Assessment of Public Health Agency and Utility Training Needs for CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System Jurisdictions in the United States.

This article focuses on assessing the training needs of public health agencies (PHAs) and public utilities departments involved in the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), a CDC-led initiative launched in 2020 to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens through wastewater surveillance. The Colorado and Houston NWSS Centers of Excellence conducted surveys revealing that training needs vary by agency size, workforce experience, and program development stage, with smaller or less experienced entities prioritizing foundational skills like dashboard development and sample collection, while larger or more experienced agencies emphasize data analysis and public health response. Both PHAs and utilities identified partnerships and communication as key training areas, suggesting that modular, tailored training programs could effectively support the expanding wastewater surveillance infrastructure. The study underscores wastewater surveillance as an emerging public health tool requiring ongoing workforce education to enhance disease monitoring and response capabilities.