NMED Fighting Pandemic From Sewers: COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Program Shows Early Success NMED News: Program prevents outbreak at Las Cruces juvenile justice facility In early December, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) launched an innovative wastewater monitoring program to protect New Mexicans from COVID-19 at congregate settings in southern New Mexico. Just a few weeks later, the program prevented a COVID-19 outbreak at a southern New Mexico juvenile justice facility. NMED is applying cutting-edge science to protect public health in southern New Mexico. Here’s how it works: COVID-positive individuals – whether they are symptomatic or not – shed COVID-19 in their feces;