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Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Implementation of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance systems in Germany- Pilot study in the federal state of Thuringia(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2026-01-24); ; ; Reichel-Kühl, KatarinaSince the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater monitoring has become an additional tool in the surveillance of infectious diseases. Many EU countries put wastewater surveillance systems (WSS) in place to track SARS-CoV-2 and its variants and other pathogens, such as the influenza virus or Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In Germany, several research and pilot projects funded by the EU, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry of Health, and projects at Federal State level have been launched in the last four years. In Germany, wastewater monitoring was not implemented as a public health tool before the COVID-19 pandemic, but in September 2022, it has been legally determined in the German infection protection act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, IfSG). As Germany is a federal state, competencies in epidemic management partly belong to the 16 federal states (“Länder”). In the federal states, the local health authorities at the county (“Kreise”) level also have specific risk management and communication competencies. Furthermore, WSS has been incorporated into the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (EU) 2024/3019. For this reason, the federal states and local health authorities play a pivotal role in successfully implementing wastewater monitoring as a supplementary component of disease surveillance in Germany. Between November 2021 and August 2022, the federal state of Thuringia, Germany, supported a pilot study to implement a surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2-RNA in wastewater of 23 wastewater treatment plants in 17 counties in Thuringia. Here, we describe the study design and the system behind the logistics and the planning, and we provide an overview of the options for involving the public health service. Furthermore, the possibilities for IT concepts and approaches to innovative AI solutions are shown. We also aim to explore the feasibility and potential barriers to further implementing wastewater surveillance as a supplementary public health tool in Thuringia.Publicationtype: Journal Article19 21 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Framework for advanced integrated assessment of urban water and wastewater systemsThe assessment of novel concepts for water supply and wastewater disposal systems is intended to meet the multifunctional mode of functioning of these systems. It is therefore necessary to use advanced integrated assessment methods, including a comprehensive exchange of experience on methods and procedures, like it was done in the working group "Multicriteria Assessment" in the BMBF funding measure "Smart and multifunctional infrastructural systems for sustainable water supply and, sanitation and stormwater management" (INIS). One result is that the use of an integrated assessment, apart from the conventional methods, is associated with a significant work effort, which appears to be appropriate in terms of the dimensions of water infrastructures. The integrated evaluation was conducted as a transdisciplinary process in which scientists contributed their knowledge about structure, and process, and validity of the results, and practitioners the feasibility, and implementation of the methodology.Publicationtype: Journal Article225