TEMPE, Ariz. — The City of Tempe isn’t letting a single flush go to waste. The City is expanding its Wastewater BioIntel Program by testing for common viruses and vector-borne diseases.
“We’re utilizing a unique city asset,” Tempe Director of Strategic Management and Innovation Wydale Holmes said.
The Wastewater BioIntel Program began in 2018 by testing sewage for opioid use. The program pivoted to test for COVID-19 in 2020. Now, it’s growing again, adding 12 biomarkers for respiratory viruses, gastrointestinal viruses and vector-borne illnesses.
“It is similar to going to your doctor where you provide biosamples and your doctor can report back to you, your health. We’re doing that on a city level,” Holmes said.
Holmes said the city collects data from 11 regions with populations greater than 3,000 people. The data is used to inform the City Council ahead of decision-making and can be an outbreak warning to the community.
“When the City of Tempe tests wastewater, we are doing that for community health,” Holmes said. “Wastewater signals can give you almost about a seven-day lead time, and so, during the pandemic hospitals, doctors’ offices, our state and county health partners were also looking at our data.”
Holmes said the data pinpoints areas in the community where resources are needed.
“We were able to do better outreach and education and focus our efforts for that particular area of our community and we might do something different in a different area based on what the signals are telling us and the trend data,” Holmes said.
Source: 12News
