Plastic pollution is a global issue affecting the health and stability of freshwater and marine environments. Microplastics can be introduced into waterways from a variety of sources, such as agricultural runoff, anthropogenic litter, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To determine whether WWTPs are a source of microplastics to the Lower Rouge and Huron Rivers, we measured microplastic load upstream and downstream of two Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants: the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA). Results from this study indicated that YCUA, which discharges into a small stream with limited watershed inputs, is a significant source of microplastic pollution. The Ann Arbor WWTP, which discharges into the much larger Huron River, was not a detectable source. Instead, the positive relationship between river discharge and microplastic load suggests that watershed sources may be more important to total microplastic load, especially in larger rivers.
","abstract_html":"<p>Plastic pollution is a global issue affecting the health and stability of freshwater and marine environments. Microplastics can be introduced into waterways from a variety of sources, such as agricultural runoff, anthropogenic litter, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To determine whether WWTPs are a source of microplastics to the Lower Rouge and Huron Rivers, we measured microplastic load upstream and downstream of two Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants: the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA). Results from this study indicated that YCUA, which discharges into a small stream with limited watershed inputs, is a significant source of microplastic pollution. The Ann Arbor WWTP, which discharges into the much larger Huron River, was not a detectable source. Instead, the positive relationship between river discharge and microplastic load suggests that watershed sources may be more important to total microplastic load, especially in larger rivers.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Troost, Jennifer"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kristin Judd, Biology","Steven Francoeur, Biology","Daniel Clemans, Biology"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z","subjects":["freshwater","Huron","Microplastics","Rouge","treatment","Wastewater","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1119","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kristin Judd, Biology","Steven Francoeur, Biology","Daniel Clemans, Biology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Troost, Jennifer"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-06-13T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["freshwater","Huron","Microplastics","Rouge","treatment","Wastewater","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1119"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Plastic pollution is a global issue affecting the health and stability of freshwater and marine environments. Microplastics can be introduced into waterways from a variety of sources, such as agricultural runoff, anthropogenic litter, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To determine whether WWTPs are a source of microplastics to the Lower Rouge and Huron Rivers, we measured microplastic load upstream and downstream of two Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants: the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA). Results from this study indicated that YCUA, which discharges into a small stream with limited watershed inputs, is a significant source of microplastic pollution. The Ann Arbor WWTP, which discharges into the much larger Huron River, was not a detectable source. Instead, the positive relationship between river discharge and microplastic load suggests that watershed sources may be more important to total microplastic load, especially in larger rivers.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants as potential sources of microplastic pollution in the Rouge River and Huron River"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kristin Judd, Biology","Steven Francoeur, Biology","Daniel Clemans, Biology"],"dc:creator":["Troost, Jennifer"],"dc:date.available":["2022-06-13T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Plastic pollution is a global issue affecting the health and stability of freshwater and marine environments. Microplastics can be introduced into waterways from a variety of sources, such as agricultural runoff, anthropogenic litter, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To determine whether WWTPs are a source of microplastics to the Lower Rouge and Huron Rivers, we measured microplastic load upstream and downstream of two Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants: the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA). Results from this study indicated that YCUA, which discharges into a small stream with limited watershed inputs, is a significant source of microplastic pollution. The Ann Arbor WWTP, which discharges into the much larger Huron River, was not a detectable source. Instead, the positive relationship between river discharge and microplastic load suggests that watershed sources may be more important to total microplastic load, especially in larger rivers.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1119"],"dc:subject":["freshwater","Huron","Microplastics","Rouge","treatment","Wastewater","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"dc:title":["Southeast Michigan wastewater treatment plants as potential sources of microplastic pollution in the Rouge River and Huron River"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z"}