Int J Environ Health Res . Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program in El Paso, Texas, from November 2020 to June 2022

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Int J Environ Health Res


. 2023 Jan 3;1-11.
doi: 10.1080/09603123.2022.2159017. Online ahead of print.
Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program in El Paso, Texas, from November 2020 to June 2022


Anna Gitter ¹ , Cici Bauer ² , Fuqing Wu ¹ , Ryan Ramphul ¹ , Carlos Chavarria ¹ , Kehe Zhang ² , Joseph Petrosino ³ , Melissa Mezzari ³ , Gabriela Gallegos ⁴ , Austen L Terwilliger ³ , Justin R Clark ³ , Karen Feliz ³ , Vasanthi Avadhanula ³ , Tony Piedra ³ , Kyle Weesner ³ , Anthony Maresso ³ , Kristina D Mena ¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 36595614
• DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2022.2159017

Abstract

The border city of El Paso, Texas, and its water utility, El Paso Water, initiated a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program to assess virus trends and the appropriateness of a wastewater monitoring program for the community. Nearly weekly sample collection at four wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs), serving distinct regions of the city, was analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 genes using the CDC 2019-Novel coronavirus Real-Time RT-PCR diagnostic panel. Virus concentrations ranged from 86.7 to 268,000 gc/L, varying across time and at each WWTF. The lag time between virus concentrations in wastewater and reported COVID-19 case rates (per 100,00 population) ranged from 4-24 days for the four WWTFs, with the strongest trend occurring from November 2021 - June 2022. This study is an assessment of the utility of a geographically refined SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program to supplement public health efforts that will manage the virus as it becomes endemic in El Paso.

Keywords: Border; COVID-19; binational; minority population; wastewater-based epidemiology.