Wastewater facilities are almost always run by local government. I expect it takes time to get buy in for a project like this. I didn't see if there was a grant to cover the testing, but you at very least need a worker to package up samples and mail them to a lab.
Still, this is tremendously useful where there is coverage, and looks like enough data to make sampling type of conclusions. Hopefully we'll eventually see some kind of network effect.
For example, I'm in the NYC area - and Newark NJ has coverage. There is enough overlap that I expect flu and covid curves (including strains) to be close enough to be interesting.
With fewer people commuting to work there's less overlap, but enough new yorkers have family in NJ and vice versa that I suspect suspect Newark should be pretty accurate for NYC +/- 5-15% with a lag time of a week max.
Still, this is tremendously useful where there is coverage, and looks like enough data to make sampling type of conclusions. Hopefully we'll eventually see some kind of network effect.
For example, I'm in the NYC area - and Newark NJ has coverage. There is enough overlap that I expect flu and covid curves (including strains) to be close enough to be interesting.