""You get something that's less than 5 millimeters - it looks like a plankton, and it's going to be eaten by something... and then they're able to bio-accumulate moving up the food web... This is just another one of those checkboxes of the Anthropocene Epoch,""
""You can see in these dense areas just how much of our roadways is ending up in our reservoirs,""
Higher concentrations of microplastics occur at the mouths of Austin urban tributaries such as Shoal and Waller creeks. Most particles identified have tire and road origins rather than textile fibers or broken plastic fragments. Microplastics under 5 millimeters can resemble plankton, be ingested by aquatic organisms, and bioaccumulate up the food web. Concentrations of tire- and road-related particles increase near Austin's urban core. Watershed Protection Department measures include stormwater control ponds, rain gardens, and other filtration systems, and collaboration with TxDOT to treat runoff before it reaches the Colorado River. Follow-up studies could evaluate roadway conditions and tire brands.
Read at Austin Monitor
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