Wastewater Sampling for COVID-19

In September 2020, the CDC launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) to coordinate and build the nation’s capacity to track the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater samples collected across the country. Sampling efforts around the country have determined that by measuring COVID-19 in wastewater on a routine basis allows predictive trends to be observed. Any increases or decreases in COVID-19 in the samples are 'leading indicators' of increases or decreases in active cases of COVID-19 in the population being studied.

CDC expanded the program nationally in February 2021 and NH DHHS launched a program in May 2022 to regularly test wastewater for levels of virus infections from Covid-19, RSV and flu at around two dozen of the 78 municipal wastewater treatment plants in New Hampshire. Portsmouth is one of those municipalities. By monitoring wastewater NH DHHS can measure the amount of viral fragments present in a community-wide sample to determine if the levels of the virus in that community are going up, down, or staying the same.

Both of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTF) -- Peirce Island and Pease -- are participating in the NH DHHS project. Peirce Island WWTF sent its first sample for testing on June 7, 2022. The Pease WWTF started sampling the week of June 13, 2022. Each facility sends samples weekly.

Test results are posted every Friday to this page.