In September 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the launch of the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) to detect antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19. The NWSS was based upon a CDC funded project with the University of South Carolina in 2018 to measure antimicrobial resistance genes in wastewater and in treatment plant workers at municipal wastewater treatment plants.

As of Jul. 2022, CDC has funded 46 states, five cities, and two territories to support COVID-19 wastewater surveillance.