In the News

Open ISCO sampler shown with a large container filled with a wastewater sample inside of the sampler.

Q&A: This UWM professor Is testing wastewater during the Republican National Convention

Sandra McLellan, a WWMP academic partner and professor at UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, gives an interview on large event wastewater monitoring of the RNC in 2024. Published July 2024.

Signal in the sewer: How wastewater helps scientists detect early increases in COVID-19, the flu and more

Channel 3000 gives an overview of wastewater surveillance, underscoring the significance of the program when clinical testing decreases. Published October 2023.

Scientist Martin Shafer speaking during an interview with Channel 3000.

A close-up of wastewater sample being pipetted from a bottle to a plate in a biosafety cabinet.

COVID-19 down the drain: What wastewater can tell us about our pandemic future

Wastewater surveillance experts speak on the launch of the WWMP and future implications. Published February 2022.

Wastewater surveillance gained prominence during the pandemic. Where is it now?

The APHL article summarizes three different wastewater sessions conducted during the inaugural 2023 APHL Infectious Disease Lab Conference. Wisconsin Wastewater Monitoring Program was represented by Dagmara Antkiewicz (WSLH) participating in an expert panel discussion entitled “Wastewater Surveillance: Building Systems that Lead to Actionable Data.” Published May 2023.

A view of the KingFisher Apex machine cover with a reflection of a person working.

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee professor, Sandra McLellan, standing on a metal walkway above one of the clarifiers at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Jones Island treatment facility.

The sewage sleuth

COVID-19 infection rates vary from location to location, which complicates health responses. But Sandra McLellan knows how to get sewage to talk about it. Published February 2021.

WORT 89.9FM, a local radio station, reported about the celebration of the Wisconsin’s Wastewater Professionals Appreciation Day. Recorded in May 2024.

Tracking Illnesses Through Wastewater: the WWMP coordinator, Lelia Gessner, talks with Wisconsin’s Midday News about the significance of wastewater monitoring.

DHS Announces Measles Exposures in Milwaukee County: Case related to exposure out of state. WI DHS, Feb. 2026.

New wastewater dashboard spotlights respiratory illness trends. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, Dec. 2025.

A Day of Honors for Unsung Heroes. Treatment Plant Operator, Nov. 2025.

RSV activity is ‘increasing’ in Wisconsin, DHS says. Here’s what you should know. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 2025.

NWSS Centers of Excellence live up to their name. APHL, Fall 2024.

Notes from the Field: Support for Wastewater Monitoring and Influence on Protective Behavioral Intentions Among Adults. CDC, Sept. 2024.

UW researchers’ data help power Dane County’s award-winning respiratory illness dashboard. UW SMPH, July 2024.

UWM lab measures sewage to track disease level changes during RNC and after. WUWM 89.7 FM, July 2024.

Wastewater surveillance helps monitor COVID-19 increases. Channel 3000, July 2024.

Is there a summer wave of COVID cases in Wisconsin? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 2024.

What are the new COVID FLiRT variants, and are they in Wisconsin? Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 2024.

COVID-19 cases continue to increase, vaccination lags and mask recommendations are back. Wisconsin Examiner, Jan. 2024.