Many conventional treatment processes, however, are not able to degrade ARG, which results in the discharge of intact ARG to the environment where they may spread to new viable bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. Sewage contains an abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG i.e., the bacterial genes that encode for resistance to antibiotics) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), making wastewater treatment facilities strategic control points for reducing their transmission. Sloan Foundation and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.ĭecay of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Surface Waters One outcome is a collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National to help draft considerations for implementation of wastewater-based disease surveillance systems (published on the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System website) The NYC DEP is collecting bi-weekly samples from New York City’s 14 wastewater treatment facilities for quantification of SARS-CoV-2 the data is shared with the NYC DOHMH for incorporation in COVID-19 surveillance activities.Īdditional work, in collaboration with researchers involved with the CoSeS project, involves interfacing with departments of public health around the United States to understand the opportunities, challenges, and limitations to using wastewater monitoring data to inform public health decision-making. This work is a partnership with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Queens College, and Queensborough Community College to conduct research and development for implementation and optimization of an ongoing sewage monitoring program for SARS-CoV-2 in New York City. This finding has presented an opportunity to monitor wastewater to detect trends in COVID-19 disease prevalence at the community scale. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is excreted in high numbers in the feces of infected individuals, and has been detected in wastewater entering centralized treatment facilities. Design Guidelines for Shallow, Open-water WetlandsĬOVID-19 Wastewater-based Epidemiology: Monitoring Wastewater for SARS-CoV-2.Modeling Sunlight Disinfection of Waterborne Bacteria and Viruses.Impact of Flooding on the Microbiome of Urban Surfaces.FloodSense: Street-level Flood Sensing and Data Sharing for Urban Accessibility and Resilience.Resistance of Bacteria Indigenous to Wastewater to Disinfection.Decay of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Surface Waters.COVID-19 Wastewater-based Epidemiology: Monitoring Wastewater for SARS-CoV-2.