2024 Water Environment Federation

Wastewater Surveillance Champions

The 2024 Wastewater Surveillance Champions Recognition highlights the outstanding efforts of utilities that have played a key role in advancing wastewater surveillance in the U.S. since 2020. Utility nominations were solicited by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) across four different utility size categories from state and local health departments coordinating wastewater surveillance programs. Recipients were selected based on their contributions through:

  • Active involvement with the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) and other key programs.
  • Effective communication with the public and media on wastewater data.
  • Strong partnerships with state and local health departments.
  • Knowledge and resource sharing through mentorship and collaboration.
  • Offering innovative solutions for sample collection and data management.

The champions were recognized at the Utility Leaders Afternoon at WEFTEC 2024. Please find more details on each recipient below.

Meet the Champions
Learn about WEFTEC
Learn about NWSS

Town of Abingdon, Virginia

Recipient in size category A (<10,000 people served)

The Town of Abingdon, Virginia, Wolf Creek Water Reclamation Facility, operated by Woodard & Curran, has played a pivotal role in advancing public health monitoring in southwest Virginia, through:

  • Early and consistent participation in the state’s wastewater surveillance program: Since the start of the program, Abingdon has submitted all 141 samples over nearly three years, never missing a single submission.
  • Effective communication: The team at Wolf Creek actively engages with the Virginia Department of Health, lab partners, and the public, ensuring transparency and collaboration.
  • Responsiveness to requests: Wolf Creek is quick to provide supplemental data and information for timely updates to the state’s public health dashboard.

Wolf Creek’s data has been crucial for representing vulnerable populations, often detecting spikes in viral loads before other facilities in the region, making their contributions essential for protecting the health of Virginians.

This recognition honors Abingdon’s dedication to improving public health through wastewater surveillance.

Photo of Shannon Turner and Christopher Pritt holding Wastewater Surveillance Champion plaque.

Shannon Turner, Assistant Project Manager (left), and Christopher Pritt, Project Manager, both from Woodard & Curran, contract operators for the Wolf Creek Water Reclamation Facility in the Town of Abindgon, VA.

City of Longmont, Colorado

Recipient in size category B (10,000 to <100,000 people served)

The City of Longmont Wastewater Treatment Plant has shown unwavering dedication to advancing the field of wastewater surveillance through:

  • Active and consistent leadership: Led by Roberto Luna, Longmont has engaged deeply with the wastewater surveillance community, including participation in the NWSS Utilities Community of Practice and service on the Colorado NWSS Center of Excellence Advisory Board.
  • Strong public health collaborations: Longmont has fostered close relationships with state and local public health agencies, including hosting multiple site visits for the county health department and advocating for partnerships with local leaders.
  • Consistency in sample collection: For four years, the Longmont team has submitted samples twice a week, providing critical data throughout the pandemic and beyond.
  • Advocacy for sentinel surveillance: Roberto Luna and team strongly advocated for continued wastewater surveillance, helping the city transition to a fee-for-service testing model to ensure ongoing monitoring.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment views Longmont as an ideal partner for the program, setting a standard for collaboration and leadership in wastewater surveillance.

From left to right: Jennifer Drozd, Alannah Liebert, Drew Albright, Travis Green, Calli Propeck, Jayson Peterson, Delaney Gaydon, Dana Kelly, Nicole Cummings, and Kurt Neckers.  Roberto Luna is holding the plaque.

City of Laredo, Texas

Recipient in size category C (100,000 to <1 million people served)

The City of Laredo Utilities Department has demonstrated exceptional dedication to wastewater surveillance, playing a pivotal role in advancing public health initiatives within the community through: 

  • Active community engagement: Laredo’s Utilities Department has demonstrated leadership by organizing initiatives like the “Strengthening Wastewater Monitoring Capacity for Improved Community Health” workshop, which brought together public health leaders to exchange best practices for sustainable wastewater surveillance.
  • Public awareness efforts: Collaborating with the Laredo Health Department and City Public Information team, they created an educational video explaining the wastewater testing process, raising public understanding of the importance of wastewater surveillance.
  • Long-term commitment: Laredo has participated in the National Wastewater Surveillance System since March 2022 and other significant programs like WastewaterSCAN and TexWeb, covering a range of disease monitoring from SARS-CoV-2 to mpox and influenza.
  • Consistency and innovation: As one of the first cities on the Texas-Mexico border to adopt wastewater surveillance, Laredo has shown exceptional consistency in sample collection and has helped build a framework for long-term public health emergency preparedness.

The City of Laredo Utilities Department has built trust and confidence within the community, contributing to a safer and more resilient public health system.

From left to right: Arlene Alvarado, Jessica Oviedo, Tomas Hernandez (all from City of Laredo) and Jonathan Yoder (CDC).

Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts

Recipient in size category D (1 million or more people served)

The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD), has been a leading voice in wastewater surveillance through: 

  • Early adoption and leadership: LACSD was one of the first six utilities to join California’s wastewater surveillance program in 2020, even analyzing samples in their in-house laboratory to support the pandemic response.
  • Expertise sharing and advocacy: Led by Naoko Munakata, LACSD has actively participated in monthly office hours run by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) wastewater surveillance team, offering valuable insights, advocating for other utilities, and helping refine industry practices.
  • Leadership across multiple levels: They play a key role in national, state, and local initiatives, such as the NWSS Utilities Community of Practice and the California Water Quality Monitoring Council.
  • Collaboration with public health: LACSD works closely with CDPH and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to enhance the use of wastewater data in public health decisions.
  • Support for broader utility efforts: They provided essential feedback on CDPH’s metadata platform, improving its usability for other utilities.
  • Community engagement and resource generation: LACSD promotes citizen science by sharing results and actively presenting at conferences to advance wastewater surveillance practices.

LACSD’s dedication and consistent engagement have significantly strengthened California’s wastewater surveillance program and inspired others to adopt and enhance these practices.

From left to right: Ryan Reinke, Patricia Hsia, Naoko Munakata (all from LACSD), and Jonathan Yoder (CDC).