Wastewater Based Epidemiology Opportunity for SARS-CoV-2
A new opportunity for participating in SARS-CoV-2 WBE is now available. Biobot laboratory has received a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to process samples twice a week for 10 weeks from up to 300 clean water agencies around the nation. This is the second phase of the AquaVitas-led project many CASA members participated in for Phase 1. This next phase will be free of charge. CASA is requesting as much agency participation as possible as we believe the effort will help advance the use of WBE in several ways. This information could be of great value to health officials as individual testing decreases, vaccinations increase, and businesses reopen. Agencies of all sizes are encouraged register: https://www.app.biobot.io/sign-up.

CASA appreciates the work many member agencies have been doing to employ SARS-Cov-2 Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) as an important management tool to help the State respond to COVID-19. CASA leadership has worked extensively with researchers, public health officials, regulators, and wastewater treatment plants to maximize the utility of the data and has also worked with CWEA to help educate the community about the availability and value of the data. If you have any questions about the HHS program, do not hesitate to reach out. Biobot’s support team can be reached at support@biobot.io. Please direct any questions or further inquiry to Greg Kester.

 

Regulatory Updates
CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly compiles a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives. If you are interested in receiving these regulatory updates, please contact Jared Voskuhl. Last month’s edition is available here.

 

PPIC Resources on Water Finance and Affordability Now Available
With the cost of supplying water rising across California, many utilities face fiscal challenges in paying for needed system upgrades. At the same time, a growing number of households are struggling to pay their water bills. Two new PPIC fact sheets explore these linked challenges. Check them out here: Water Affordability & Paying for California’s Water System.