Salem committee delays $25,000 appropriation for H5N1 wastewater testing

The City of Salem Administration and Finance Committee on April 24 voted unanimously to leave in committee a request to appropriate $25,000 to fund one year of wastewater surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1). The surveillance would have paid BioBots Analytics to analyze wastewater samples for H5N1 separate from COVID testing covered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The measure matters because wastewater surveillance can detect viral spread before clinical cases rise, but committee members said the costs and timing did not justify immediate city funding. Councilor Watson Felt, who made the motion to leave the request in committee, said, "I personally do not believe that the percentages and the numbers that we're seeing today and the cost of the work for the year is an imperative right now." She added that the committee should retain the ability to resume consideration if local indicators change.

City Health Agent Dave Greenbaum told the committee the request came from his office and that BioBots Analytics currently analyzes Salem wastewater for COVID; the proposed $25,000 would cover only bird-flu testing. Greenbaum and the Board of Health had discussed the item at a Board of Health meeting on April 8; the board reported that, at that time, symptoms in humans were generally mild and public risk was low, and it cited a 1.4 percent mortality rate among reported human cases nationally. Greenbaum answered councilors' questions about other Massachusetts jurisdictions conducting wastewater testing, identifying Lowell (Duck Island), Deer Island (Boston), the Upper Blackstone sewage treatment plant in Millbury, Chicopee, and Springfield as locations doing H5N1 wastewater surveillance.

During public comment, Andy Barela, co-owner of Naitland Mountain Farm, urged the committee to consider poultry registration or a permitting process and offered to work with the health agent on a local policy to monitor livestock. Councilor Musil, speaking during public comment, said scientists are raising alarms and urged caution, adding, "I would hope that you don't send it out of committee and vote it down because then we can't bring it back for a year." Several councilors said that leaving the appropriation request in committee preserves the city's option to fund testing later if surveillance data from the region or the Board of Health indicates an increased risk.

The motion to leave the appropriation in committee was made by Councilor Watson Felt and seconded by Councilor Stott. Chair Merkle recorded five hands in favor (the committee members present) and the motion carried unanimously. The request had been posted to the public agenda on April 22 at 9:34 a.m.

Councilors asked the health agent to continue working with the Board of Health and to notify the committee if local indicators change; no formal appropriation or spending decision was made at the meeting.