Educational Resources

The Colorado NWSS CoE is committed to advancing expertise in wastewater surveillance systems. Our mission is to deliver comprehensive training programs that strengthen knowledge and practical skills in this critical field.

Below, you'll find training materials produced by our team as well as select resources from other organizations.

Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know—we’d love to hear from you.

Featured Educational Resource

Right Sizing Your WWS Program

Following the CDC’s June 2024 guidance on “right-sizing” wastewater surveillance programs, the Colorado NWSS CoE developed this training program to help you assess your current WWS system and plan for a right-sized approach.

The training program includes:

Pre-Course Workbook

Before watching the recorded webinar (or taking the on-demand course), gather your WWS team to review and complete the activities in this workbook. We recommend setting aside about two hours to work through the exercises, which are designed to spark discussion and guide your right-sizing planning process. You may complete the full two hours at once or break the activities into smaller segments using the timeline outlined below.

The workbook is available as a fillable PDF that can be completed digitally or printed. Activities 3 and 4 are also offered as a Mural template for a more interactive, team-based experience. Mural is an online visual collaboration platform with a free plan available.

Download the Workbook (.pdf) Access the Mural Interactive Exercises Mural Instructions

Webinar and Course

Webinar: After completing the workbook, watch the recorded webinar to explore Colorado’s Sentinel Model in greater depth and hear additional experiences from other wastewater surveillance colleagues.

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Interactive Course: We’ve created an interactive, on-demand course for learners who prefer to learn by doing rather than watching, or who prefer a self-paced learning experience. It covers the same material as the webinar in a more interactive format.

Watch the Webinar Access the Interactive Course

Post Webinar Resources

Free and Easy-to-Access WWS Data Download Guide and Right-Sizing Workbook: After watching the webinar (or taking the interactive course), you may need additional help with your right-sizing plan. We’ve created two documents to support public health professionals in programs that lack the resources to collect and analyze the data needed to right-size a wastewater surveillance program. The intent is to help you find the data you need without extensive coding or statistical analysis, using only Microsoft Excel. Users will need only internet access and a basic working knowledge of copying, pasting, and sorting data in Excel to complete the workbook. You will not need to write any formulas; they are already written for you.

Start by completing the download guide to gather all the data you need. Once that is complete, you can use that data in the workbook. The workbook will create two detailed reports for you that suggest the best sites for your program based on your priorities across three areas: Population Coverage, Geographic Coverage, and Socially Vulnerable populations.

Download the Free and Easy-to-Access WWS Data Download Guide (.pdf) Download the Right-Sizing Workbook (.xls)

Photo of a woman working on a laptop computer in a classroom

On-Demand Learning

Our team of wastewater surveillance experts has developed a range of training resources available anytime, on demand. These include instructional videos, sample documents, and webinar recordings tailored for the wastewater surveillance community.

Topics include:

Popular – Data Analysis and Dashboard Development webinar series
New – Ethical Considerations for Wastewater Surveillance Systems training course
Content designed for professionals who are new to wastewater surveillance

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Wastewater Surveillance Library

Our Wastewater Surveillance Library is a curated collection of peer-reviewed articles covering key topics in the field—from emerging pathogens and new methods to ethical considerations and program implementation. Whether you're new to the field or looking to expand your knowledge, the library offers valuable insights from experts across the wastewater surveillance community.