California Wastewater Pathogen Surveillance Data

Wastewater surveillance data from the California Department of Public Health tracks pathogen concentrations for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV, mpox, and norovirus. The data originates from the Cal-SuWers Network and is submitted to the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System. It provides community-level trends to complement traditional public health monitoring.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in SARS-CoV-2 concentration across California sewersheds to monitor community-level COVID-19 activity.
• Compare pathogen concentration levels for influenza and RSV to study seasonal co-circulation patterns in wastewater.
• Assess the correlation between mpox detection in wastewater and reported clinical case data for outbreak surveillance.
• Model the inherent variability in norovirus concentration measurements due to environmental and laboratory factors.

Strengths

• Data is collected by a coordinated network of utilities, labs, and health departments across California.
• Tracks multiple high-impact pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV, mpox, and norovirus.
• Integrated into the CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) for national context.

Limitations

• Methodologies for producing wastewater data are not standardized, complicating direct comparisons and aggregations.
• Inherent variability in measured concentrations is expected due to environmental, population, and laboratory factors.
• Cannot determine the exact number of infected individuals, only provides overall community trends.

Provenance

Source

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Cal-SuWers Network.

Collection Method

Coordinated collection from wastewater utilities, local health departments, academic researchers, and laboratories.

Time Range

Historical data is available; specific range is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

State of California, United States.