I kinda thought this was a thing of the past...as usual, I'm wrong once again.

There's actually pretty robust wastewater testing that's been going on for some time.  The story pooped up back in September of 2020 when a colleague of mine reported on an e-mail that had been sent out to NDSU students alerting them of the testing of the dorms' wastewater for traces of COVID-19.  The motive being, if they found some trace of the virus, residents of the dorm would be tested.  Sounded kinda twisted, but COVID was back on the rise, so every clue we could use to contain it was probably fine.

Oddly enough in January 2021, a bill was introduced to the North Dakota Legislature by Republican Representative Claire Cory, of Grand Forks that intended to make such testing practices illegal.  Oddly enough, the bill failed. Usually one thing North Dakotan's can agree on is keep your nose out of our...well, you know.  So the state has continued to test...a lot!

Say cheese everybody!

Art-Of-Photo
Art-Of-Photo
loading...

There are twenty-one North Dakota communities currently participating in the testing.  AP News is reporting that wastewater testing actually began in July of 2020 and was set to expire in June 2021.

Now that the nearly $2 trillion dollar relief bill has passed, the folks in charge of patrolling your poo are asking for a chunk of that stimulus cash. David explains...

David Bruschwein is the director of the Division of Municipal Facilities for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Bruschwein says the wastewater analysis is helpful in pinpointing communities that might need more regular virus testing, given that far fewer people are opting for tests now than at the height of the pandemic, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

You'd think we would have heard if some "community" had been pinpointed for increased testing because of their COVID friendly feces.  I know I'm not that good at keeping a secret.

So should we keep shoveling cash into these sewer sleuths?  I might need to hear a little more what sort of results they're received.


MORE: Some of the Memes & Tweets That Have Made Us Laugh (and Maybe Think)

More From 96.5 The Walleye