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County committee introduces ordinance to accept up to $150,000 for wastewater substance monitoring
Summary
The Administrative Finance Committee heard an ordinance to appropriate up to $150,000 from federal and state sources for a wastewater testing program to track substance-use risk markers similar to COVID-era wastewater surveillance. Committee discussion said testing would proceed only if the grant funds are awarded.
The New Castle County Administrative Finance Committee on July 8 introduced Ordinance 25-092 to appropriate up to $150,000 expected from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services for a wastewater testing grant to the Department of Public Works.
Councilman John Cartier, chairing the meeting, said the ordinance would authorize the county to accept funds “anticipated to be received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration” through the State of Delaware. Councilwoman Kilpatrick described the proposed program as a collection of wastewater samples “that they use to track risk substances similar to what we did during COVID.” She emphasized that “if the grant money comes through, the testing will take place. If it does not, there will not be a testing program.”
Committee members asked no substantive follow-up questions at the meeting and no public comments were received. The ordinance was introduced for committee consideration; the transcript did not record a final committee vote or a formal adoption on July 8.
Why it matters: wastewater surveillance can provide population-level data on emerging substance-use trends without relying on clinical reporting; the county’s effort would depend on obtaining federal and state grant dollars and on public-health and privacy safeguards that would be set out in any implementation plan.
Next steps: the ordinance remains at committee; funding and a testing schedule would depend on a future confirmation of the grant award.
