Once enrolled, when will my first kits arrive?
We will be shipping sampling kits as communities are onboarded. If accepted into the program, your kits should be on their way within 48 hours. Your first order will contain 8 kits, and then recurring shipments of 8 kits will be sent to you each month until the program ends.
How often do I need to sample?
Participating in the NWSS program requires submitting two kits, collected on separate days, to Biobot each week. Samples consist of three, 50mL conical tubes filled with influent wastewater. Your assigned sampling schedule (i.e. Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays) is indicated on the kit order receipt sent to your organization’s primary contact. Please let us know if we must change your sampling schedule by sending an email to support@biobot.io.
What kind of samples are accepted?
24-hour composite samples are preferred, however, we are able to accept grab samples on a case-by-case basis in extenuating circumstances. If you have any questions about sampling methods, please contact our team by emailing support@biobot.io.
Please note, we can only accept influent wastewater at this time.
If your location does not have a composite autosampler, you may complete an online application through the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to determine if you are eligible to receive a free autosampler. The application can be found here.
How do I collect samples and ship them back to you?
To learn more about the process of collecting and shipping samples, please reference the digital version of our kit instructions here. There is also a video walkthrough of how to package our kits here.
What happens to residual samples remaining after testing? Will they be used for research or future testing?
Any residual wastewater and RNA remaining after testing are sent to the CDC Biorepository for archiving. If the CDC selects archived samples for further testing, they will notify the health department and utility from which the samples originated.