As the State of Indiana begins to slowly emerge from the COVID-19 quarantine, it will be very important to continue to monitor the presence of the virus in local communities. Fortunately, as testing of individuals becomes more available, a lot more will be able to be determined than a month ago.
There is another way to detect an outbreak of the virus, and the City of Carmel is about to become one of the nation’s test sites for this emerging technology. It measures the presence of COVID-19 in the wastewater that travels from residential homes and businesses to the city’s wastewater treatment facilities.
The City of Carmel plans to work with Biobot, a Boston-based wastewater analytics company comprised of biologists, epidemiologists, data scientists, urban planners and engineers. The firm, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of handful of firms the City explored before deciding to partner with Biobot. The firm is already doing the testing in 170 facilities across 37 states (representing 13 percent of the U.S. population). Carmel will be one of an additional 230 chosen as new sites.
Brainard
“It is very important that we stay diligent in tracking this virus, which is not going to simply go away. This kind of wastewater testing raises an intriguing possibility that we can detect the presence of the virus even among a population where not everybody has been tested,” said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. “The use of wastewater testing is not new. It’s been used across the globe to look for the reemergence of polio viruses, where polio has been eradicated.”
Carmel’s plant currently treats on average 10.9 million gallons per day. Of the 10.9 million gallons, 1.45 million gallons per day on average comes from Westfield, which is served by the Citizens Westfield Utility.
Carmel Utilities Director John Duffy said research indicates the novel coronavirus can be detected in feces within three days of infection, even in cases where individuals are not yet showing symptoms.
Duffy
“The hope of this study is that we may find that wastewater monitoring could provide an early warning of outbreaks of the virus in a community, which would be an important tool to avoid a second-wave of the pandemic,” said Duffy. “Even as we see individuals tested more frequently, monitoring sewers could alert public health officials of a coming wave of infections.”
Carmel will pay $120 per test during May, sending a sample once a week to Biobot for testing. If the process continues in June, the price would increase to $1,200 per sample. The City would receive a report that would include the estimated number of persons that are infected. Although it would not show where in the city system the infections were detected, it would provide information showing how the city’s infection rate changed from the beginning of May to the end of May.
For more detailed information on how the process works, visit this Biobot COVID-19 information page.
I continue to be proud and amazed by the continued innovation and forward thinking of our city’s leadership teams. Under the leadership of Mayor Brainard, these individuals follow his lead in taking many courageous, timely and forward thinking steps in unchartered territory. On behalf of many Carmel citizens, we thank you for your efforts.