Educational Resources

Resources by Topic

Explore content such as informational videos, sample standard operating procedures and recorded training sessions.

• Public Health Communication Packages

  Information designed to help public health departments communicate the importance of wastewater surveillance to their communities.

  Document: Respiratory virus wastewater surveillance at the sewershed level (Flu/RSV)

• Overview of Wastewater Surveillance Systems

  This section contains information for individuals contemplating the integration of a wastewater surveillance program but seeking guidance on how to incorporate it into their organization. Discover practical insights and strategies to effectively implement a wastewater surveillance initiative. 

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  Video: An Overview of Wastewater Surveillance as a Public Health Tool- In this video, you will learn about wastewater surveillance and how public health agencies use wastewater data to serve their communities. The training includes an overview, a brief history, and the benefits and limitations of wastewater surveillance. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Partner Organization Document:  Building COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance with the National Wastewater Surveillance System (PDF)- Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Levels of Wastewater Surveillance

  Surveillance systems monitor populations at three different levels: Building-level, Sewershed-level and Community-Level. This section includes resources to help you determine which level is right for you.

  Building-Level Surveillance

  Document: Considerations when Evaluating a Building Wastewater System for Wastewater Surveillance-(PDF) This document provides important information to help you evaluate a particular building to determine if it is a good fit for building-level wastewater surveillance.

  Document: Lessons Learned in Building-Level Wastewater Surveillance-(PDF) This document provides important information to help you evaluate a particular building to determine if it is a good fit for building-level wastewater surveillance.

• Collection Site Selection

  Selecting the site (or sites) for collecting wastewater samples is an important decision, with numerous factors to weigh. In this section, you'll find materials designed to assist you with assessing the potential advantages and disadvantages of each site. 

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  Video: Sample Site Selection- In this video, you will learn considerations for selecting and accessing your wastewater surveillance sampling site. A case study is used to provide concrete examples of how these considerations guide decisions throughout your project.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Document: Considerations for Site Selection Video Companion- Written summary of the video above.

• Sample Collection and Transportation

  Information about the two most commonly used methods to collect wastewater samples- composite sampling and grab sampling. 

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  Composite Sample Collection/Storage/Transport

  A composite sample is collected from an autosampler that collects numerous small samples taken over regular intervals over a period of time, usually 24 hours.

  Document: Example Standard Operating Procedure for  Sample Collection/Storage/Transportation to Lab (Composite Samples)-This document describes procedures for safe transfer of wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants to your state health department's laboratory for RNA extraction and analysis. 

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  Grab Sample Collection/Storage/Transport

  A grab sample is collected by lowering a specimen container into the sewer. 

  Video: Grab Sample Overview- This video provides an overview of the process of collecting grab samples for wastewater surveillance.

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Document: Sample Standard Operating Procedure for Sample Collection/Storage/Transportation to Lab (Grab Samples)-This document outlines procedures for safe transfer of wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants to your state health department's laboratory for RNA extraction and analysis.

• Partnerships with Wastewater Utilities and Public Health Agencies

  Forming strong partnerships between wastewater utilities departments and public health agencies is one of the keys to wastewater surveillance program success. Resources in this section are designed to help you build and maintain these partnerships.

  Document: Sample Memorandum of Understanding for Health Agencies and Wastewater Treatment Plants (PDF)- This document is an example of a Memorandum of Understanding between a state health department and a wastewater treatment plant. This document does not constitute legal advice. If you wish to implement an agreement regarding wastewater monitoring, you should consult with an attorney and obtain legal advice specific to your needs.The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to set forth the terms and conditions, scope of work, and responsibilities of the parties associated with their collaboration on wastewater surveillance.  Download Word document

  Partner Organization Document:  Building COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance with the National Wastewater Surveillance System (PDF)- Published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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  Video Series: Building Effective Partnerships: How Public Health Agencies and Utilities Collaborate for Wastewater Surveillance

  This video series highlights the importance of building strong partnerships, which are key to the success of wastewater surveillance programs.

  In early 2020, a coalition of wastewater utilities approached the Colorado state Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to launch a wastewater surveillance program. Since then, CDPHE has developed strong collaborations with utilities and local public health agencies, forming the foundation of our program.

  In these videos, we will explore the foundations of these partnerships—what motivates them, the challenges they face, and the successes they’ve achieved. Our goal is to offer valuable insights that can help other state and territorial public health departments develop their own partnerships.

  You'll hear from representatives of local public health agencies and utilities who will share their experiences and perspectives on how these partnerships are critical to the success of wastewater surveillance programs. We hope this information proves useful in supporting partnership development across other regions.

  Part 1: Introduction and Starting Wastewater Analysis.

   

  Part 2: State and Utility Collaborations.

  Part 3: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Next Steps.

  Part 4:Public Health Impact of Wastewater Surveillance.
• Data Analysis and Sharing

  Data Analysis and Sharing Documents

  Utility Metadata Survey Template- This package includes a national survey template (download .docx) and its corresponding data dictionary (download .xls) for state wastewater programs to utilize on an annual basis to capture updated metadata to improve wastewater data. This template was created based on feedback we received from our state utilities, national partners, and WEF.

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  Wastewater Surveillance Data Analysis and Dashboard Development Webinar Series

  Audience: State public health staff involved in wastewater surveillance activities

  Summary: The Colorado National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) Center of Excellence (CoE) invites you to join our Wastewater Surveillance Data Analysis and Dashboard Development webinar series.

  Presented By: Kirsten Weisbeck, MPH, Wastewater Data Analytics Supervisor, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

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  Part 1 (originally presented on July 12, 2023)

  Focused on dashboard development and the following topics:

  • Background on Colorado's approach to analyzing and displaying wastewater surveillance data
  • The purpose of wastewater dashboards
  • Key considerations when developing a dashboard
  • Pros and cons of common dashboard platforms
  • Resources for dashboard development
  • A dashboard-focused Q & A

   

   

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  Part 2 (originally presented on January 17, 2024)

  This webinar focuses on basic analytic methods and the interpretation of wastewater data and will include the following topics:

  • Preparing data for analysis
  • Identifying analytic objectives appropriate for each jurisdiction
  • Reviewing normalization methods
  • Analytic approaches for different sampling levels (sewershed, building-level, upstream)
  • Analytic approaches for different targets (Flu, RSV, etc.)
  • Routine analytics, including percentile calculation and trend analysis
  • Advanced analytics, including aggregate measures and testing correlations
  • Data communication
  • Q & A

   

   

   

  Links from this webinar:

  • NWSS COVID Data Tracker (example of % change over time metric)
  • NWSS Analytics Detailed Methodology  (Reach out to the NWSS team if you need to request DCIPHER access: nwss@cdc.gov)
  • Contour Training (You will need DCIPHER access)
  • Houston Analysis and Reporting Guidelines
  • BSTS Github

   

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  Part 3 (originally presented on January 30, 2025)

  This session discusses strategies to streamline data workflows and explores methods for improving data quality in a rapidly evolving field. Subject matter experts share lessons learned, followed by a panel Q&A to foster collaboration and support the development of cohesive, standardized approaches to wastewater surveillance.

   

  Links from this webinar:

  • NASEM Phase 1 Report
  • NASEM Phase 2 Report
  • ELC Performance Measures
  • 1CDP QC Flag Dashboard
  • NWSS Data Dictionary on 1CDP
  • Site_id Guidance on 1CDP
  • Guidance Documents/Data Dictionary and Special Variable Guidance Folder on 1CDP
  • Guidance Documents on 1CDP
  • 1CDP Training Playground

NWSS Communities of Practice

Communities of practice (CoP) are groups of professionals in various wastewater surveillance fields that generally meet on a monthly basis.