(The following information was provided by Derek Muller, Public Information Coordinator for Montgomery Township.)
The Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority (MTMSA) announced today that they have been accepted as a participant in the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) being launched by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The NWSS is a new public health tool designed to monitor and assess COVID-19 spread. MTMSA will be one of approximately 500 participating entities across the United States.
Sewage surveillance offers a preview of changes in the presence of COVID-19 in communities. SARS-CoV-2 is shed in the feces of individuals with symptomatic or asymptomatic infections, therefore revealing its presence regardless of symptoms or access to testing. Sewage testing has been successfully used as a method for early detection of other infectious diseases, including polio. Data that is collected by the authority for this program will be shared with LuminUltra Technologies, who has partnered with the CDC and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to assist with the wastewater analysis.
MTMSA has successfully tracked the presence of COVID-19 in Montgomery Township throughout the pandemic by sampling and analyzing wastewater.
“We are thrilled to be a part of a national effort to better understand the transmission and spread of this virus,” said Shannon Drosnock, executive director of the Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority.
Drosnock hopes that this initiative leads to the development of an early warning system so that communities across the nation can respond more quickly to the presence of new variants, preventing hospitalizations and further loss of life.
The Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority was formed in 1963 to finance and operate the township's sanitary sewer system. The MTMSA operates Eureka Wastewater Treatment Plant along with seven pump stations, six meter pits, 15 acres of right-of-way and easements and 108 miles of sewer lines. It maintains the entire sewer collection system throughout the township.
For more information, please contact MTMSA at 215-393-6930.
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