THE TENNESWIM PROJECT: RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER QUALITY ANALYSES AND MICROPLASTICS CONCENTRATIONS IN THE TENNESSEE RIVER

The Tenneswim Project was conducted during the summer of 2017 and included the most extensive water quality analysis ever conducted along the entire 1049-kilometer length of the Tennessee River. Analyses were conducted for over 600 man-made chemicals (including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and perfluronated compounds), 18 heavy metals, nitrates, phosphates, chemical oxygen demand, and microplastics 25–500 microns in size. Water quality parameters such as temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH were also measured. The main goal of the Tenneswim Project was to raise public awareness of the importance of water quality. To this end the sampling was synchronized with a record-breaking swim of the entire length of the Tennessee River (34 days) by co-researcher and extreme swimmer Dr. Andreas Fath. A website and Facebook page active during the project were followed locally and internationally by thousands of people. Media coverage was extensive during the swim, due in large part to the efforts of project partners the Tennessee Aquarium and the Nature Conservancy of Tennessee. The swim and its purpose were heavily featured in local newspapers and radio throughout Tennessee and northern Alabama, as well as being featured in national media outlets and several German newspapers.

The most significant findings of the swim included a very high concentration of microplastics in all water samples from the river. With an average of 16,000 microplastic particles/m³ the Tennessee River has a higher concentration than the Rhine River of Europe (200 particles/m³) and the Yangtze River of China (9000 particles/m³). The microplastics analyses will be used to facilitate the passage of a proposed bottle bill for plastic bottles in the state of Tennessee.