Microplastics in a small river: Occurrence and influencing factors along the river Oker, Northern Germany

Much attention regarding the environmental pollution by plastics had focused on the Oceans. More recently, contamination of freshwater ecosystems has been addressed but information from smaller rivers in moderately populated catchments is still comparatively scarce. This study explored the microplastic (MP) occurrence in the small regional river Oker, Northern Germany (catchment area 1822 km², population of ca. 500,000, discharge approx. 12 m³ s⁻¹).

MPs (fibers and fragments in the size range 0.3–5 mm, identification by microscopy) were found in all 10 in-stream samples collected along the course of the river, ranging between 28 and 134 particles m⁻³ with an overall average of 63 particles m⁻³. This MP concentration found in the small river Oker is similar to, or higher than, that reported for larger rivers in similar environments in Central Europe. On average, higher MP concentration was found at urban (71 particles m⁻³) compared to rural sampling sites (51 particles m⁻³). Within the Oker catchment, in-stream MP concentration showed no or low correlation to the catchment-scale factors of catchment size and population. Additional samples taken from three locations directly influenced by discharges of potential MP point sources confirmed wastewater treatment plants of different capacities and an urban rainwater sewer as sources.

Our results support findings that MP concentrations in small rivers are crucially influenced by local sources, superimposing linear relationships to factors of catchment size and -population. They show that even small rivers draining moderately populated catchments may exhibit comparatively high concentrations of MPs, and thereby represent underestimated pathways of MP in the environment.