Description: Flattening the (Diurnal) Curve
Before we talk about the effects of the pandemic, we first have to understand normal. Sewer use often follows a repeatable daily, or diurnal, pattern. This pattern offers a unique perspective on societal routine.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Word count181
Description: Flattening the (Diurnal) Curve
While the timeline of the pandemic has varied by location due to varied responses by national, state, and local governmental leaders and agencies, we have found through sewer use data that the pandemic can be tracked more broadly over the course of 2020 in four distinct phases. The pre-pandemic phase occurred in January and February, and the Lockdown Phase, where stay-at-home orders and...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Word count742
Description: Flattening the (Diurnal) Curve
We often hear people ask, “When will the pandemic end?” As sewer sociologists, we cannot answer that question, but we will continue watching. If we see the sewer use patterns departing more prominently from normal, we will know things are getting worse, and if we see them getting closer to normal, we will know we are headed in the right direction. However, we will not know when the...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Word count143
Flattening the (Diurnal) Curve