Changes to reporting locations and sampling frequency
The BC Centre for Disease Control’s monitoring program has changed. As of September 7, 2025:
- Results will only be available for the Annacis Island, Iona Island, and Lulu Island wastewater treatment plants
- There will now be one sample collected per wastewater treatment plant per week, instead of three samples per treatment plant per week
- Samples will no longer be collected at the Lions Gate and Northwest Langley wastewater treatment plants, but historic data will remain available
Please see the
BC Centre for Disease Control for more information on these changes.
Metro Vancouver is working with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the University of British Columbia to track the presence of respiratory viruses in the region’s wastewater. Respiratory virus particles are shed in the feces of people who have the virus and can be detected in wastewater.
Data is available for three respiratory viruses:
- SARS-CoV-2, commonly known as COVID-19
- Influenza A and Influenza B, commonly known as the flu
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) – a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms
Untreated wastewater is sampled and tested for respiratory viruses weekly. More comprehensive data, including trends analysis, is available through the
BC Centre for Disease Control.
What wastewater testing can (and can’t) tell us
Testing wastewater can tell us which respiratory viruses are present and how viral levels might be changing over time. This information may help health authorities evaluate the effectiveness of measures to control the virus in the community. Wastewater testing cannot tell us the number of people that are infected or contagious. More information is available through the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Results posting schedule
Metro Vancouver collects wastewater samples and sends them to the BC Centre for Disease Control for testing. Results are posted to our website as soon as we receive them from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Last update: (includes results up to )
Next update: (includes results up to )
As of September 7, 2025, results will only be available for the Annacis Island, Iona Island, and Lulu Island wastewater treatment plants, due to changes in the BC Centre for Disease Control’s monitoring program. One sample will be collected per wastewater treatment plant per week. Historic results for the Lions Gate and Northwest Langley wastewater treatment plants will remain available.
On February 28, 2023 the BC Centre for Disease Control began using a new test to determine the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. This new test is more sensitive and able to detect more viral particles in a wastewater sample. The BC Centre for Disease Control has used this new test to retest archived wastewater samples dating back to the fall of 2021. This provides consistent results and charts have been updated using the results of the new test – from fall of 2021 onwards.
To provide consistent results, the BC Centre for Disease Control has used this new test to retest archived wastewater samples dating back to the fall of 2021. Charts have been updated to reflect these results.
Graphs showing the results of the old SARS-CoV-2 method from September 28, 2020 – September 22, 2021