About wastewater surveillance
Wastewater surveillance may serve as an early warning tool for infectious diseases. When people are infected with certain viruses, they can shed them in their urine or stool. Sewers from homes and businesses run to treatment plants, where samples of the wastewater are collected and tested. Viruses can appear in wastewater several days before people get sick. Wastewater data may signal increases in viral activity in a community before other indicators.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) monitors wastewater at treatment plants across the state for several viruses. These viruses include SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Influenza A and B, and RSV. Virus levels (signals) are categorized as Very Low, Low, Moderate, High, or Very High based on comparison to historical data at each site.
Wastewater data reflects community-level trends, not individual cases. It cannot tell us the exact number of people who are infected. Along with other indicators, it can be used to understand whether spread of a virus is increasing, decreasing, or holding steady.
COVID, flu, and RSV
This dashboard shows wastewater monitoring results for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV at sites across Massachusetts. It includes virus levels over time, site-by-site results, and a signal level (Low, Moderate, or High) based on recent trends compared to the rest of the state and the country. Wastewater testing can help show whether illness activity is rising or falling in a community, even before people go to the doctor or get tested.
Mpox
Massachusetts monitors wastewater for mpox at a subset of sites. Results are reported as Detected / Not Detected based on the most recent sample available for each monitoring site. A result of Not Detected means viral genetic material was not found above the assay detection threshold. Detected means viral genetic material was found.
Download the full data set for wastewater surveillance
Other Massachusetts data
COVID-19 data dashboard
The COVID-19 Dashboard includes data on city/town COVID-19 activity, confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, confirmed and probable deaths related to COVID-19, and the demographic characteristics of cases and deaths.
National data
CDC: National Wastewater Surveillance System
Resources
- For more information on COVID-19, including symptoms and spread, testing, prevention, and treatment, please visit Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Data archive
Past archived data files (Excel) are available for download: