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Evaluating the hydrological processes governing microplastic contamination in stormwater runoff from an industrial catchment discharging into a detention basin in Lyon (France)
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Researchers tracked microplastics washed off an industrial site in Lyon, France, into stormwater during rainstorms, finding that heavier rain and murkier water brought more plastic particles along with it—but contrary to popular belief, the first rush of rain wasn't always the dirtiest. This matters because stormwater runoff is a major pathway for microplastics to reach rivers and eventually our water supply and food chain, and understanding when contamination peaks can help engineers design smarter filtration systems to catch these particles before they spread into the environment.
Study region An industrial and commercial catchment discharging into a detention basin located in Lyon, France, representing the outlet point of the catchment. Study focus This study investigates the hydrological processes controlling both inter- and intra-event variability in microplastic (MP) concentrations at the inlet of the detention basin. Five rainfall events were monitored over a one-year period using flow-proportional sampling to quantify the hydrological drivers influencing MP concentrations and fluxes. New Hydrological Insights for the Region The results indicate that the annual MP flux per unit active surface area entering in the detention basin through stormwater runoff was estimated to be 0.86 kg/year/ha, representing approximately 0.2% of the total suspended solids (TSS) load. The first-flush phenomenon was evaluated using the conventional mass–volume approach and was not consistently observed across rainfall events. MP concentrations were not consistently elevated during the initial stages of rainfall events. Panel regression analyses revealed that flow rate and turbidity were positively associated with MP contamination, suggesting shared mobilization mechanisms. In contrast, cumulative volume exhibited a negative association with MP concentration, potentially reflecting dilution effects or progressive source depletion over the course of the events. Overall, this study provides novel insights into MP transport dynamics within industrial urban catchments and highlights the hydrological controls governing both intra- and inter-event variability.
More Papers Like This
Data for : Evaluating the hydrological processes governing microplastic contamination in stormwater runoff from an industrial catchment discharging into a detention basin in Lyon (France)
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Researchers provide the raw datasets and R analysis scripts for a study tracking microplastic concentrations across five rainfall events in an industrial stormwater catchment in Lyon, France, including continuous flow, turbidity, and first-flush calculations used to characterize hydrological controls on MP mobilization.
Data for : Evaluating the hydrological processes governing microplastic contamination in stormwater runoff from an industrial catchment discharging into a detention basin in Lyon (France)
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Researchers compiled raw concentration, flow, turbidity, and polymer-matching datasets from five stormwater rainfall events at an industrial catchment in Lyon, France, alongside R scripts for statistical analysis, to support reproducible study of how hydrological processes govern microplastic export into a detention basin.
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Researchers monitored microplastic dynamics at the outlet of a peri-urban catchment over one year, examining how hydrological conditions including an extreme flood event influenced MP concentrations and fluxes. The study found that hydrological variability, particularly high-flow events, significantly affected microplastic transport patterns from the catchment.
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High-frequency rainwater sampling revealed that the first flush effect significantly influences microplastic concentrations in rainfall, with initial rainfall pulses carrying far higher microplastic loads than later stages. This finding has important implications for how wet deposition studies should be designed and how land-to-ocean microplastic transport is quantified.
Microplastic emission characteristics of stormwater runoff in an urban area: Intra-event variability and influencing factors
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