Oakland County Wastewater Sampling Program for COVID-19

This two-year, federally funded project administered by the State of Michigan is an effort to detect the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater systems in order to prevent disease outbreaks in congregate living facilities. OHM Advisors installed sampling collection equipment and began sampling wastewater at prioritized sites in the fall of 2021 and uploading results to a custom created online data storage platform. Testing is performed twice weekly and can detect COVID-19 in wastewater systems from between 7-21 days before an infected individual tests positive for the virus in a clinic. In an early success after the project’s launch, testing revealed the presence of the virus in one facility. All staff and residents were quickly tested and a positive but asymptomatic employee was quickly isolated and quarantined at home, which helped prevent an outbreak in a vulnerable community environment.