Sonoma County health officials are looking to the sewer to get ahead of the local drug crisis.
The Press Democrat reports the county has launched a new online dashboard that tracks high-risk drugs detected in local wastewater. Health officials say the tool acts as an “early warning system,” identifying spikes in drug use before they lead to hospital visits or overdose deaths.
The surveillance currently monitors five substances: cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, nicotine, and xylazine—a dangerous veterinary tranquilizer known as “tranq.”
Data from the Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant, which serves about 240,000 residents in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, and Cotati, shows a sobering trend. Sonoma County’s concentrations of fentanyl and meth are currently tracking higher than the national average.
Kate Pack, the county’s health data manager, says this real-time info allows first responders and outreach teams to issue timely health alerts and better target their life-saving resources.
Overdose is currently responsible for more than half of all premature deaths in the county. Residents can view the weekly data themselves on the county’s “Real Time Trends” webpage.
