WEATHER ALERT
More than 100K gallons of wastewater spilled during storms in Houston
Read full article: More than 100K gallons of wastewater spilled during storms in HoustonAs a result of the severe weather and intense rainfall in the City of Houston, more than 100,000 gallons of wastewater has overflowed from the city’s sewer system.
Houston wastewater indicates Omicron is soaring as rapid tests deemed less reliable
Read full article: Houston wastewater indicates Omicron is soaring as rapid tests deemed less reliableThe city of Houston knows a lot of you are infected with Omicron, and they don’t even need your test results to prove it. They’ve been sampling your wastewater since July 2020.
Nassau Bay wastewater plant floods and is offline, trees down, boardwalk along Clear Lake damaged
Read full article: Nassau Bay wastewater plant floods and is offline, trees down, boardwalk along Clear Lake damagedCrews are clearing roadways from debris as the city deals with power outages, downed trees and powerlines due to the impact of Tropical Storm Nicholas, according to Nassau Bay Police Chief Tim Gaffigan.
Level of COVID-19 in Houston’s wastewater increases up to 320% compared to 2020′s benchmark level
Read full article: Level of COVID-19 in Houston’s wastewater increases up to 320% compared to 2020′s benchmark levelThe Houston Health Department reports an increase of COVID-19 in Houston’s wastewater compared to last year’s benchmark level.
More contagious variant of COVID-19 found to be widespread in Houston wastewater, city health officials say
Read full article: More contagious variant of COVID-19 found to be widespread in Houston wastewater, city health officials sayHOUSTON – The Houston Health Department announced Monday the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7) of the virus that causes COVID-19 was found in most of the city’s wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater samples collected on Feb. 22, detected the U.K. variant at 31 of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants. “The prevalence of the U.K. variant in our wastewater shows it’s actively spreading in our city,” said Dr. David Persse, chief medical officer for the city of Houston. People who have COVID-19 shed virus in their feces, regardless of symptoms, the Health Department said. Nine cases of the U.K. variant, one case of the South African variant, two cases of the Brazil variant, and 11 cases of the California variant are currently confirmed in Houston, according to the department’s news release Monday.
Wastewater study in Houston area helps identify COVID-19 outbreaks
Read full article: Wastewater study in Houston area helps identify COVID-19 outbreaksHOUSTON – When you think of wastewater treatment plants, you may not think of medical research. But weekly water samples from 39 different Houston area treatment plants are now helping in the fight against the coronavirus. Researchers compare the wastewater data to the daily positivity rates and then monitor trends across Houston. “The key discovery with this project was that the wastewater signal seems to be ahead of the nasal testing data,” Dr. Maresso said. Health officials said overall the Houston area numbers are going down, but in southwest Houston, the numbers are slightly higher.
What the feces? Houston launches new wastewater monitoring program to help slow spread of COVID-19
Read full article: What the feces? Houston launches new wastewater monitoring program to help slow spread of COVID-19HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner presented a new initiative Thursday that could serve as a faster method of containing COVID-19. Since May, the Houston Health Department has monitored the wastewater at 38 treatment plants for the presence of the virus. The wastewater monitoring project is a collaboration between the Houston Health Department, Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. The sewage wastewater is collected at the treatment plan before its process, according to Dr. Lauren Hopkins, of the Houston Health Department. “This will give us that early warning that we may have otherwise missed,” said Dr. David Persse of the Houston Health Department.