(Des Moines, IA) -- Des Moines household wastewater is now being tested for coronavirus. Des Moines is one of hundreds of U-S cities taking part in a program to detect COVID-19 and its variants in wastewater.
Scott Hutchens, is the director of the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority (DMMWRA).
"A major part of our mission at the WRA is to protect public health,” DMMWRA Director Scott Hutchens said. “So any way that we can provide vital information to help fight COVID-19 is a step that we’re excited to take for our residents."
As a part of federal efforts to expand a national wastewater monitoring system for COVID-19, the program will cover over 100 million people in 50+ states across the United States with hundreds of wastewater treatment plants participating.
The national study is tracking the presence and concentration of COVIDi-19 in household wastewater.
The DMMWRA treats, cleans and returns wastewater to the Des Moines River from 17 metro communities and over half-a-million residents. Testing will be done over the next 8-9 weeks. The DMMWRA will take multiple samples each week, and send them to a national lab. The cost of the program is covered through a partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, the National Institutes of Heal, and Biobot Analytics.