Wastewater testing could play a big role in COVID-19 detection moving forward as more communities sign on to programs.With the increased availability of at-home testing, fewer test results are being reported, and that’s where wastewater surveillance can become a valuable tool.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed its national wastewater surveillance system in September 2020 but launched it nationally earlier this month. “It gives us a chance to know where the infections are coming from regionally. If we have areas, large campus housing areas, where we see a large increase, we know we'll have to think about how to change our response to that area,” Paula Mouser, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire, said.People infected with COVID-19, whether they have symptoms or not, shed genetic material from the virus in their feces that can be detected in wastewater. Samples are collected from a sewershed and then sent to a partner agency for testing. "This kind of data can give us an early warning sign of increasing transmission and has the potential to help us decide where to direct testing and other health care resources,” Patricia Tilley, the director of public health services at the state Department of Health and Human Services, said. The University of New Hampshire has been testing its own samples independently since the summer of 2020. Their researchers have also shared their method with long-term care facilities and other wastewater treatment facilities in the state. "It’s a type of PCR that goes beyond the typical nasal swab testing that we do. It uses a very specific quantification approach,” Mouser said.The Keene Department of Public Works started testing wastewater in 2020 in partnership with Keene State College but has since discontinued the testing."It gave weight I think for us to use and communicate with the public and for Keene State to communicate with its population that it really was here. It wasn't just something happening somewhere else,” Kurt Blomquist, Keene public works director, said.According to the CDC's website, there are three facilities in New Hampshire currently reporting wastewater surveillance data to the CDC.In all, 37 states are working to develop programs.** Town-by-town: COVID-19 case data | Vaccination data **--