Boston Area Wastewater Covid-19 Levels At Early 2021 Levels

BOSTON — Data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority shows COVID-19 levels in wastewater at the Deer Island Treatment Plant is at or near the highest level on record.

The amount of viral RNA found in the wastewater in the North System is higher than at any time on record. Viral RNA in the South System is below the peak from early 2021 but remains elevated.

Wastewater in the South System showed a rapid surge in coronavirus RNA in early Dec. to significantly above the previous peak, but the coronavirus levels have since declined equally rapidly.

The Deer Island Treatment Plant serves 43 communities in greater Boston. Samples of wastewater are taken three to seven times a week and analyzed by Cambridge-based Biobot Analytics, according to the MWRA.

A map of the North and South Systems is available here.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the wastewater metric "can provide information on changes in total SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection in the community contributing to that wastewater treatment plant." In other words, an increased presence of COVID-19 in wastewater from showers, sinks, and toilets can indicate an increased infection rate in the communities where the wastewater comes from.

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Statewide, most coronavirus metrics are at their highest levels since early 2021.