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From Source to Tap: Microplastics in a Sub-watershed of the Hudson River Estuary
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Researchers traced microplastic contamination from source water through to treated tap water in a Hudson River sub-watershed, finding plastic particles present throughout the system. The findings suggest that even treated drinking water may carry microplastics, raising questions about human ingestion through everyday tap water use.
Oceans are a major sink for microplastics, with plastic accounting for the majo...
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A Reconnaissance of Microplastic Distribution in a Small Michigan Watershed
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A reconnaissance survey of microplastics in the Lake Macatawa watershed in Michigan found that storm sewer outfalls and wastewater treatment plant discharges were the primary local sources, with microplastics detected in beach sediments and downstream sites but at relatively low counts in upstream rural streams. This suggests that urban infrastructure—stormwater systems and wastewater effluent—is the dominant pathway delivering microplastics to freshwater systems in non-coastal US communities.
Microplastics Concentrations in the Upper Blackstone River Watershed, Massachusetts, Usa
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Researchers sampled five sites across the Blackstone River watershed in Massachusetts and found microplastics — over 90% fibers — in every sample, with concentrations significantly higher downstream of a wastewater treatment plant and in more urbanized sub-watersheds, confirming treated effluent as a major pollution source.
Sources and Fate of Microplastics in Urban Systems
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Researchers examined how microplastics enter and move through urban environments, tracing sources from personal care products, synthetic clothing, and infrastructure degradation to eventual fate in waterways — as global plastic production exceeds 380 million metric tons annually, cities are both major generators and transport corridors for microplastic pollution.
Sources and Fate of Microplastics in Urban Systems
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Urban environments generate microplastics through road runoff, stormwater drainage, and inadequate waste management, releasing particles directly into local waterways at high concentrations. Cities are both major sources and exposure zones for microplastics, making urban infrastructure improvements a priority for reducing human contact with contaminated water and air.
Elevated Microplastic Concentration in a Small Tributary Stream Under High-flow Conditions: Implications for the Mohawk River, New York
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Microplastic concentrations in a small New York tributary stream surged to 125 particles per cubic meter during high-flow conditions—roughly ten times the low-flow baseline—correlating with storm drain inflow and sewage leakage. This demonstrates that rainfall events dramatically amplify microplastic transport from urban infrastructure into waterways, with implications for downstream river and drinking water contamination.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.