Wastewater Surveillance at the Guelph Campus
The University of Guelph monitors the wastewater from residence buildings for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Monitoring wastewater for the virus is proving an important surveillance tool.
The virus may be shed in the feces of those infected with SARS-CoV-2 days before they begin to feel ill which allows for the early detection of COVID-19 infection on campus. This wastewater surveillance scans samples in a non-invasive way by collecting sanitary sewage wastewater and analyzing evidence of the virus using PCR. Samples are an aggregate of all wastewater coming from a particular residence building and cannot identify any particular person.
The wastewater dashboard below captures information from University of Guelph residence buildings and shows daily levels as well as how the wastewater signal for SARS-CoV-2 is trending in each building.
Green – low to no signalYellow – low to moderate signal
Red – moderate to high signal
For an accessible version of this table, please contact datarequest@uoguelph.ca.
Direct link to Wastewater Report on Tableau
Notes:
- This dashboard is updated daily on business days, excluding holidays. However, there are some days data cannot be collected for various reasons, for example inclement weather.
- The line graph is based on a rolling seven-day average. Only days where data has been collected are included in this calculation.
Current Actions
For the most up-to-date policies and practices in place for U of G residences, please visit the Student Housing Services COVID-19 webpage.
Ongoing Protective Measures
- U of G COVID-19 Information
- Community trends: Guelph Wellington Dufferin Public Health
Wastewater samples are collected from the following residence buildings.
Guelph Campus
- College Avenue and West Residence
- East Townhouses and Village
- Johnston Hall
- Lambton Hall
- Maritime Hall
- Mills Hall
- Mountain Hall
- Prairie Hall
- Wellington Woods, Stone Road Residence
Sampling and analysis are conducted by University of Guelph researchers led by the following interdisciplinary team:
- Lawrence Goodridge, Food Science (Laboratory analysis)
- Marc Habash, Environmental Sciences (Laboratory analysis)
- Heather Murphy, Pathobiology (Wastewater expert)
- Ed McBean, Engineering (Wastewater expert)
The team relies on critical support and assistance from the University’s Physical Resources Department, particularly David Bezanson and Matt Vuk.
Link to this tab
Wastewater results from each building are reviewed daily and the Wastewater Surveillance Panel meets to discuss trends. Following their review, the Panel may recommend a response that could include actions such as communications, restricting building access and/or testing community members.
Wastewater Surveillance Panel members:
- Alison Burnett, Student Wellness
- Lawrence Goodridge, Food Science
- Marc Habash, Environmental Science
- Pat Kelly, Student Housing
- Andrew Papadopoulos, Population Medicine
- Liz Snyder, Research Communications
- Scott Weese, Pathobiology
- Jennifer Wesley, Office of Research/EHS (coordinator)
- Lise Trotz-Williams, Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health
