Washington, DC, July 3, 2025 - The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of over 3,300 local health departments across the country, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has announced the selection of five local health departments as mentors and eleven local health departments as mentees for the 2025 Wastewater Monitoring Mentorship Program. Now in its fourth year, the program is awarding $356,000 to support local health departments in implementing and expanding wastewater monitoring efforts to track disease trends and emerging health threats in their communities. 

The goal of the mentorship program is to ensure that local health departments have the support necessary to start or expand wastewater monitoring programs that fit the needs of the communities they serve. Mentors are local health departments with demonstrated experience in utilizing wastewater monitoring. They are paired with local health departments in the early stages of developing a wastewater monitoring program that are looking for guidance, tools, and resources to meet their communities’ priorities. This year, an emphasis was placed on the inclusion of rural health departments, recognizing the unique barriers that rural communities may face in implementing wastewater monitoring programs. 

The 2025 cohort of the mentorship program represents 16 health departments across nine states, with twelve of these health departments serving rural jurisdictions. The project is set to conclude on July 31, 2025.

The five mentor awardees are:

• Andrews County Health Department, Andrews, TX ($25,000)
• Boston Public Health Commission, Boston, MA ($25,000)
• Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, Lincoln, NE ($30,500)
• Northeast Texas Public Health District, Tyler, TX ($25,000)
• San Mateo County Health, San Mateo, CA ($30,500)

The 11 mentee awardees are:

• Anchorage Health Department, Anchorage, AK ($20,000)
• Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, Mason City, IA ($20,000)
• City of Laredo Health Public Health, Laredo, TX ($20,000)
• County of San Diego Public Health Laboratory, San Diego, CA ($20,000)
• Dent County Health Center, Salem, MO ($20,000)
• Harris County Public Health, Houston, TX ($20,000)
• Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department, Edinburg, TX ($20,000)
• Lewis County Health Department, Weston, WV ($20,000)
• Nevada County Public Health Department, Grass Valley, CA ($20,000)
• Riverside County Public Health Laboratory, Riverside, CA ($20,000)
• Union County Health Department, Marysville, OH ($20,000)

Since 2022, NACCHO has granted more than $500,000 in funding to local health departments to implement and expand localized wastewater monitoring infrastructure. NACCHO’s 2024 mentorship program report, featuring best practices from past cohorts, can be found here. To learn more about NACCHO’s work in wastewater monitoring, visit www.naccho.org/wash. 

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About NACCHO  
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the over 3,300 local governmental health departments across the country. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information, visit www.naccho.org.