South Australian wastewater reporting

The South Australian Wastewater Monitoring Project is a collaborative project between Preventive Health SA and Adelaide University to provide the community with timely information on current population-level trends in drug consumption.

The South Australian Wastewater Monitoring data captures alcohol and other drug consumption levels in metropolitan Adelaide wastewater.

Drug consumption levels have been collected in South Australia since 2012. As well as population level consumption, the data shows the pattern of drug use over the week. It does not however provide information on the characteristics of people who use drugs, the form and way the drugs were taken, or the regions of metropolitan Adelaide that the drug consumption occurred.

Samples are analysed for levels of stimulants (MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine), opioids (morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl and heroin), ketamine, cannabis, nicotine, anabasine and alcohol that have been consumed by the population.

A report summarising the prevalence of drug use in South Australia through wastewater analysis is published bimonthly.