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Expedition at home: From the “Winzinger Scheid” to the Palatinate Rhine floodplains on the trail of microplastics in the Rehbach River
The motto of Surfrider Baden-Palatinate is “Don´t discuss – act!” So, a few weeks ago, we decided to join forces and do something concrete about the microplastic problem in our waters - together. The Surfriders were enthusiastic from the very first minute that we could not only find out together how much microplastic is floating in the water but also find wayw to reduce microplastic inputs or remove them in suitable places.
Elke has compiled her experiences during the Rehbach microplastic mapping - we don't want to withhold them from you.
We were out and about on two sunny days in May and took on a complete stream - the Rehbach - from its source to its mouth. Length: approx. 30 km. Number of samples for microplastic analysis: ten.
Why is the Rehbach so special?
What is unusual about the Rehbach is that it does not have its own source, but branches off from the Speyerbach at the “Winzinger Scheid” in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. The reason: a dispute over the water for the numerous mills between the Electoral Palatinate and the city of Speyer in 1569. There are still some of these mills, and additionally, the stream not only runs through meadows, but also sometimes squeezes into a canal and past three major highways (A65/ A61/ B9) with the corresponding tire abrasion as a source of microplastics. Intensive farming is carried out on the farmland between the Wine Route (Weinstraße) and the Rhine, and the Rehbach also flows past a large landfill site before reaching its mouth. Numerous smaller streams flow into it. At the second last monitoring point in the Rhine floodplains, it had extremely low water levels, only to show waves a few hundred meters further on at the mouth. The water temperature fluctuated between 13°C in the forest and 19°C where the water level was low.
Speyerbach shortly before the branch of the Rehbach, cigarette butts and a plastic bag can be seen on the right shore; temperature measurement © Surfrider Foundation Europe / Baden-Pfalz
Elke took another sample past the so-called “Mäherwiese”, a place where the mowers took a break in the Middle Ages, and at the next bridge crossing. © Surfrider Foundation Europe / Baden-Pfalz
The second last station: already complex during sampling
The second last station was a site in the Palatinate Rhine floodplains between Neuhofen and LU-Rheingönheim. It sounds idyllic, but it looks different. The water level was low here and the temperature was correspondingly high (19°C), but at least you could access the water despite the steep banks. The Rehbach appears more idyllic at the mouth of the Rhine opposite the Mannheim lido. The low tide here is reversed by the inflow from the Großwiesengraben, and small rocks provide a good current.
I'm curious to see what effect this will have on the microplastic levels!
After two days of expedition, the ten samples arrive directly in Landau the next day. From here, we take over and dedicate ourselves to the standardized analysis for microplastics.
At this point: Thank you dear Elke for your commitment!
Hand in hand for clean water
Microplastic analysis is one of the most complex tasks in modern environmental analysis, with several interlinked challenges. Due to this complexity, we have been working with standard protocols for many years and constantly monitor ourselves both internally and externally.
This enables us to effectively reduce the risk of contamination, which is determined by so-called blank measurements. Many people also refer to this as background noise. The blanks are then deducted in the evaluation.
Rehbach results with predictable surprises: Oberservations confirmed
After the microplastic analysis, evaluation and validation of the data, the data is released and each value can read the results in the Global Map of Microplastics.
As Elke has already correctly noted: the second last sampling point befrore River Rhine shows conspicuous features: the microplastic load is significantly higher. Due to the small amount of water in the stream, the dilution effect cannot prevail. This issue will become increasingly important in the future in view of climate change and water shortages. Reason enough to act today for the clean water of tomorrow.
Microplastics in the Rehbach: We did not find a value of 0 microplastic particles per liter. Unfortunately. © Wasser 3.0
What happens next for us? The search for clues begins or: follow the money.
Following the Rehbach and Queich sampling, we will now take a closer look at the sources of pollution. In particular, the high concentrations at some points in the Rehbach will be tracked and sampled with different water volumes. We are taking a closer look at the different entry paths of microplastics and will analyze the origin of the pollution.
Microplastics enter the environment in various ways:
Primary sources (released directly as microplastics):
- Cosmetic products such as scrubs, toothpaste and shower gels that contain microbeads
- Tire abrasion from driving - one of the largest sources worldwide
- Synthetic textiles that release microfibers during washing
- Industrial plastic pellets that are lost during transportation and processing
- Paints and varnishes, especially from ships and buildings
Secondary sources (due to decomposition of larger plastic parts):
- Plastic bottles, packaging and other waste that breaks down due to UV radiation, waves and mechanical action
- Plastic waste in landfills and the environment
- Fishing equipment such as nets and ropes
- Agricultural films and equipment
Main entry routes:
- Wastewater from households and industry
- Surface runoff from roads and urban areas
- Wind drift from landfills and other sources
- Direct discharge from ships and offshore activities
It is particularly problematic that microplastics are extremely persistent and accumulate in the soil, water and even in the food chain. The tiny particles are often smaller than 5 millimeters and therefore difficult to remove from the environment.
Many thanks to the Surfrider Foundation Baden-Pfalz for their commitment to microplastic mapping. The next steps are in the making. Together. Because water concerns us all.
