Wastewater Surveillance at the Guelph Campus

The University of Guelph monitors the wastewater from residence buildings for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Monitoring wastewater for the virus is proving an important surveillance tool.

The virus may be shed in the feces of those infected with SARS-CoV-2 days before they begin to feel ill which allows for the early detection of COVID-19 infection on campus. This wastewater surveillance scans samples in a non-invasive way by collecting sanitary sewage wastewater and analyzing evidence of the virus using PCR. Samples are an aggregate of all wastewater coming from a particular residence building and cannot identify any particular person.

The wastewater dashboard below captures information from Guelph and Ridgetown campus residence buildings.

Green – low to no signal

Yellow – low to moderate signal

Red – moderate to high signal

For an accessible version of this table, please contact datarequest@uoguelph.ca.

Notes:

  • This dashboard is updated when samples are tested (three times per week for Guelph campus residences and two times per week for the Ridgetown campus residence). Testing takes place on business days, excluding holidays. However, there are some days data cannot be collected for various reasons, for example inclement weather.
  • The line graph is based on a rolling seven-day average. Only days where data has been collected are included in this calculation.

Current Actions

For the most up-to-date policies and practices in place for U of G residences, please visit the Student Housing Services COVID-19 webpage.

Ongoing Protective Measures