[CED/CD/EAT] WRRC - COVID-19 and Water

[Zucker, Claire Louise - (clzucker)]

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Dear Cooperative Extension Directors,

We at the WRRC are hoping that you and your staff are safe and healthy.

We realize that you may already be fielding questions about coronavirus issues pertaining to water and we want you to know that we are working to compile information and links to help keep you informed. In this week's Weekly Wave, our lead story will be on coronavirus in water written by Dr. Jean McLain in consultation with others. Another story is about how utilities are ensuring they have enough personnel to sustain operations.  Most water/virus questions do not have equivocal answers yet, but we hope the following summary will help you with your initial responses to public inquiries. Please note that research is ongoing, so we are also providing links to resources that are regularly updated.  We will do all we can to keep you updated as this topic develops.

Is drinking water safe?
Current studies specific to this virus outbreak have not been reported; however, drinking water treatment is designed to inactivate viruses. The World Health Organization has stated "presence of the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies and based on current evidence the risk to water supplies is low." Many utilities use sodium hypochlorite as a standard disinfectant for water supply and the practice has been shown to be effective against viruses and bacteria.

Is groundwater safe?
Current studies on groundwater specific to this virus outbreak have not been reported. Groundwater should be treated using standard drinking water disinfectants, which are effective against viruses and bacteria.

Can COVID-19 be spread through wastewater?
According to the EPA, COVID-19 is a type of virus that is particularly susceptible to disinfection and standard treatment and disinfectant processes at wastewater treatment plants are expected to be effective. Most wastewater systems include chlorination practices that are likely to inactivate the virus. According to the Water Environment Federation, the risk of transmission through feces is expected to be low based on data from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Useful Resources:
Water Environment Federation<https://www.wef.org/>
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-drinking-water-and-wastewater>
Arizona Department of Water Resources, COVID-19<https://new.azwater.gov/covid-19>
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Water Transmission and COVID-19<https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html>
The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators <https://www.asdwa.org/covid19/>  - has a downloadable COVID-19 and Drinking Water FAQ Sheet

Wishing you all the best - stay safe and healthy!
Claire


Claire L. Zucker
Associate Director, Water Resources Research Center
Program Director, Water, Environmental, and Energy Solutions
University of Arizona

Water Resources Research Center
350 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719-5633
Cell Phone: 520-869-8553
clzucker at email.arizona.edu<mailto:clzucker at email.arizona.edu>
WRRC:wrrc.arizona.edu<https://wrrc.arizona.edu/>
Water Network: water.arizon.edu<https://water.arizona.edu/>


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