These wastewater data are intended to be interpreted by public health professionals in tandem with clinical testing data. Anyone seeking to use the database for other purposes is required to contact us () to obtain permission.

Research to connect SARS-CoV-2 wastewater results to COVID-19 occurence in the population is ongoing.

These data are produced by the COVID-WEB team. If you have questions about these data, please contact us (). Data visualizations were created by Rose Kantor and the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Content on this site is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. By accessing or copying any part of the database, the user accepts the terms of this license.

I understand these data are provisional and subject to change. I agree to assume all liability for any claims that may arise from or relate in any way to my use of these data and to hold the COVID-WEB team harmless from any such claims

The COVID-WEB team at UC Berkeley is led by Prof. Kara Nelson in collaboration with local public health departments, the California Department of Public Health, and wastewater agencies. COVID-WEB monitors levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in sewage at different locations around the Bay Area. This wastewater monitoring allows for broader assessment of virus levels in the population that is unbiased by who accesses individual testing. It may also provide an early warning of outbreaks, because people with COVID-19 may shed the virus in feces before they show symptoms and get tested, and even if they never show symptoms and never get tested. COVID-WEB began routine monitoring of wastewater from >30 locations for SARS-CoV-2 in fall 2020.

How the testing works

Wastewater samples are collected at each site over a 24 hour period (representing a “composite” of the sewage), and samples are taken between one to three days a week. Sample collection is conducted by staff at partnering wastewater agencies. Samples are delivered to UC Berkeley. There, laboratory staff extract the genetic material from the wastewater and analyze it using RT-qPCR to quantify how much SARS-CoV-2, if any, is present. From each wastewater sample, two separate sub-samples of wastewater (40 mL each) are analyzed in parallel to help account for heterogeneity within the wastewater. RNA for SARS-CoV-2 within each sub-sample of wastewater is measured in triplicate via RT-qPCR. Results are uploaded to this dashboard within 72 hours of sample collection.

About the dashboard

Data visualizations:

The color on the heatmap represents the average SARS-CoV-2 concentration over the past week in each sewershed. Hover the cursor over the map for more information about each sewershed. Click on any sewershed to see more detailed plots with daily values.

On plots, ‘N1’ represents the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater, in units of gene copies (gc) per milliliter. It is based on RT-qPCR results using the CDC N1 primer set.

This data dashboard was created by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, in partnership with COVID-WEB. We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Catena Foundation, the Innovative Genomics Institute, and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society.