Microplastics in Urban Stormwater Ponds

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that have been broken down into extremely small particles. If introduced into the aquatic environment microplastics can impose adverse effects on aquatic wildlife, especially if they are ingested. The purpose of this study is to analyze the concentrations of microplastics in the waters of local stormwater ponds and compare them to a natural pond. Three ponds in the Farmville area were tested: two stormwater ponds on Longwood University\u27s campus and one natural pond with limited human influence at an off campus location. Water samples were taken weekly over a five week period and then analyzed to determine the concentration of microplastics in each sample. These samples were to then be compared to a sample of James River water. The water from the James river is hypothesized to contain a higher concentration of microplastics than the local Farmville ponds due to the uncreased build environment near the James River