What does COVID19 mean for swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters?
As Waterkeepers, we’re on the front lines of testing water quality and patrolling for pollution, so it’s critical that we remain up-to-date with the most recent science to ensure we’re keeping our staff and volunteers safe. We have postponed all water sampling activities, and are continuing to track the situation. We look forward to once again sampling and connecting (safely) with you all out on the river soon.
So what do we know?
Recent testing has detected SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID19, in human excretions and sewage. Past testing during the 2003 SARS outbreak also detected the presence of RNA from the virus in raw sewage at infected hospitals, and the virus was detected in untreated sewage from 2-14 days. We know that this virus can shed into fecal matter, and that it can be shed for weeks after a patient recovers. Finding RNA (or DNA) doesn’t give us enough information to determine if the virus can infect people through this route. There is no evidence of fecal/oral transmission or that anyone has caught this virus from untreated sanitary waste as part of the past outbreaks or the current epidemic. The one exception was a documented illness of a worker at a sewage treatment plant during the SARS epidemic, who may have contracted the illness through sewage aerosols. Out of an abundance of caution, wastewater plants are taking precautions to protect their workers with PPE and other safety gear. Similarly, this virus could pose a threat to those working in close proximity to untreated sewage (cleaning or fixing sewers, testing in sewers, etc.).
There are ongoing efforts to test for this virus in raw sewage. Several pilot projects in Massachusetts and the Netherlands detected this virus well before the first documented cases (in the Netherlands) and suggest that the true extent of infection is much higher than we know. We’ve notified local treatment plants about an ongoing research study organized by Biobot, which is expanding sewage studies nationally. This research could be a powerful tool in helping us better predict new “spikes” or outbreaks of this coronavirus in the future, as well as the size of the viral load in a community that could help better focus testing and treatment.
The one “good” thing about this virus is that soap and existing wastewater treatment can easily kill it. Data suggests that existing chlorination practices are enough to inactivate coronaviruses if best practices are followed. There is high confidence that wastewater and drinking water treatment processes are enough to protect our treated waters from this virus.
Can I paddle/swim?
We do not have any data on whether this virus is in our rivers (or any rivers in the country). The risk of waterborne transmission is low, as most coronaviruses do not survive long in warm or polluted waters. That said, every time we swim in our rivers, we have a slight risk of contracting illness from a bevy of viruses and pathogens in our water. We recommend avoiding contact with water affected by untreated
sewage, such as after sewer overflow events. Research by Milwaukee Riverkeeper and our partners at UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, shows untreated sewage enters our waterways in many locations in both dry and wet weather through the stormwater system, due to infrastructure issues. The risk from these sources is higher after rainfall and other wet weather events. As a result, anyone out paddling should try to avoid contact with water, and wash hands (and bodies) with soap as soon as possible after recreating.
At this time of year, you are at greater risk due to current water temperatures. Hypothermia can set in within 15-30 minutes if you fall into the water in early spring, so make sure you have a change of clothes and weather appropriate gear. Check out a map of access points along the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail.
Most Milwaukee County beaches and State beaches in Southeast Wisconsin are currently closed due to the “Safer at Home” order. This is to limit large groups from congregating (many local residents can still walk along and near the beaches). Beaches are not currently monitored for water quality; that generally begins Memorial Day weekend. We will monitor conditions going forward into the warmer months, but beach openings/closing are generally based on bacterial indicators and not viral indicators and that is unlikely to change. Beach monitoring related to COVID19 is ongoing in other parts of the country, and so additional guidance could be forthcoming.
Can I fish?
The Wisconsin DNR has stated that you can fish under the current “Safer at Home” order; but encourages anglers to stick to waterways close to home. You should also stay the distance of at least 3, 24-inch walleyes away from each other (6 feet)! If you haven’t already purchased one, as of April 1st, you’ll need a new fishing license.
Can I drink the water?
There are no concerns with the quality of our drinking water, as normal disinfection processes are enough to protect our water supply from this virus. Milwaukee has one of the best systems in the nation for treating our drinking water. We are fortunate that Milwaukee has a policy to never shut off water to homes due to unpaid water bills, but that is not the case in large parts of the country.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper has been active over the last few weeks signing onto support letters from our national and regional partner organizations advocating for more funding for water infrastructure as well as moratoriums on water utility shutoffs as part of the response to COVID19. If anything, this pandemic just further supports the argument that we all need clean water to survive, and we continue to ignore the state of our failing water infrastructure at our own peril. Correcting failing infrastructure is important as we want to ensure clean, swimmable, fishable, and drinkable water going forward.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html
https://www.rivm.nl/node/153991?fbclid=IwAR1MSxOdQM-Nt0CK33vr5CIcehNHMNUW4lP6QW1QyADBs5hcZAbBpCgeDv4
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a31468624/covid-19-spread-sewer-poop/
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v2.full.pdf
https://www.who.int/publications-detail/water-sanitation-hygiene-and-waste-management-for-covid-19
https://wef.org/news-hub/current-priorities/coronavirus/
https://www.wateronline.com/doc/coronavirus-and-the-water-cycle-here-is-what-treatment-professionals-need-to-know-0001
https://west.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/data/Gundy2008_Article_SurvivalOfCoronavirusesInWater.pdf
https://ideas.stantec.com/water/considerations-for-water-and-wastewater-treatment-related-to-the-recent-outbreak-covid-19
https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/03/20/this-startup-will-map-the-coronavirus-spread-by-looking-at-your-poo/amp/
Wang, X.W., Li, J., Guo, T., Zhen, B., Kong, Q., Yi, B., Li, Z., Song, N., Jin, M., Xiao, W. and Zhu, X., 2005. Concentration and detection of SARS coronavirus in sewage from Xiao Tang Shan Hospital and the 309th Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Water science and technology, 52(8), pp.213-221.
Yeo, C., Kaushal, S. and Yeo, D., 2020. Enteric involvement of coronaviruses: is faecal–oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 possible?. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.