Wastewater Surveillance Sites

 My local wastewater treatment plant is one of the original CDC Sentinel sites where the CDC samples flu variants circulating in the population. I know that sewage-sheds are not perfect proxies for the general population. But, my wastewater (and that of 4.8 Million people in LA County) goes to the A K Warren Facility in Carson, CA. It's the largest treatment facility in LA County, the US, and among the largest in the world. 

The CDC sampled at a number of facilities around the country in different metropolitan areas, determined the circulating diseases discoverable from wastewater, and then formulated the flu vaccine supply accordingly. This is a backwards-looking process. What was circulating last summer may not be what is circulating now.  But, there is a long lead time to ordering vaccines and getting shots in arms. 

Anyway, we can test for a lot more things now. And, we have the capacity to test at more sites. I'm very nervous about what is at state now that Trump has lost the election and wants to install RFK Jr to lead the CDC. Most people won't know what we lose because they don't even know what the CDC does. This is just a small window in what this agency does.  

I just want to provide a few links to useful resources because Google Search has degraded so much, it's hard to find sites. Also, some sites have broken links--either moved elsewhere or lost their funding when the Covid Emergency declaration expired. 

This is what I could find today, Jan 2, 2025

CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) main page has state-level data. 

Click on See the data at the left toolbar and you reach a page where you can select the pathogen and domain to create charts. For instance, here is the regional Covid-19 chart. Note that the CDC website has data until Dec 21. 

California's Department of Public Health has a newly redesigned website and I am still trying to find stuff. I used to visit the Tableau Cal SuWers weekly, but the old link doesn't work or redirect correctly.

New CalSuWers site (made with R Shiny) has data last updated Dec 26. CalSuWers reports to CDC and the national network, so it's showing data that is a bit more recent. 

Read the instructions/caveats. Then navigate to the Regional Data top level page.   Use the menus of the left to select regional or sewage-shed data. Note that this plant last updated data on Dec 31. 

Unfortunately, this data tool only reports Covid-19 data. There's lots more data I found on other sites. 

Members of  the California Water Environment Association collect a lot more data, including research products in partnership with scientists throughout California and the world. 

List of Participating CA Wastewater Surveillance participants. 

The best site visualization site I can find right now that collates data from around the US is from WastewaterSCAN, a Stanford-Emory led effort. 

Select the region on their national map, then zoom by region and select by sewage plant. 

Click View Chart and you can see Covid-19, RSV, Influenza A or B, Human metapneumovirus, Norovirus, Mpox, EVD68, Candida auris, Hepatitis A (for the Warren facility). The number and type of tests vary by location. The most recent data is from Dec 25. 

Based on positive detections for Hepatitis A in my subregion, I am glad that I started the 3-shot series that combines vaccines for both Hep A and Hep B. Covid-19, RSV, Inf A & B, and Norovirus are all circulating as well. 

Meanwhile, our whole family came down with a cold. We bought the Covid-19 + Inf A + Inf B home test at CVS and we just had a plain old cold. It really ruined our holiday plans. 

Mask up and stay healthy! 

A couple of additional sites:

Inside Medicine COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard by Benjamin Renton

H5N1 Dashboard by Daniel Summers

Mani-Pedi Judgment

Cleaning up browser windows, I am going to write a couple of quick blog posts. 

I am pretty laissez-faire about most things, but I am very judgmental about people who use nail salons. 

Nail salons should not exist. 

No one needs nail polish or acrylic nails. The chemicals used are not just toxic to the clients, but they poison and permanently disable the nail salon workers. 

From Nail Salon Technicians Inhale 10 Times More Chemicals Than E-Waste Workers

For a lot of people, visiting a nail salon for a manicure and pedicure is about treating themselves to a cheap but still luxurious pampering session. But for nail salon workers, it’s not only the low wages and extremely long hours while being cooped up in a small room that takes a toll on their health. A recent study found that nail technicians who work in discount salons are exposed to a wide range of chemicals that are used as flame retardants and plasticizers. 

A group of researchers from the University of Toronto found that nail salon workers’ exposure to these chemicals was 30 times higher as compared to to exposure within households from everyday products and 10 times higher than electronic waste facilities’ employees.

The damage can be cumulative and cause permanent and debilitating health damage to the workers. 

The CDC says that it also causes damage to salon workers' children. 

OSHA says 

Nail technicians working in salons across the United States face possible health hazards every day. Workers exposed to chemicals found in glues, polishes, removers, emollients and other salon products may experience negative health effects such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, skin disorders (e.g. allergic contact dermatitis), liver disease, reproductive loss, and cancer. Additionally, workers often endure muscle strains from awkward positions or repetitive motions; and have a high risk for infection from contact with client skin, nails, or blood.

So, if you frequent nail salons, I am going to be judgmental. Harming other people needlessly is a major red flag.  

Vote No on CA Proposition 36

Do you remember when California spent more money on building and operating prisons than on higher education?  I remember.  Those were terrible times for every one involved except for the prison profiteers. 

[We are still grappling with the aftermath as public university tuitions soared, UCs made up lost revenue by admitting out-of-state students instead of qualified in-state students, and student loan balances approached the size of mortgages for their parent's generation.]

Rehabilitation and reintegration into society are hard to explain in a soundbite. They are not as catchy as "3 Strikes and you are out!", but they have more evidence showing that they work and they are more cost-effective. 

I am not going to link to that awful LA Times article about the person who was let out of prison, only to commit a murder. You can always find a few recidivism stories. But, you will rarely find a news story about rehabilitated prisoners who successfully reintegrate into society because they very understandably need their privacy. 

You will also not read stories of the children whose parent came home from prison, possibly on "supervised release" where they wear a GPS ankle bracelet. Even a parent on supervised release can perform childcare so that their co-parent can go to work. This can prevent a family from falling into poverty and repeating the cycle. 

Crime statistics show that crime is going down at the same time that we are using evidence-based principles to decide appropriate punishments/rehabilitation, and to reduce prison populations. This is the time to stay the course. Do not harm families, bankrupt the state, and steal our futures again. 

Criminal justice reform, just like climate change mitigation and adaptation, requires clear-eyed analysis of the complex issues, and consistent practice of evidence-based solutions. It takes time, but it is worth it. 

While you are voting, please reflect upon why it is easier to build prisons than college dorms and vote for people who will help build college dorms and more housing in general. 

Need more convincing? Read League of Women Voters California's recommendation of why to vote no on 36. 

Read all of LWVC's Ballot Measure Recommendations.