DHHS → MeCDC → Disease Surveillance → Epidemiology → Airborne and Direct Contact Diseases → Coronavirus → Maine Data → Wastewater Testing Data
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
EPI Information
Social services help and information about COVID-19 in Maine, call 211, email info@211maine.org, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or if out-of-state call 1-877-463-6207.Wastewater Surveillance in Maine
Maine CDC is currently updating the wastewater testing dashboard. During this time, the dashboard will not be updated. Please visit the WastewaterSCAN and U.S. CDC data dashboards for updated data.
What is wastewater surveillance?
Wastewater is also known as sewage. It includes water that may contain human waste. Some examples include toilets, showers, sinks, and other household activities. Wastewater can also include rainwater and water used in industrial processes.
Each wastewater treatment plant handles the sewage from buildings in the sewage system. All of this water flows to the same treatment plant.
Some germs that make people sick end up in wastewater. We use wastewater testing to measure changes in germs and chemicals. This provides an early warning of infectious diseases in a community. This includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Wastewater testing and surveillance in Maine
Terms to Know
SARS-CoV-2: The virus that causes COVID-19.
RNA: RNA is the genetic material of viruses. It holds all the instructions to make each part of the virus. Wastewater testing measures the number of copies of viral RNA in a wastewater sample. We estimate the amount of virus in wastewater from the number of RNA copies in it.
Virus Concentration: The number of viral RNA copies in each liter of wastewater.
About the Data
Sample Collection
- Wastewater treatment plants collect the wastewater samples before treating the wastewater. They collect small volumes of wastewater over 24 hours. These small volumes mix together to create a sample that represents the wastewater from the last 24 hours.
- Wastewater treatment removes SARS-CoV-2 virus before releasing the treated wastewater into the environment.
- Find more information about wastewater surveillance here.
Laboratory Testing
- Maine CDC works with Biobot to do wastewater surveillance.
Other Wastewater Surveillance Data Available for Maine
WastewaterSCAN
3 sites
Testing:- Candida auris
- EVD68
- Hepatitis A
- Human metapneumovirus
- Influenza A and B
- Mpox
- Norovirus
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Rotavirus
- SARS-CoV-2
U.S. CDC
25 sites
Testing:
