Wastewater Surveillance

Wastewater Surveillance

Wastewater Surveillance in Alameda County 

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) is the detection of viruses, bacteria, and substances from sewage in a community.  WWS can be useful to know what infections are occurring in a community and can help direct prevention and communication steps to protect residents’ health.

In Alameda County, WWS has been occurring since early 2020 during the COVID pandemic, when a partnership between the sanitary district East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) and UC Berkeley evaluated WWS for SARS-CoV-2 from the sewer system. WWS was found to be very helpful during the pandemic in Alameda County, neighboring counties, the state and nationally to assess SARS CoV-2 in the community.

Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), in partnership with Verily, is assessing wastewater for Influenza A, Influenza B, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2, and Mpox in 6 community settings: 4 sanitary districts (Hayward, Livermore, Oro Loma, Union), and 2  sub-sewersheds in the city of Oakland (smaller sewer areas in which sewer flows to a single point) in West Oakland and Fruitvale area.

A map of Alameda County with multi-colored shaded areas to indicate which wastewater treatment company covers which area.

To view the latest WWS data in Alameda County see here: (link)

To view the latest WWS data in California see here: (link)

WWS for viral detection is still a developing field. Some important considerations to keep in mind:

  • It is not possible to know the total number of infected people in a community based on sewage surveillance alone.
  • Wastewater is a complex environmental sample and there is variability in results because of changes in populations and sewage systems.
  • Facilities and homes on closed septic systems (septic tanks) are not included in WWS.