CONTINUING TO RESPOND DURING COVID-19
WASTEWATER SERVICES REMAIN OPERATIONAL AMID PANDEMIC
Our country is passing the two-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic and West County Wastewater (WCW) continues to be vigilant in keeping our employees safe by maintaining safety protocols at our facilities. Throughout the pandemic, WCW continues to provide services to this community including our 24/7 emergency services.
WCW remains committed to providing safe, reliable wastewater service – today and always. We are grateful for our team of dedicated employees that works tirelessly to ensure such an essential service is not interrupted.
West County Wastewater will maintain these safety measures for the foreseeable future. All WCW facilities remain closed to the public, including tours of the WWQ&R Plant tours to the public. COVID-19 and its variants remain active, and WCW will continue to comply with all orders issued by California and the Contra Costa County Health Officer. We will make decisions that ensure the safety of our staff and community while providing uninterrupted services.
Many of our employees are still working remotely, including our customer service team. For those working in the field or on-site, we continue to require physical distancing, face coverings, handwashing, and other protocols. Phone calls to our offices are being monitored, but response may not be immediate except for emergencies. To report an emergency, call (510) 222-6700, option 1. Crews are available to respond 24 hours a day, seven days week.
Our Board of Directors and other public meetings are taking place via teleconference. Additional details can be found below.
Many of our services continue to be available online, such as:
- Sewer permits
- Sewer lateral video reviews
- Remote construction inspections
- Developer plan set reviews
- Certificates of Compliance
View our Customers page for details on how to access services. For local pandemic updates, visit Contra Costa County Health Services at cchealth.org.
For information and guidance for local health jurisdictions on Isolation and Quarantine of the General Public, go to the California Department of Health website here
Click here to go directly to the Centers for Disease Control
Place Your Order for Free At-Home COVID-19 Test
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of #4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:
• Limit of one order per residential address
• One order includes #4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
• Orders will ship free starting in late January
For more information and to order your tests, go here
BOARD MEETINGS
WCW Board of Directors meetings are taking place via teleconference during the COVID-19 pandemic. We value public engagement and encourage the community to call in to participate. Meetings are held the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Meeting agendas are posted to the website at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. Participation information is available on each agenda.
West County Wastewater COVID-19 Informational Board Reports
COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES – INSPECTIONS
Most inspections are taking place remotely, using videos and pictures, measurements and document submissions. If WCW determines a physical sewer lateral inspection is necessary, the following procedures are mandatory:
- During inspection, the contractor(s) must stand a minimum of six feet away from the inspector while the inspection is taking place.
- If the inspector finds a discrepancy during the inspection, he will ONLY notify the foreman at a safe distance a minimum of six feet. No other workers should be in the vicinity of the foreman and the inspector.
- Once the inspection is complete, the inspector will notify the foreman of the results of the inspection. The foreman will contact the Planning & Support Services Division at permits@wcwd.org or (510) 222-6700, option 3 Certificate of Compliance (COC) of the inspection, which will be created and sent to the requester electronically. The inspector will not sign any documents at the inspection.
WCW Among Agencies Sampling for UC Berkeley Wastewater Monitoring Team
Want to know the COVID trends in your community? Now, in addition to the case counts on the county public health websites, you can check how much SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is in wastewater.
Since the start of the pandemic, the COVID-WEB team at UC Berkeley, led by Professor Kara Nelson, has been working with public health officials and wastewater agencies to monitor how much SARS-CoV-2 is excreted by people in California communities. Individuals infected with COVID-19 – whether they have symptoms or are asymptomatic — shed the virus’ genetic material in their feces, so wastewater can provide an accurate signal of how much virus is actually circulating in the community. This information complements COVID-19 case counts by providing a view of infection trends that isn’t biased by access to clinical testing or under-reporting of at-home test results – after all, everyone uses the bathroom.
COVID-WEB has shared results of wastewater analysis with public health officials from the start of the project, in October of 2020. Now, after a year and a half of refining methods and gaining experience with this new type of data, the information from 11 California counties is available to the public at https://data.covid-web.org/. The website includes an in-depth Frequently Asked Questions section that explains the way wastewater monitoring works. The COVID-WEB team also encourages other researchers to contact them if they want to collaborate on further analyses with the raw data.
“This data portal gives the public the ability to see what public health officials are seeing, in real time,” said Dr. Nelson. “We hope it will be another useful source of information to help people understand the ever-changing conditions, and empower people to make good decisions about how to stay safe during the pandemic.”
| Your wastewater service will not be interrupted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. WCW will continue to operate our treatment plant, provide permit services, conduct emergency inspections, respond to sewage emergencies, review lateral videos and more. Our administrative offices are temporarily closed. Phone calls to WCW will be monitored, but the response may not be immediate except for emergencies. For sewer emergencies, call (510) 222-6700. |
The risk of COVID-19 spreading through sewage is low, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While initial investigations suggest that traces of the virus may be present in untreated wastewater, no COVID-19 cases have been reported so far that involve exposure to contaminated stool. There is no evidence to date on the survival of COVID-19 in water or sewage. Standard treatment is expected to remove COVID-19 from water and wastewater.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is particularly susceptible to disinfection, according to WHO and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Standard treatment and disinfectant processes at wastewater treatment plants are expected to be effective at removing viruses like COVID-19 from wastewater before it is discharged.
| Our collection and treatment process meets all state and federal regulations to ensure viruses, like COVID-19, bacteria and other contaminants do not survive in the sewage. |
| You can help by keeping drains and pipes clear to prevent sewage overflows. Grease, certain food waste and cleaning supplies, such as wipes and paper towels, clog pipes and pumps. Even items that are labeled as flushable can lead to blockages, which can cause overflows into homes and streets. These items should be thrown in the trash. When in doubt, throw it out! Learn more here. |