News Flash

New Castle – Journalists from Washington, D.C.’s ABC affiliate WUSA 9 traveled to New Castle County on June 30^th to learn more about New Castle County’s wastewater testing program for a story on how Virginia plans to follow New Castle County’s lead in testing wastewater for opioids.

New Castle County’s wastewater testing program gained national attention during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as officials used wastewater to gain an unbiased picture of where COVID-19 infections were spreading through a testing partnership with Biobot, an MIT-incubated company that pioneered technology to test wastewater for opioids before shifting their focus during the pandemic.

New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer announced the new opioid testing initiative on April 20, 2023 during a joint press conference with Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services. 

Journalists Nathan Baca and Tom Kopania toured the New Castle County pump station off Airport Road in New Castle and the New Castle County Wastewater Treatment Plant in Delaware City as they gathered information. The story ran last week on WUSA9.

For other media clips on New Castle County’s wastewater testing program, visit:

• Wastewater tracking system first used to find COVID clusters in Delaware now aims to combat illegal drug use
• Officials analyze wastewater to detect negative health trends
• A COVID-era wastewater monitoring system will now be used to track drug use
• New Castle County hopes sewage will offer clues to help address substance abuse