From: Dylan Chase

Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2020 11:21 AM

To: 'governor@governor.ri.gov' <governor@governor.ri.gov>
Subject: The potential value of wastewater epidemiology to our communities.

Dear Governor,

My name is Dylan Chase and I am the Superintendent of the New Shoreham Water Pollution
Control Facility, colloquially known as the “Sewer Plant of Block Island.” As you may know, I
am engaged in collecting wastewater samples for testing of Sars-Cov-2. I would like to
recommend to you of the real potential value of wastewater epidemiology as a metric to help
protect our community and hopefully save lives.

If the peer-reviewed analysis is correct, accordingly, He, X., Lau, E.H.Y., Wu, P. et al. (15Apr,
2020). Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19. Nat
Med 26, 672–675 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0869-5, viral shedding occurs 5-6
days before symptom onset. If waste or fecal analysis shows a predictive result, wastewater
epidemiology may be the source to better protect against community spreading; specifically, the
use of RT-qPCR to analyze the wastewater from schools.

As you and your administration continue to try and aim for opening and reintegration to some
sense of normalcy, testing wastewater from schools may be one of the best courses of action to
protect, not only from community spread but also provide a distinct sense of awareness and calm
to the public, which may also assure uneasy parents that they may allow their children to go back
to school and the parents themselves, to go back to work. The subsequent economic benefits of
this, I do not believe I need to state.

Notwithstanding, this would require a peer-reviewed confirmation that fecal shedding can
provide a predictive result, that is, before symptom onset. It would also require the collaboration
of all local wastewater treatment facilities and laboratories to collect and analyze the wastewater
to obtain the efficient turnaround time for test results that will provide a successful prediction.

Governor, I am sure the Rhode Island DEM, wastewater workers and laboratory technicians are
up for the task.

I have attached a protocol for wastewater testing that may provide the returns we are looking for.

All the best,

Dylan Chase
Superintendent
New Shoreham Water Pollution Control Facility
P.O. Box 774
Block Island, Rhode Island 02807-0774
Phone: (401) 466-3231
Cell Phone: (401) 408-6997
Fax: (401) 466-3237