QUANTIFYING ANTHROPOGENIC MATERIALS IN THE CATAWBA RIVER BASIN WITH DIFFERENT METHODS

Plastic pollution is prevalent in river ecosystems where it releases chemicals and impacts the health of freshwater organisms. My research objective is to compare the quantity and type of plastics removed using different river-clean up methods in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area, North Carolina, USA. Working with the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (CRF) and the Charlotte Wildlife Stewards, I categorized and weighed trash collected using the litter gitter machine (LGM) in Freedom Park, and by volunteer cleanups. Trash was sorted according to the EPA’s Environmental Trash Assessment Protocol standards into categories of Paper, Plastic, Glass, Metal, and Other then quantified volumetrically using buckets and weighed. Each category was summarized as percent volume and mass of total trash. Three volunteer-led cleanups were conducted at the locations of McCrary Creek Access Point, McAdenville, and Chantilly Park. I evaluated nearby land use using ArcGIS Pro for each cleanup location to evaluate the relationship between nearby urban areas and their relationship to trash content. A comparison of cost effectiveness based on NCWF standards of volunteer cleanups and LGM’s was conducted to provide insight into the economic cost of removing trash for each method. Removing plastics is important for maintaining the health of our local streams and rivers and to prevent its movement downstream to other ecosystems. A total of 905 pounds of trash was removed and analyzed during this project.