Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District Executive Director Mike Luers said the September flush index shows a declining prevalence of COVID-19.
“The most recent results that we have show that the virus is at a pretty low level in Summit County and in Wasatch County as well,” Luers said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 15. “There’s one treatment plant that’s elevated, and that’s the Coalville area. But this is much better than what we were seeing a couple of weeks ago, when we had very high levels of the SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in the wastewater. So things are looking up.”
The district is now also monitoring wastewater to detect measles. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 56 cases of the highly contagious respiratory disease, primarily in the southwestern portion of the state.
Luers said measles were not detected in their most recent water sample. A positive reading did come back in early September, but Summit County does not have any confirmed cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded over 1,500 cases in the U.S. this year — the highest annual number in more than three decades.
Separately, the flush index shows a 9% increase in Summit County visitors in September compared to 2024. Year-to-date, Luers said visitor traffic is up 3%.
