TBI proposes testing high school and dormitory wastewater for drugs • Tennessee Lookout

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is proposing a $3 million pilot project to test wastewater from Knoxville-area high schools, college dorms and other locations for illegal drugs, Director David Rausch said Tuesday.

If the project's budget is approved, testing will begin first with wastewater from 12 public high schools and 16 student residences. An additional 120 sites in Knoxville could be selected for wastewater testing at the TBI's discretion, Rausch said. The pilot would run for 30 weeks.

The aim of the tests is to identify specific illegal drugs and the concentration of drug use in a specific location. This leverages an important surveillance tool that has been used to monitor disease prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results of wastewater testing in schools and residence halls can help keep parents and school administrators informed about student drug use, according to Rausch.

“This is a great opportunity for school administrators to educate parents and make them aware that this is a problem,” Rausch said as he presented the proposal to Gov. Bill Lee as part of his agency's overall request for $21 million Budget increase next year.

“It then also becomes an educational tool for us to educate the community about the medications used there.”

The tests would also be useful for law enforcement, Rausch said, noting that the monitoring – which would be conducted by an outside contractor – would find the source of illegal drugs “as close as a block to where the problem exists.” , could localize.

“If we have an area with a lot of drug complaints, we can get the water tested in that area,” Rausch said. “They couldn't tell me the exact house, but they could tell me a selection of four houses. And then through our reconnaissance and observation work we could determine where the house is.”

A program funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is testing wastewater for illegal drug use in 70 U.S. cities. The goal is to help cities direct resources toward preventing overdose deaths.

Unlike the TBI proposal, the institute-funded tests will be conducted in collaboration with local health departments, not law enforcement.