Microplastics

Water quality on Kosh is important. Microplastics are becoming an increasing concern worldwide, given their impact on the environment,wildlife, and indirectly on our health. There are no commercial tests for microplastics because the analysis is manual and time-consuming. We decided to conduct a benchmark study to quantify and characterize the types and concentrations of microplastics in our lake. The LKRA and Leila Macdonald approached Trent University and were successful in finding a student who was keen to undertake this project. The goal was to determine where the microplastics are coming from (the atmosphere, lake inflows, human activity, etc.), where they end up (in the sediment or out via the dam), whether the density changes between June and October, whether the composition of invisible pollution is similar to visible pollution collected on the shoreline and how Kasshabog’s microplastic density compares with other lakes.

Microplastics Research on Lake Kasshabog

Between June and November 2025, an extensive microplastic monitoring study was conducted in Kasshabog Lake to better understand the presence and behaviour of microplastics within the lake ecosystem. Over the course of the study, 112 samples were collected from surface water, deep water, sediment, and rainwater, providing a comprehensive snapshot of how microplastics move through and accumulate in the environment. The samples were analyzed by a fourth-year student in Trent University's School of the Environment. The research aimed to identify the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in Kasshabog Lake, contributing valuable local data to the growing global conversation on freshwater pollution and environmental health.

Background

Microplastics are small plastic particles (less than 5mm) that are produced through human activities and are found in our air, rivers, lakes and oceans. We are fortunate that a student agreed to test our lake. There are no commercial tests for microplastics because the analysis is manual and time-consuming. The science of microplastics is relatively new and there is more that researchers don’t know about microplastics than what they do know. The results of this study will help address key knowledge gaps and will be relevant to other lakes in Ontario.

Research Proposal.

The research proposal was completed in January and provides deeper information on the work performed. Read the full proposal here, link coming soon.

Results - Coming soon!

In the summer of 2026, the results will be published in a series of posts on the Lake Kasshabog Facebook page. Once all posts are complete, they will be copied here. If you would like to read the final thesis, a link will be provided here at a later date.

Methodology

The reality of science research is there is never enough money or time; the same applies here. Scientists perform the most tests and the most diverse kinds of tests given the budget allocated. Then they extrapolate and draw conclusions. This is where we are now.

Samples

It is a challenge to test for microplastics. Some microplastics float on the surface (and are blown around to other locations), some are suspended at depth (and might escape out the dam), and some sink into the sediment (and stay there forever). In order to find all kinds of microplastics, we needed a diversity of tests. Over the course of the 6 months of testing, our 112 samples took over 600 hours of lab work See map below to see where samples were collected and how many..

There are 3 stages to the research:

Collecting: Water tests take 2 minutes, sediment tests 15 minutes, plus travel time.
Filtering: Removing sand and wood, chemically removing the biologicals.
Counting and identifying using a microscope.

The slide show below depicts how the student analyzed the annual pollution collected from the shore: The student sorted, weighed and numbered each item and cut samples from each.

Click on an image to learn more.