In this unpredictable world of surprise health crises – from sneaky emerging diseases to the chilling possibility of sophisticated bioterrorism – federal lawmakers are turning to one of the most unlikely heroes out there: wastewater monitoring.
The bipartisan Public Health Response and Emergency Detection through Integrated Wastewater Community Testing Act – better known as the PREDICT Act — is stepping up to make this smart surveillance tool a permanent powerhouse across the country. Introduced just last week by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Angus King (I-ME), the PREDICT Act wants to turn wastewater monitoring into a reliable early-warning system that can protect communities from both natural outbreaks and man-made biological threats. It’s a bipartisan effort that actually makes sense.
Here’s how it works in plain English: wastewater monitoring analyzes sewage samples from treatment plants all over the nation. As people go about their daily lives, anyone infected with a virus or bacteria sheds traces of it… even before they feel sick or if they never show symptoms at all. These anonymous signals flow straight into the sewer system, giving public health officials a real-time heads-up on what’s circulating in a community way ahead of traditional testing. This clever method has already nailed outbreaks of measles, RSV, influenza A, and of course COVID-19. Supporters point out that rolling out wastewater monitoring widely during the next pandemic could deliver huge economic wins, with an average net benefit of nearly $1,500 per person, according to a RAND study.
The need for the PREDICT Act feels especially real right now. South Carolina is currently wrestling with a serious measles outbreak in the Upstate region. Senator Scott put it perfectly when he said wastewater monitoring “provides communities with an early warning when infectious diseases are spreading.” Local researchers at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, teaming up with Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Claflin University, are already putting wastewater monitoring to work to build quick-response plans.
But here’s the catch: the nation’s wastewater monitoring program… launched back in 2021 with a $125 million annual budget that covers all 50 states plus local areas, territories, and tribal communities… saw its funding expire at the end of September. Without quick action from Congress, we could lose these valuable early alerts just when biosecurity risks are heating up.
And those risks go way beyond regular outbreaks. Former FDA commissioners Dr. Scott Gottlieb and Dr. Mark McClellan have sounded the alarm about cheap bioweapons labs that could cook up nasty new pathogens. A 2024 article in the journal Science by 38 scientists laid out the scary idea of “mirror bacteria”… synthetic bugs designed to dodge every drug we have. It’s the kind of nightmare that feels ripped from movies like Mission: Impossible… Rogue Nation, where a single clever attack on water systems could devastate cities. Wastewater monitoring offers a smart, low-cost shield against both foreign bad actors and homegrown threats. Best part? It’s completely anonymous, respects privacy, needs no new fancy buildings… just steady funding for a system that’s already proven itself over four solid years.
The PREDICT Act fixes these holes by letting the CDC hand out competitive grants to states, tribes, local health departments, universities, nonprofits, and smart public-private teams. The money would build, maintain, and grow wastewater monitoring programs everywhere. It also boosts lab power to spot brand-new or unknown pathogens and track several diseases at once. For better coordination, it calls for a national dashboard that public health folks can actually use. And it requires the CDC to create a clear long-term strategic plan so this wastewater monitoring early-warning network becomes a lasting part of America’s defense.
Experts are genuinely excited about it. Tara Sabo-Attwood, dean of the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, says wastewater-based epidemiology is “a powerful tool that allows us to detect public health threats in real time… often before clinical cases or other health outcomes emerge.” By making wastewater monitoring a routine part of public health, the PREDICT Act could help communities move fast, keep the economy from tanking, and look out for the most vulnerable among us.
Even if you’re wary of government surveillance after the COVID years, the PREDICT Act feels like a sensible, no-nonsense move. It builds on what already works instead of inventing some bloated new bureaucracy. Letting the funding lapse or failing to pass this bill would be a real missed opportunity… and it might quietly tell potential enemies that America’s guard is slipping.
Congress has a chance to get this right. Passing the PREDICT Act would keep wastewater monitoring as our quiet, always-on sentinel… delivering early detection, privacy-friendly insights, and the speed we need when trouble hits. It’s a chance to protect families, boost biosecurity, and show that smart, forward-thinking policy can still bring people together across the aisle.
The time to lock in strong wastewater monitoring is right now… before the next outbreak or engineered threat sneaks up and catches us flat-footed.
Tim Young is a commentator and content creator. Follow him on X at @TimRunsHisMouth.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Dallas Express.
