Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), member of the Coronavirus family, hasrecently emerged from Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced an official name of thedisease [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] and classified it as a global pandemic. Though the virus isprimarily spread through person-to-person contact and causes respiratory tract illnesses; some recent studieshave suggested the possibility for fecal-oral transmission and detected the RNA virus in the feces of infectedindividuals, even after respiratory symptoms have subsided. A recent study confirmed that the virus is alsocapable of infecting human gut enterocytes (Lamers et al., 2020). However, the potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via wastewater is currently unknown. Therefore, the proposed study here will facilitate a betterunderstanding of persistence and disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. First, we will use laboratory-controlled studies examining the survivability of the virus in wastewater. We will spike the SARS-CoV-2 inwastewater and monitor infectivity over time. Second, we will use chlorine disinfectants to determine theinactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Last, we will conduct a field survey to investigate the fate of the virusin wastewater treatment systems from different locales. The proposed work will provide information to state andfederal regulatory agencies that can be used to develop guidance for prevention of COVID-19. The project willalso aid in evaluation and development of best disinfection approaches and quantitative microbial riskassessment (QMRA). The findings will be invaluable to water resource recovery facilities for better managementagainst potential exposure risk and ensuring worker health and safety.