Monitoring COVID-19 in wastewater

Early in 2020, as the COVID pandemic spread, researchers around the globe started testing wastewater for the presence of COVID-19 infection at the community level. Ultimately, wastewater-based surveillance was undertaken in more than 50 countries at over 2,000 sites. However, the science and its application are still young ― for example, there are still no standardized procedures.

Canadian researchers, laboratories, wastewater utilities and public health authorities all participated in this important research effort. They found signs of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and variants, in community wastewater samples. These results increased our understanding of community spread during the multiple waves of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition was created in 2020 to share critical knowledge to accelerate progress and help ensure that the results were both scientifically rigorous and useful to public health authorities.

“Helping Canada to better address and assess what is needed and what the reliable use of the technique could look like is the fundamental rationale for the Canadian COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition.” – Steve E. Hrudey

Canadian Water Network brought leading experts together from across the country to inform and guide this important work.

National Research Advisory Group

The National Research Advisory Group provided technical and scientific guidance on the surveillance of SARS-CoV2 in wastewater. It included leading experts in wastewater, public health protection, microbiology, toxicology, engineering and water quality protection.

Learn more

Public Health Advisory Group

The Public Health Advisory Group included leading experts on public health communication and ethics. Its members provided guidance about how wastewater-based surveillance data could be shared effectively with public health decision makers.

Learn more

Mapping wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada

The snapshot below shows where analysis of community wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2 was happening in Canada as of July 2022. Where available, links to the reporting of results and supporting news articles are included in the popup menu for each municipality on the map. CWN has also assigned a determination, based on the best knowledge available to us, on where:

  • Data are being used in public health decision-making.
  • Data are under consideration, but not as a main component in decision-making.
  • Data are not currently under active consideration by public health authorities.
  • The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting data on its national dashboard.

The map data can be filtered by province, type of lab processing samples (public lab or university lab), the specific lab processing samples (e.g., University of Waterloo), and by accessibility of the results. The bar graph and pie chart can also be used as a filter by clicking on the bar or slice that represents the data of interest.

Disclaimer: These data represent locations that, at one point, have conducted wastewater analysis for SARS-CoV-2. Locations will be grayed out as we obtain evidence that operations have ceased; however, they will remain on the map. The map is a living dashboard but is updated infrequently. Please contact CWN at the email address below if you notice that any changes are required.

Updates, comments or corrections? Contact us at [email protected]

National proof-of-concept pilot and Phase 1 Inter-Laboratory Study

Rapid and rigorous assessment

Can WBE help Canada make public health decisions?

Looking ahead

How do we build effective surveillance programs?

The Phase I Inter-Laboratory Study, completed in 2020, was part of the Coalition’s National Proof-of-Concept Pilot and was conducted in collaboration with Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory. The purpose of this study was to better understand the variability associated with the different techniques and approaches used by eight labs across Canada. The study’s findings expanded and accelerated the capacity of other Canadian labs to provide meaningful results.

Learn more about the Inter-Laboratory Study

Regional Hub — Ontario

The COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition’s Ontario Hub is focused on ensuring that the wastewater surveillance methods used by municipalities across the province will provide information that advances an understanding of community spread and meaningfully impacts public health decisions.

The Ontario Clean Water Agency and Canadian Municipal Water Consortium are core supporters of the Ontario Hub.

Accelerate

Accelerate WBE capacity across Ontario by supporting research groups and laboratories with the knowledge and connections they need to develop programs that are scientifically rigorous and useful to decision makers.

Share

Share evolving provincial, national and international knowledge so that Ontario’s communities can move forward in a coordinated way using the best science available.

Evaluate

Evaluate options to scale up to a province-wide program in 2021. 

Guiding principles

The following principles set out the key objectives and approach of those who participated in the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition. Those who signed on to the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition endorsed the shared goal and agreed to abide by these principles (click to expand).

Activities conducted within the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will be organized in a way that is consistent with the Draft Wastewater Coalition Framework that better connects research areas to key public health decision-makers. Those participating in the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will attempt to best articulate the position of their work or research within the framework.

Rather than emphasizing research interests and expertise areas, all research and activities conducted within the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will be framed and implemented in direct response to how the research outcomes will address end-user needs and support public health decision-making.

Rapid sharing of ideas is imperative to group learning and achieving the collective goal. Participants in the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will actively share their knowledge with each other, prioritizing collective progress over individual or institutional recognition or advancements.

Within the bounds of existing privacy protection agreements with partner municipalities or governments, all results of COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition-related work will be openly shared. Work conducted within the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will not be used for commercial gain, nor unduly held up due to publication or peer review requirements. The COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition will regularly share results with its international partners.

Ethics and Communications Guidance

Wastewater-based surveillance resources

The COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition developed and curated a collection of resources for Canadian investigators.

Coalition resources

Selected resources

Looking for more information?

Contact Katrina Hitchman, director of program development, at [email protected]