resources and preparation for increasing cases.

But there are some limitations to the data tracking system, Dr. Kirby explains how in communities with minimal or no sewer infrastructure and in communities with high tourism, the data may be limited.

Angela Mora, Public Health Director for the City of El Paso, said in about a week, the results will reflect the CDC Covid-19 tracker.

Mora said the program will help with Covid prevention in the Borderland.

"Through participation in the CDC's program we will be able to expand our surveillance capacity to detect the covid virus in the community through wastewater and in specific areas which will help us guide our prevention activities," said Mora.  

She said the surveillance program is fully funded by the CDC and does not require any financial commitment at the local level.

But with only four testing plants in El Paso Mora said not all El Pasoans will be reflected.

"I'm sure that we're going to capture quite a bit of the population through these sites but we will increase the capacity in terms of the reach to other sides of the community in the future," said Mora.