Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. EPA Research to Support States

Detection of SARS CoV-2 in Wastewater to Inform Public Health Webinar Archive

This webinar, recorded on December 16, 2020, featured Jay Garland, Research Scientist in the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response of EPA's Office of Research and Development, presenting on “Detection of SARS CoV-2 in Wastewater to Inform Public Health.”  Widespread studies conducted national and globally indicate that genes specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected in wastewater. The ability to collectively sample both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals has lead dozens of state, cities and universities to actively monitor wastewater to inform public health decisions. The clarity in the wastewater’s reflection of viral load within the community can be distorted by several factors, including variation in analytical detection methods, decay and dilution of the genes during wastewater transport, and imprecision in relating the wastewater signal to other, imperfect measures of community infection rates.

The webinar focuses on EPA ORD collaborative research efforts to reduce uncertainty across these three areas, including method development within our lab, application in sewersheds with distinctive levels of industrial and stormwater impacts within the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District, and development of a wastewater surveillance system in Ohio in support of the State Department of Health.

More information on EPA's research on COVID-19 in the environment.

View the Detection of SARS CoV-2 in Wastewater to Inform Public Health webinar recording.

  • Detection of SARS CoV-2 in Wastewater to Inform Public Health Presentation Slides (pdf) (3.35 MB, December 16, 2020)

EPA Research to Support States

  • State Environmental Agencies' Research Needs
  • ORD Meetings with States and Regions
  • EPA Tools & Resources Webinar Series
  • EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar Series
  • PFAS Resources for States
  • EPA Research Partner Support Stories
    • EPA Research Partner Support Stories Compilation Document
  • Collaborative Projects with State Environmental Health Experts
  • Videos: EPA ORD Collaborations with State Partners
  • ORD's Key State Partners
Contact Us About EPA Research to Support States
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on December 2, 2024
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.