Americans Support Wastewater Monitoring

Wastewater monitoring has expanded since 2020, providing data for several infectious diseases. In a survey of public support, most U.S. adult residents (74.6%) strongly or somewhat support wastewater monitoring, and nearly all (95.3%) stated they would take steps to protect themselves if wastewater monitoring data indicated disease transmission in their area, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Protective health behaviors most likely to be considered included more frequent handwashing (76.1%), avoiding large gatherings (61.1%), and avoiding visiting persons at higher risk for infection-related complications (59.1%). 

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC established the National Wastewater Surveillance System and later expanded it to include mpox and influenza A data dashboards. Making infectious disease wastewater data readily available helps keep the public informed and can facilitate early adoption of protective health behaviors, the CDC said. 

The CDC’s survey found support for wastewater monitoring was similar among persons of different races and ethnicities, but differed significantly by age, education, and marital status. However, respondents strongly or somewhat agreed (57.8%) that they wanted access to rapid wastewater data, even if information to determine public health risk or specific protective actions is insufficient. Those most supportive of rapid access to wastewater data included men, persons who were employed, and residents of urban or suburban communities.