‘Disneyland of poop’: How Las Vegas benefits from wastewater testing

LAS VEGAS -- Tucked away on the eastern border of Las Vegas is a dirty secret.

Whenever a toilet is flushed on the Strip or in unincorporated Clark County, the water flows there through a network of 2,200 miles of pipes, where it is treated to a drinkable standard through solid waste removal and biological treatment.

The water recovered — more than 110,000 gallons a day — is sent back to Lake Mead via the Las Vegas Wash, allowing Nevada to use more than its very limited annual share of the Colorado River.

“We’re the Disneyland of poop,” said Bud Cranor, a spokesman for the Clark County Water Reclamation District. “The second happiest place on Earth.”

But the massive quantities of water the facility receives don’t only make for a drought solution. They tell a story about Las Vegas that public health officials are just beginning to discover.

By providing the water to outside labs, scientists can quickly detect spikes in disease pathogens such as COVID-19, mpox or influenza. That information is critical for the Southern Nevada Health District, which can issue public health warnings or direct vaccination efforts.

How and when water is collected

The county’s water reclamation district provides daily samples to Verily, a national health company, as well as less frequent ones to local researchers at UNLV and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

A continuous sample of raw sewage is collected throughout the day. The on-site lab doesn’t currently allow for pathogen testing, though...