Assessment of microplastics in urban stormwater runoff

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In the past decade, microplastics have emerged as ubiquitous global contaminants that pose a threat to thewell-being of aquatic organisms. Urban stormwater runoff has been identified as a potentially significantsource of microplastics to the aquatic environment, and although there are no reports of microplastic quantitiesin runoff from Canada, quantities in runoff from Europe are comparable to quantities in municipal wastewater.This project serves as an initial assessment of: (1) the impacts of different urban activities on the quantities andcharacteristics of microplastics in urban stormwater runoff; (2) the quantities of microplastics entering theGlenmore reservoir, the primary source of drinking water for the City of Calgary; and (3) the occurrence ofmicroplastics in stormwater retention ponds within the City of Calgary. Understanding the influence ofdifferent land uses on the quantities of microplastics in stormwater runoff, coupled with an initial assessmentof the effectiveness of stormwater retention ponds to retain microplastics, The scientific knowledge andinnovation gained through this project will allow the City of Calgary to identify areas at risk for microplasticpollution and prioritize sites for future investigation. It is also expected that the knowledge gained from thisproject will be valuable to municipalities across Canada in managing microplastic inputs to the environmentvia stormwater runoff and in developing mitigation strategies to protect human and ecosystem health.