Province mulls COVID-19 wastewater monitoring to track spread, provide early detection

The government of New Brunswick is looking into expanding wastewater monitoring in the province to provide a clearer picture of COVID-19 transmission and early detection of COVID activity.

Right now, only the City of Moncton collects wastewater samples to monitor viral levels as part of a research project at Dalhousie University. The data is shared with Public Health.

"The government of New Brunswick's wastewater surveillance working group is currently working to assess the feasibility of expanding the pilot project that was conducted in Moncton," said Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane.

Some provinces have been using wastewater monitoring to project COVID-19 trends since last year, when new cases data became less reliable due to restricted PCR testing. Ontario says it's facing a "tidal wave" of more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, based on the amount of the novel coronavirus found in its wastewater.

"The government of New Brunswick is working with Dalhousie University in a wastewater monitoring pilot project," Macfarlane said in an emailed statement.  

"At this time, usability for our own population and sewage system is not as clearly defined as it is for some of the larger cities in Canada," he said.

"As we continue to assess usability and feasibility, additional information may be shared in the future."

The head of the wastewater surveillance project at Dalhousie University said his team has talked with the provincial government a number of times.

"But that's been about the extent of our interaction, is just to share and inform and provide updates on best practices," said Prof. Graham Gagnon, director of the Dalhousie University Centre for Water Resource Studies.

He doesn't think any more feasibility assessment is required to proceed with wastewater monitoring in New Brunswick.

"I think it's sort of well-established protocols for measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at this point," he said.

His team has been testing samples for COVID-19 indicators at the Halifax region's four main wastewater treatment plants, Dalhousie student residences and at multiple other communities and locations since December 2020.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in more than 500 cities, he said.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with a wide range of symptoms. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can also affect the gastrointestinal system and is shed in the feces of people infected with the virus in a form of genetic material called ribonucleic acid (RNA), which can be found in the wastewater.