Water Sector News
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City of Lawrence joins national wastewater surveillance program
The City of Lawrence is a new participant in a nationwide initiative to monitor infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and monkeypox, in wastewater. The study will measure viral genetic material in wastewater from the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The program is part of the Wastewater Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (WastewaterSCAN) that is being led by researchers at Stanford University and Emory University. The City is working with Verily Life Sciences for the sampling program for this project. Data will be available on an online public dashboard at Verily Public Health. You can follow these links to see City of Lawrence data on monkeypox and COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic, the City participated in a Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) funded program coordinated through the University of Kansas that tested wastewater for the virus that causes COVID-19. The sampling was discontinued at the end of the state’s fiscal year, which was June 30, 2022. Prior to the KDHE-funded program, the City worked directly with the University of Kansas.