CONSERVATION
The River Wear
Plastics Project
By Rachel Richards
Durham Wildlife Trust and Teesside University have been carrying out a pilot study looking at micro and macroplastics in the River Wear. his work, funded through the Living Uplands project, set out to answer a number of questions. Firstly, are there microplastics in the River Wear, and, if so, at what sort of levels, and how do these levels vary, moving downstream?
T
After an initial desk study to look at work already done on plastics in rivers, it was decided to look for microplastics in both the water channel and in accumulated river sediment. In addition, the project also wanted to look at plastic pollution on the banksides, and worked with local schools to deliver this part of the project. Main photo: Wearhead Primary School children carrying out a litter survey, September 2021
8
Wildlife Durham | Spring 2022
Microplastic sampling at Wearhead, August 2021 The microplastic sampling was carried out during August and September 2021 by Teesside University and Durham Wildlife Trust staff. The sampling was done using a very fine meshed plankton net which was held in the middle of the water channel – a similar method to other microplastics studies. At each of our five sample locations (Wearhead, Frosterley, Bishop Auckland, Durham and Chester-le-Street), both water and sediment samples were taken, collecting upstream and downstream of water treatment plant outflows at each location and taking great care to avoid contamination of samples.
