It turns out waste is not always a waste! Recent articles from 9 News and others are detailing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) testing of wastewater for COVID variants. Amazingly, you can find out the infection rate of the population through human waste. In the 9 News article, Epidemiologist Rachel Jervis states, “When someone has COVID, we’ve found that just under 50% of people with COVID shed COVID in their stool regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.” The key there is that people who don’t have symptoms can still shed the virus so it is a good way to determine the affected rate. Also according to the article, the CDPHE has been testing wastewater for COVID for much of the pandemic and can tell which variant is spreading most in the state. They have partnered with 21 sewer treatment plants to test the wastewater up and down the front range. To see if your area is part of the testing, click here.

This puts Apex in a unique and important position as our job is to make sure sewage can correctly makes its way to the treatment plants. We have performed over 10,000 repairs in the last 36 years and are doing several repairs a day to keep waste flowing in the right direction. It’s not a glamorous job, but we were able to continue working through the beginnings of COVID due to us being in an essential service. It seems we are still essential as the state is using waste to best determine which variant is most present and needs most addressing. As Colorado’s website states, with this information, health officials can do 3 things. First, they can increase resource capacity in the community if there is an increase in cases. Second, they can reevaluate closure and social distancing measures if there is a decrease in cases. And finally, they can use the information to track virus trends across communities. We are glad to be able to provide a needed service. If you are in need of our services, we’d love to help! Contact us today for your free estimate.

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