Edmonton and other municipalities across the country may soon be part of a pilot program to determine whether wastewater is a helpful tool when it comes to COVID-19 surveillance.
The Canadian Water Network recently set up the Canadian Coalition on Wastewater-Related COVID-19 Research to help provide data that can then inform public health decisions.
The pilot project, which is being designed by a National Research Advisory Group chaired by Dr. Steve Hrudey of Edmonton, stems from the coalition.
Hrudey, who is a retired professor from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, said wastewater can provide aggregate information about a community. “We all have to use the toilet and that’s connected to a sewer system.