EH&S’ Role in Wastewater Surveillance
EH&S is a core partner and operational leader in USC’s Wastewater Surveillance Program. EH&S:
- Coordinates sample collection from 26 sewage junctions in 10 student residential buildings
- Supports field and lab protocols ensuring safe and compliant handling of biohazardous samples
- Provides rapid data visualization (via the dashboard below), helping to “bridge science, safety, and public health”
- Plays a central role in outbreak response coordination
What We Monitor
USC Wastewater Surveillance Program monitors for:
- SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
- Influenza A
- Norovirus
A Collaborative Campus Effort
The USC Wastewater Surveillance Program is a cross-disciplinary interdepartmental collaboration between:
- USC Environmental Health & Safety
- The Smith Research Group (Dr. Adam Smith), Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, USC Viterbi
- USC Student Health
- USC Facilities Planning Management
Together, we deliver a daily surveillance snapshot that helps prevent outbreaks before they escalate.
The University of Southern California implemented a wastewater-based surveillance program to proactively prevent viral outbreaks and maintain a safe campus environment for students. Wastewater surveillance allows for early detection of infectious diseases within a community. It circumvents the difficulties of accessibility and availability of individual clinical testing, as well as the shift towards at-home tests that do not get reported.
The wastewater surveillance was initially designed to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infections; however, as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the program expanded to include important seasonal respiratory and enteric pathogens, including influenza A, norovirus, as well as PMMoV for normalization. The results have allowed Dr. Adam Smith, Associate Professor with Viterbi School of Engineering, and his research team to establish correlations between the USC wastewater samples, WastewaterSCAN’s of LA County HWRP data, and USC Student Health Center clinical case data and assess the impact of varying wastewater lead-time and PMMoV normalization on correlations with clinical cases. The USC wastewater sampling data is presented by viral concentration.
Conference Recognition: ABSA International
USC EH&S Biosafety’s work on wastewater surveillance was showcased at the ABSA International Biological Safety Conference. The poster titled “Water Surveillance System to Monitor Student Health” highlighted:
- Real-time viral monitoring via wastewater
- Coordination efforts
- Safe handling practices
- Data-driven approach to mitigating spread
Questions about Wastewater Surveillance?
- Questions about the research study can be directed to Dr. Adam Smith
- Link to Article: Amplitude Mutiplexed Wastewater Surveillance for Campus Health: Tracking SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Norovirus.
- What Can Our Sewage Tell Us? Article, USC Viterbi
How to use this Wastewater sampling dashboard:
- Use the page arrows at the bottom to view the Overview, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Norovirus dashboards.
- Use the available page filters to sort data