County of San Diego launches in-house wastewater disease surveillance with public dashboard

A San Diego County public health laboratory has begun routine in-house wastewater testing, marking the first time the agency will independently analyze sewage samples to track disease trends. Results are being published on a publicly accessible online dashboard, with trend data also shared with the medical community.

Wastewater testing provides early insight into which diseases are circulating locally, often before cases are identified through clinical testing. The effort builds on regional monitoring conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic through the SEARCH partnership, which ended in December 2025 when federal funding concluded. Following the opening of the county’s new public health laboratory in May 2025, staff completed training and equipment certification to bring wastewater testing operations in house.

“Bringing wastewater testing in house with our new lab is just one example of the County’s expanded ability to protect the public’s health and act quickly to confront emerging disease outbreaks,” said Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, M.D., M.P.H., county public health officer, in a news article.

Samples are collected from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, South Bay Water Reclamation Plant, and Encina Wastewater Authority. Initial monitoring will focus on SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), with the ability to sequence samples to identify circulating COVID-19 strains. The county plans to expand testing to additional priority diseases in the future.