AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tiny bits of plastic are polluting Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, it’s a problem that is getting worse. New research out of the University of Texas is giving scientists and the city of Austin a better idea of the problem.
Microplastics are tiny bits of debris, smaller than five millimeters, created when plastic is manufactured or breaks down. These things are everywhere, including in our bodies, and we don’t fully understand the health impacts they might have on us and the world.
“There’s no reason to expect microplastics not to be in all of our waterways,” said Brent Bellinger with the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department. His team worked alongside UT on the new study, originally proposed in 2022.
The average individual ingests anywhere between 39,000 and 52,000 particles of microplastics (from 1 µm to 5 mm in size) and nanoplastics (1 µm or smaller) every year.
Danielle Zaleski conducted an analysis of the lakes while attending UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences earlier this year. The researcher, who graduated in May, found that the amount of microplastics in the bottom of the lakes is growing over time.
“What we saw, was just kind of the overwhelming abundance of tire and road particles in the samples,” Bellinger said.
Microplastics in Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake, according to her research, consist mainly of asphalt bindings and synthetic materials from tires.
The data will be used in a new report by the city of Austin. That report is expected later this year.
Collecting core samples of the lakebeds, Zaleski found microplastics ranging from 45 micrometers to 1 millimeter in size. Samples taken from deeper in the ground had fewer particles, while those taken closer to the surface showed significantly more plastics.
The amount of microplastics in the samples is a direct reflection of the city’s growth. Samples from deeper in the lakebed showed only 200 microplastics per 100 grams of sediment. Closer to the surface, Zaleski found 4,600 microplastics per 100 grams of sediment.
The greatest number of microplastics were found in Lady Bird Lake near downtown. The greatest concentration was directly beneath I-35.
“(The sample) even had so many that we can’t count it, because our filters are so filled with microplastics and road wear particles,” Zaleski said.
“It’s just another one of those things that shows just how pervasive and how much we impact our environment,” Bellinger said. The researchers also collected data on sediments and materials in the lakes besides microplastics.
Zaleski conducted her research alongside Marcy Davis, an engineering scientist for the Institute for Geophysics and Cornel Olariu, a research associate professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. The work took place over 2.5 years.
Zaleski will continue her research at UT. She’s now pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University.
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