Wastewater analysis detects SARS-CoV-2 RNA, enabling early identification of COVID-19 cases, including asymptomatic individuals. Additionally, wastewater surveillance can effectively measure different pathogens, drug use and other substances within the area covered by each sewershed.

Wastewater surveillance offers early detection for both asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 cases. As nearly 80% of US households utilize municipal sewer systems, establishing state and nationwide wastewater surveillance networks can help monitor COVID-19 trends in communities contributing to wastewater treatment plants. Regular testing allows for real-time assessment of the COVID-19 burden, independent of access to individual clinical testing and healthcare, helping decision-makers intervene more rapidly to curb disease spread.

Wastewater surveillance provides insights into the number of COVID-19 infections within communities served by wastewater treatment plants, allowing for comparisons with other COVID-19 measures, such as test positivity rates. It improves awareness of disease spread factors and can detect other pathogens and substances, such as influenza, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, cannabis, and other drugs. The wastewater surveillance network will be invaluable in the event of another pandemic-causing pathogen's emergence.

Wastewater surveillance enhances the ability to understand and predict the number of COVID-19 infections within the community that each wastewater treatment plant covers. This is possible by comparison of wastewater surveillance data with other measures of COVID-19, such as test positivity rates. Wastewater surveillance also lends a better awareness of factors that may be affecting disease spread. It can also be used to detect other pathogens and substances, such as influenza A/B, RSV, norovirus, hepatitis A, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and other drugs. The wastewater surveillance network will be beneficial in the future, given the introduction of another pathogen with pandemic-causing potential.

A major advantage of wastewater surveillance as a source of data is that it is entirely anonymous and cannot be traced back to individuals or households. Wastewater sampling occurs at a treatment plant or influent point which provides a sample representative of an entire community or population and does not allow for identification of individual information. This means that information on drug use, disease presence, and socioeconomics can all be obtained with no burden to individuals while protecting their anonymity.