Source: CDC.
Background
COVID-19 is a novel (new) strain of coronavirus (CoV) disease that first emerged towards the end of 2019 in the Hubei Province of China. The disease was classified as a pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). COVID-19 is caused by a virus named “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which is primarily transmitted from respiratory droplets from person-person contact or general surface contact. As water and wastewater professionals, our mission is to stop viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
Two other well-known coronaviruses include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) which emerged from China in 2003, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) which emerged from Saudi Arabia in 2012. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause mild (e.g., common cold) to severe symptoms, and are zoonotic, meaning that the virus is transmitted between animals and humans. However, it is rare for infected animals to infect people which is how the current outbreak developed (WHO, 2020).
Fate and Transport of SARS-CoV-2 in our Water System
The United States treats 39 billion gallons of drinking water (USGS, 2018) and 34 billion gallons of wastewater each day with a majority of treated wastewater effluent being released into our rivers and streams (EPA, 2019). As the virus spreads, it is imperative that our drinking and wastewater treatment plants stop transmission by killing the virus.
Source: EPA
Drinking Water System :
Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has not been detected in drinking water. Current drinking water treatment methods (e.g., chlorination and filtration) at most municipal treatment systems should remove or inactivate the virus. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with a fragile outer membrane which are typically less stable in the environment and more susceptible to chlorine or other oxidants. Public water systems are required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove or kill all pathogens which includes viruses. There are no restrictions for drinking or washing hands using public tap water.
Wastewater System:
SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in feces, though risk of transmission is expected to be low based on data from previous outbreaks of coronaviruses like SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. There have been no reports to date of fecal-oral transmission of this virus. Currently, the CDC believes virus transmission through sewerage systems is low and that standard municipal wastewater chlorination may be sufficient for treatment. Routine personal protective equipment (PPE) is recommended for wastewater treatment operators.
For Further Information on how COVID-19 Impacts our Water Systems
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
World Health Organization (WHO)
COVID-19 Interactive Map Case Tracker (by WHO)
References
CDC. (2020). Water Transmission and COVID-19. Accessed on March 18, 2020 at <https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html>.
EPA. (2020). Coronavirus and Drinking Water and Wastewater. Accessed on March 18, 2020 at <https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater>.
EPA. (2019). The Sources and Solutions: Wastewater. Accessed on March 18, 2020 at <https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater>.
USGS. (2018). Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015. Accessed on March 18, 2020 at <https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1441>.
WHO. (2020). Water, sanitation, hygiene and water management for the COVID-19 Virus. Published March 3, 2020 and accessed on March 18, 2020 at <https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1271257/retrieve>.