No Project associated with this Finding

Microplastics are a contaminant of emerging concern. The Tahoe Science Advisory Council convened the Microplastics Workgroup to assess the current state of knowledge of microplastics in the Tahoe Basin, highlight key data gaps, and recommend next steps. The workgroup focused on four main areas: microplastic sources, fate and transport, microplastic interactions with ecology and impacts to water quality, and regulatory/source controls to reduce microplastics entering Lake Tahoe.

The workgroup recommends (1) further assessing specific microplastic sources, (2) assessing microplastic transport, (3) evaluating the impacts of microplastics to lake clarity and drinking water, and (4) continued assessment of strategies to reduce plastic litter entering the environment.