File #: Int 0601-2022    Version: * Name: Conducting continuous wastewater-based epidemiology testing and reporting on infectious diseases found in wastewater, and to repeal section 24-531 of such code, relating to the creation of a pilot program to test sewage for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts
On agenda: 8/11/2022
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to conducting continuous wastewater-based epidemiology testing and reporting on infectious diseases found in wastewater, and to repeal section 24-531 of such code, relating to the creation of a pilot program to test sewage for SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Sponsors: Adrienne E. Adams, Erik D. Bottcher, James F. Gennaro, Gale A. Brewer, Lincoln Restler, Shahana K. Hanif, Sandy Nurse, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Kalman Yeger , Shaun Abreu, Pierina Ana Sanchez
Council Member Sponsors: 11
Summary: This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct continuous wastewater-based epidemiology testing for infectious diseases deemed to be a local, state, national or public health emergency by state or federal authorities. This testing would include testing for the viruses that cause COVID-19 and monkeypox for as long as those diseases are declared to be a imminent threat to public health, a local, state, or national public health emergency, or a global pandemic. This bill would also require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to publish the results of wastewater testing under the program on its website on a weekly basis and issue an annual report.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 601, 2. Int. No. 601, 3. August 11, 2022 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 8-11-22, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - August 11, 2022
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
12/31/2023*Adrienne E. Adams City Council Filed (End of Session)  Action details Meeting details Not available
3/7/2023*Adrienne E. Adams City Council Re-referred to Committee by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/11/2022*Adrienne E. Adams City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/11/2022*Adrienne E. Adams City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Int. No. 601

 

By The Speaker (Council Member Adams) and Council Members Bottcher, Gennaro, Brewer, Restler, Hanif, Nurse, Gutiérrez, Yeger, Abreu and Sanchez

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to conducting continuous wastewater-based epidemiology testing and reporting on infectious diseases found in wastewater, and to repeal section 24-531 of such code, relating to the creation of a pilot program to test sewage for SARS-CoV-2 RNA

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Section 24-531 of the administrative code of the city of New York is REPEALED and a new section 24-531 is added to read as follows:

§ 24-531 Wastewater testing program. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Declared infectious disease. The term “declared infectious disease” means an infectious disease that a city or state agency, the United States centers for disease control and prevention, or the world health organization has declared to be an imminent threat to public health, a local, state, or national public health emergency, or a global pandemic. Such term includes COVID-19 and monkeypox if such disease is declared to be an imminent threat to public health, a local, state, or national public health emergency, or a global pandemic.

Wastewater-based epidemiology. The term “wastewater-based epidemiology” means the chemical analysis of pollutants, viruses, and biomarkers in raw wastewater to obtain qualitative and quantitative data on disease activity among inhabitants within a given wastewater catchment.

b. Wastewater sampling and testing. 1. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of health and mental hygiene, shall conduct wastewater-based epidemiology sampling and testing to quantify the levels of viruses and other agents that cause declared infectious diseases in wastewater at each city wastewater treatment plant in accordance with this subdivision.

2. No less than twice per week, the commissioner shall collect raw wastewater samples in amounts necessary to measure the presence of viruses and other agents that cause declared infectious diseases. The commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of health and mental hygiene, shall arrange for the testing of such samples for such viruses and agents, and may provide such samples to other relevant local, state, or federal agencies for related testing. Such testing shall, at minimum, measure the number of copies of viruses or other agents that cause declared infectious diseases through a testing method that reflects industry best practices for the virus or agent to be tested.

3. In addition to the sampling and testing required by this subdivision, the commissioner and the commissioner of health and mental hygiene may also conduct wastewater-based epidemiology sampling and testing to measure the levels of infectious diseases other than declared infectious diseases in furtherance of the detection, prevention, and control of such diseases.

4. The commissioner of health and mental hygiene shall publish the results of the testing provided for in this subdivision no less than weekly on the department of health and mental hygiene’s website.

c. Annual report. No later than August 31, 2023, and every year thereafter, the commissioner of health and mental hygiene, in consultation with the commissioner of environmental protection, shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report which shall include but not be limited to the following:

1. Results of all sampling of viruses and other agents that cause declared infectious diseases conducted pursuant to this section, disaggregated by the type of virus or other agent sampled, the site where the sample was collected, the date the sample was collected, and the date the sample was tested, in order to monitor the leading indicators of increases or decreases in declared infectious diseases present in each drainage area;

2. The various testing methods used to test samples for viruses and other agents as part of the wastewater-based epidemiology testing program;

3. The total cost of the wastewater-based epidemiology testing program for the previous fiscal year; and

4. Analysis of the effectiveness of the wastewater-based epidemiology testing program in testing for viruses and other agents that cause declared infectious diseases.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DPM

LS #10244/10232

8/4/2022 3:28 PM