Orange County is actively participating in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Health and Human Services (HHS) National Wastewater Surveillance System. The program monitors wastewater from water reclamation facilities across the United States for concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The data collected by the program helps the CDC and local authorities better understand the spread of the virus in communities. The concentrations tested reflect both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents, alerting participating organizations to spikes in infections four to ten days before positive case numbers would reflect changes within the community.
about the wastewater sampling program