Microplastics (MPs) are commonly defined as plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size. The abundance of plastic particles in terrestrial and marine environments, which results in ecological and economic threats, indicates a need for mitigation. The Great Lakes hold approximately 20% of Earth’s freshwater and are especially vulnerable to pollution due to their central location, as well as their history of human alterations. Millions of plastics and MPs enter the Great Lakes each year, a majority of which end up in Lake Michigan. This emphasizes the need for mitigation.

From 2016 to 2022, The Shimadzu Core Laboratory at Ferris State University along with the Wexford County drain commissioner have monitored Billings Lake and later Manton Creek to determine the geospatial and species origins of idiosyncratic elevated E. coli, which has caused closures of the popular “Kiddie” beach on Billings Lake. Both Manton Creek and Billings Lake are located in Wexford County, Michigan on the south side of the Manistee River in or near Manton, Michigan. These studies showed elevated E. coli originated at undetermined point(s) in Manton Creek, upstream of Billings Lake after large rain events of one (1) inch or more. Microbial source tracking (MST) studies in 2021, 2022 and continuing in 2024 suggests that E. coli from canine feces was potentially a major contributor to elevated E. coli in Billings Lake. Additionally, ruminants also impacted E. coli levels in Billings Lake. However, a possible species-specific geospatial-temporal difference was evidenced between the two MST results. Canine MST signals were putatively observed mostly in May and June and seemed most abundant near the Manton Creek headwaters. Ruminant MST signals appeared to have a more even geospatial and temporal distribution along the whole length of Manton Creek, upstream of Billings Lake. In both instances, the exact species of canine and ruminants could not be identified. For the canines, locals of Manton, Michigan stated that coyotes were primarily on the southern side of the Manistee River, while foxes were primarily on the other side of the Manistee River. The locals did not know of any domestic or wild dogs in the Manton Creek headwaters area. For ruminants, two potential species are evident in the area: Cervidae (deer) and Bovidae (cows). Limited MST for a cow target did not yield sufficient data to make justifiable conclusions regarding the presence of E. coli from cow feces. Current studies in 2024 are seeking to further clarify the species-specific geospatial-temporal components of elevated E. coli in Manton Creek and Billings Lake. Resultant data may inform mitigation practices to reduce “Kiddie Beach” closures, especially through animal control interventions.

Marine debris is a large problem that is only becoming more prevalent in every marine environment, especially the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system in the world, containing almost 21% of the world's freshwater, and 84% of North America’s freshwater. Access to fresh water is an already significant issue that is only becoming worse by the year, cleaning the Great Lakes from existing debris and working to prevent further pollution is an important undertaking. This presentation will explore the use of devices used to collect debris, a Seabin installed at a marina, a Pixiedrone, a remote-controlled marine drone, and a Bebot, a remote-controlled beach debris collection drone, and their effectiveness in removing debris, as well as an analysis of how useful they could be in public outreach. The marine debris collected has been characterized to aid in further understanding the most common types of debris. Understanding the origin of this debris and the scope of this issue is crucial to informing the public of the harm of macroplastic debris.

Fecal pollution from multiple sources, both point and non-point, frequently caused exceedance of the State of Michigan Water Quality Standard for Escherichia coli (E. coli), a leading factor in the closure of recreational areas across the United States. Understanding the dynamics of fecal indicators population and microbial source tracking markers is essential for improving fecal contamination monitoring and watershed management. This study collected water samples from a watershed in Michigan, USA during dry and wet weather conditions. The objectives were to evaluate the presence of cultivable fecal indicator organisms (E. coli, coliphage, and Clostridium), evaluate the applicability of chicken-associated markers in Michigan, and determine the contributions of human, pig, and chicken sources to fecal contamination in chicken litter, farm drains, tributaries, and sediments, and also determine the effect of the rainfall events on microbial water quality. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) was employed to quantify the abundance of human-, pig-, and chicken-associated genetic markers. The results showed that the concentration of human- and chicken-associated markers was higher after significant rainfall events. Additionally, fecal indicator organisms were observed in great concentrations in water samples post-rainfall. Our results suggest that the chicken-associated marker is effective for use in Michigan and that humans and chicken were the primary contamination sources in the watershed. Moreover, stormwater runoff can contribute considerable loads of fecal contamination.

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) has recently invested in the development of microbial source tracking (MST) methods using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology. This technology provides a means of determining the source of fecal indicators in environmental samples such as beaches, as well as storm and/or sanitary sewer collection system samples. Initial research efforts at the NEORSD were primarily focused on determining the presence or absence of fecal contamination. Recently, the focus has shifted from detection of contamination to identification of its source. The NEORSD has explored qPCR assays for the identification of humans, gulls, geese, deer, and dogs. One animal of particular interest to the NEORSD is Procyon lotor, or the common raccoon. P. lotor has been observed in storm sewers by NEORSD investigators in high frequency. qPCR markers for P. lotor are sparse and not widely field tested. Thus, the NEORSD research objective has been to develop a qPCR assay for the detection of P. lotor for MST testing. In early 2020, the NEORSD purchased a next-generation sequencing (NGS) system to explore and develop new qPCR markers. NEORSD investigators collected raccoon feces from five sample sites for sequencing analysis. Samples were DNA extracted and run on a P. lotor mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) specific PCR assay. The PCR product was cut to 200-300 base pair fragments. Sequencing libraries were generated from the fragments and equalized. Equalized libraries were run on an emulsion PCR instrument for clonal amplification on 3µm beads. After the amplification, isolate positive beads were selected for using magnetic enrichment. Enriched beads were dispensed on a semiconductor chip and inserted into the sequencer for analysis. Data generated by the sequencer was run through an online bioinformatics pipeline to obtain consensus sequences for each sample. Consensus sequences were aligned, and three conserved DNA regions were selected as candidate P. lotor markers. Online software was used to generate qPCR assays targeting the candidate markers. Of those assays, only one showed low cross reactivity when performing a nucleotide blast search. This assay was selected for qPCR testing on samples. Human and animal fecal samples have been collected from the surrounding area and tested using this marker. After testing on 50+ animal samples, raccoons have been the only ones to test positive further strengthening evidence of assay sensitivity and specificity. Future testing involves collection and analysis of secondary sources of fecal contamination.

Microcystins are toxins produced by some cyanobacteria that can negatively impact wildlife and human health. They are commonly found during freshwater algal blooms that occur when there is high nutrient input of phosphorus and nitrogen, lots of available sunlight, and warm temperatures. Due to climate change and human impact, microcystin concentrations in lakes are only expected to increase. Quantifying microcystin levels is very time-consuming and costly, and other more direct methods, such as in-situ phycocyanin measurements with sonde technology, are being explored to quickly and effectively quantify surrogates for cyanobacterial toxins such as microcystin.  However, there is no clear relationship between these direct measurements and standard toxin testing measurements.  It is unclear if this lack of relationship is due to no relationship between the two measurements or if it is an artifact of the field techniques.

Freshwater fish as a bioindicator for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in contaminated river systems in Michigan - Mitchell Olszewski