Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

DHS/NIST Virtual Workshop: 

Standards to Support an Enduring Capability in 

Wastewater Surveillance for Public Health

Overview and Goals for the 2021 SWWS Workshop

Nancy J. Lin

June 14, 2021
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Topics

• Background

• Goal and Expected Outcome

• Agenda Overview

• Introduction to Standards and Measurement Assurance Concepts

• Guiding Questions
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Wastewater Surveillance and COVID-19
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

a

NIST MISSION: To promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by 

advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways 

that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life

The National Institute of Standards and Technology

Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Developing standards to support international trade and commerce

The U.S. National Metrology Institute (NMI)
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

2 CAMPUSES

GAITHERSBURG, MD [HQ] 

BOULDER, CO

3,500+ 

ASSOCIATES

10 

COLLABORATIVE 

INSTITUTES

5 

NOBEL PRIZES

400+ 

BUSINESSES USING 

NIST FACILITIES

3,400+ 

FEDERAL

EMPLOYEES

Industry’s National Laboratory

14 

NATL OFFICE FOR

MANUFACTURING 

INSTITUTES 

51 

MANUFACTURING 

EXTENSION 

PARTNERSHIP CENTERS

U.S. BALDRIGE 

PERFORMANCE 

EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

NIST AT A GLANCE
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Unique NIST Products and Services

Every year: 

32,000 SRM units sold 

13,000 calibrations and tests

800 accreditations of testing and 

calibrations laboratories 

1,200 Standard Reference 

Material (SRM) products

100 Standard Reference Data 

(SRD) products

600 measurement services 

Million-Pound Deadweight Machine Credit: NIST
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

NIST Laboratory Programs

NIST Center for 

Neutron 

Research

Center for 

Nanoscale 

Science and 

Technology

Communication

Technology

Laboratory

Information

Technology

Laboratory

Engineering 

Laboratory

Physical 

Measurement 

Laboratory

Material 

Measurement 

Laboratory
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

June 2020 Webinar

• Explored challenges associated with 

measurement of SARS-CoV-2 in human 

stool and wastewater

• Launched exchange of knowledge 

between NIST and stakeholders on 

standards needs to support detection 

and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in fecal 

microbiome and wastewater matrices

• Highlighted the need for tools/approaches including:

• Protocol harmonization to improve data comparability

• Guidelines for establishing sampling plans to decrease technical variability

• Reference materials that account for the heterogeneity of the wastewater matrix

• Data sharing and use of metadata to improve robustness of statistical data

• Proposed that NIST could develop RMs and/or guidance documents on the use of control 

materials to support confidence in test results
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

DHS-NIST Collaboration

• Develop standards that support development of an enduring capability in 

wastewater surveillance

• Stakeholder input is critical

Standards 

Development

DHS

Stakeholders

NIST

SWWS Workshop!!
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Workshop Goal

To identify and prioritize standards needs and technology/measurement gaps

and propose a path forward to develop standards 

that enable an enduring capability in wastewater surveillance (beyond COVID-19)

that provides high confidence, representative, comparable results 

to inform public health and safety decisions across the nation.
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Workshop Expected Outcome

Stakeholder input from the workshop will 

• inform standards development activities, potentially including consensus-based 

documentary standards and reference materials

• ensure that efforts are fit for purpose and aligned with the needs of the community

Workshop output will include a publication describing the workshop findings (workshop 

report and/or peer-reviewed article)
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

SAMPLING TEST METHODS DATA REPORTING 

AND ANALYTICS USE OF DATA

Wastewater Surveillance (WWS)
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Technical 

Program

Days 1 & 2

Day 1: Monday, June 14, 10 AM to 3 PM (EDT)

Day 2: Tuesday, June 15, 10 AM to 3 PM (EDT)

Wastewater Surveillance - Lessons Learned, Challenges 

Remaining, Potential Roles for Standards

Learning Objectives: 

At the conclusion of Days 1 and 2, participants will be 

able to:

• Give examples of the benefits of wastewater 

surveillance based on experiences from the current 

pandemic

• Recall critical challenges that hinder comparable, 

high quality data for the various steps in wastewater 

surveillance

• Summarize potential roles for standards in 

wastewater surveillance
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Technical 

Program

Day 3

Day 3: Friday, June 18, 10 AM to 3 PM (EDT)

Next Steps Toward Standards to Help Build and Sustain 

an Enduring Wastewater Surveillance Capability

Learning Objectives: 

At the conclusion of Day 3, participants will be able to:

• Describe key characteristics of an enduring capability 

from various perspectives

• List potential next steps toward standards to support 

this capability

• Determine where they would like to participate in 

future standards development activities
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

DAY 1: Mon, June 14

SWWS 101: Introduction to WWS

SWWS 201: Sampling

Agenda Overview

DAY 2: Tues, June 15

SWWS 202: Testing Methods

SWWS 203: Data Reporting and 

Analytics

SWWS 204: Role of Standards in 

Supporting the Use of WWS Data

3-4 PM: Virtual 

Poster Session

DAY 3: Fri, June 18

SWWS 301: Building an Enduring 

Capability

Concurrent Breakout Sessions:

SWWS 302: Methods and Data 

Comparability

SWWS 303: Reference Materials

SWWS 304: Documentary 

Standards

SWWS 401: Breakout Summaries, 

Closing Remarks
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

The Many Forms of Standards

Reference 

Materials

Reference 

Data

Reference 

Instrumen

ts

Reference 

Methods

Calibrations

and Services

Quality 

Assurance 

Programs

Documentary 

Standards

New 

Measurements

Documentary 

Standards

New 

Measurements

Quality 

Assurance 

Programs

Reference 

Instruments

Calibrations 

and 

Services

There is no pre-conceived notion of what 

is the “right standard” to address the 

needs of the WWS community

Reference Materials (RMs) are

homogeneous, stable materials

well-characterized for one or more

chemical and/or physical properties

Documentary Standards routinely

specify definitions, classifications,

delineation of procedures and

processes, material and product

specifications, test methods and

sampling procedures

Standard 

guidance 

documents?

Wastewater 

RMs?

Target RMs?
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Measurement Assurance

Metrology Toolkit

Documentary 

Standards Guides/Methods 

Design of 

Experiments

Validated 

protocols

Interlab

comparisons

Reference 

Materials

Measurements/ 

Data R&D Methods, protocols, technologies, data

Industry 

needs

• Provides a known level of confidence to inform decision making

• Is based on supporting data and metadata to provide credibility

• Leads to accelerated technology development and translation
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

The Trade-Off

18

Measurement assurance

Trade

Tolerance for uncertainty

-off

Low stakes decisions High stakes decisions

Incorporating measurement assurance strategies into 

each step will increase confidence in results

General Workflow for Wastewater Surveillance

Sampling Test 

Methods

Data 

Analytics & 

Reporting

Use of Data
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Workshop Registrants

Nearly 500 registrants 

from 28 countries

Data Reporting and 

Analytics

Interpretation 

and Use of 

Data

More Than 

One of the 

Above

Other

Sample 

Processing and 

Testing ...

Sampling

Focus Areas

Beyond 

Expert 

3%

Expert

9%

Advanced

16%

Intermediate

30%

Beginner

28%

None

14%

LEVEL OF EXPERTISE IN WWS

Academia

Contract 

Laboratories

Federal 

Government Industry 

Non-Profit

Other

Public Health

Government 

(non-federal)

Utilities Wastewater Treatment Plant

Organizations
Department of 

Homeland Security

2021 SWWS Workshop

Guiding Questions

• What methods/techniques/measurement technologies are currently being 

used in your area of WWS? 

• How do they successfully contribute toward comparable, high quality data, results, 

and/or decisions?

• How do they compromise efficiency and reduce confidence in data, results, and/or 

decisions?

• What is needed to improve comparability and confidence in data and results?

• What are the barriers to filling these needs?

• How could standards help address the needs and overcome the barriers? 

What standards would you recommend?