The Rapids:

US EPA's Trash Free Waters Monthly Update

AugUSt 2020

https: / / www, epa. gov/trash-free-waters

Introduction

Happy Monday, everyone!

We hope you enjoy reading this month's US EPA Trash Free Waters monthly Rapids email. Below, you'll find a slew
of information and opportunities related to our cause - keeping trash out of our waterways.

The TFW team hosted the third webinar in our new webinar series on July 9th, bringing in over 200 participants.
The event, "The Current State and Uncertain Future of Local Policies on Single-Use Plastics in the U.S." featured
subject matter experts from local and state government and the Surfrider Foundation. Panelists discussed the
challenges of reducing plastic waste at the state and local level, including the ways in which public health concerns
may factor into decision-making around single-use plastics. If you were not able to join or want to share the webinar
with others, you can access this and all other webinar recordings on our FW webinar arch

In other great news, over $2 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Trash Free Waters grant projects
have been announced. This grant program aims to remove trash from local marine and freshwater environments to
ensure the Great Lakes watershed continues to provide habitat for wildlife and drinking water and recreation for all
Americans. Read more about it below!

Please continue to share any upcoming events with Layne Marshall (	) so that the Trash Free

Waters team can advertise these opportunities with all of you on the first Monday of each month. I hope everyone is
having a good summer.

Romell Nandi
US EPA

Trash Free Waters program lead

EPA Announcements

On July 21st, EPA published a news release announcing $1.2 million in GLRI Trash Free Waters grant projects to
remove hundreds of tons of trash from the Great Lakes. Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced this funding at a
press conference in Lakewood, OH, stating that "Trash Free Waters has the chance of becoming one of the most
successful new programs launched by EPA in recent years, given how quickly it's traveled from idea to execution."
This funding, in conjunction with two other GLRI Trash Free Waters grant projects announced by the Administrator
on prior visits to the Great Lakes region, now totals almost $2.1 million. Grant awardees include the Milwaukee
Harbor District, City of Toledo, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Belle Isle Conservancy, Great Lakes Community
Conservation Corps, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, and Macatawa Area Coordinating Council. The community-based
projects funded through this program will help expand volunteer beach and waterway clean ups and install trash
capture devices within the Great Lakes watershed. To read the full July 21st EPA news release, click . To learn
more about the City of Toledo grant specifically and additional related EPA funding news for cleanup and restoration
efforts in the greater Toledo area, read the July 20th EPA news release liere.

Also in July, Administrator Wheeler posted a ide< about the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
(USMCA). In the video, he highlighted the Trash Free Waters program and our efforts to bring together local
stakeholders to identify "low cost, low tech methods that can have a high impact on land-based sources of trash."

The Trash Free Waters team helped provide insight on the River Network's recently released "Waste in our Waters:
A Community Toolkit for Aquatic Litter Removal." The toolkit outlines various measures to consider when exploring
how to strategically address litter in your community. It also provides a detailed breakdown of several trash capture
device technologies, many of which our program has helped deploy in watersheds across the nation. The EPA's
forthcoming Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP), a quantitative survey tool which provides a standard

-------
method for collecting and assessing litter data, is also referenced in the document. We consider this toolkit an
essential resource for both community advocates and experts alike. You can read the toolkit here.

TFW hosted the "Current State and Uncertain Future of Local Policies on Single-Use Plastics in the U.S." webinar on
July 9th. If you were not able to join or want to share the webinar with others, as noted above, you can access the
webinar recording on our TFW webinar archive here1!.

This U ¦S. EPA video reminds citizens to recycle right, stating that "rubber gloves, masks, medical waste and plastic
bags should never go in your recycling bin."

The TFW team proudly announces the second article in the Trash Free Waters series, titled "What You Need to
Know About Microfiber Pollution." This resource outlines the issue of microfiber pollution, highlights existing
solutions to address it, and provides five simple recommendations for what an individual can do to help reduce
microfiber leakage. Read the full article on our website here. If you missed our recently published article titled
"Trash Free Waters On Any Timeline" and would like to read it, click here.

Funding Opportunities

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) Research Priority Program

WRF has funded 12 new Research Priority Program projects with a total funding amount of $2,125,000. This
research allocation will be significantly leveraged with partnership funding and in-kind support. Requests for
Proposals (RFPs) for these projects will be released in August 2020. Please track progress here.

National Estuary Program Coastal Watersheds Grant Program RFP

US EPA has created a new national competitive grants program. Restore America's Estuaries is administering the
grant program and will fund projects within specific geographic areas that support Congressionally-set priorities,
including: loss of key habitats, harmful algae blooms, invasive species, flooding and coastal erosion, nutrients, and
contaminants of emerging concern such as microplastics. Each award will range between $75,000 and $250,000.
Letters of Intent are due August 7. Learn more here.

SeaAhead and New England Aquarium BlueSwell Incubator Program

SeaAhead, Inc. and the New England Aquarium have announced the launch of BlueSwell, New England's first
dedicated, comprehensive early-stage business incubator program for new ocean-related technologies and
innovations. BlueSwell will catalyze new business creations by providing a grant of $35,000 to founders with a new
ocean-related technology or business model innovation. A tailored 20-week curriculum and in-depth mentoring
program based in Boston, MA are also included. Marine pollution is one of the grant's priority areas. Applications for
the program will close on August 9th, 2020. Click here1! for more info.

MassDEP Reduce, Reuse, Repair Micro-Grant

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for the Reduce, Reuse, Repair
Micro-Grants for 2020. This grant program provides small amounts of funding (up to $5,000) for eligible for-profit
and nonprofit organizations for innovative, short term waste reduction initiatives. Initiatives must focus on
promoting source reduction, reuse, or repair in Massachusetts. MassDEP accepts applications on a rolling basis and
evaluates them quarterly until all available funds are obligated. Click here to read the grant guidelines and apply.

National Science Foundation Proposal: Microplastics and Nanoplastics

The National Science Foundation seeks proposals that tackle some of the fundamental scientific questions
underlying microplastic and nanoplastic characterization, behavior, and reactivity in the environment, as well as
their elimination from land and water systems. NSF is considering proposals in a wide range of research having to
deal with chemistry, toxicity and the geoscience, ecological and evolutionary science interactions of microplastics
and nanoplastics, as well as solutions regarding engineering, innovation, and education around the topic. Lcwm
more by clicking here1!!

NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) 2021 Federal Funding
Opportunity

The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is seeking proposals under the Great Lakes B-WET program, a
competitive grant program that supports existing, high quality environmental education programs, fosters the
growth of new, innovative programs, and encourages capacity building and partnership development for
environmental and place-based education programs throughout the entire Great Lakes watershed. For additional
resources on developing an application and examples of previously funded projects go to the Great Lakes B-WET
websjte. Deadline for applications is August 21, 2020,11:59 Pm (EST).

Pollution Prevention and Mitigation BAA

-------
This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks opportunities to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate in
the research, development, piloting, and scaling of innovative interventions for effectively mitigating air, water, and
soil pollution, including ocean plastic pollution, electronic and other forms of solid waste in low and middle-income
countries. USAID invites organizations, companies, academic and research institutions, and investors to propose
innovative approaches for preventing and mitigating pollution in countries to promote healthier populations, cleaner
environments, and inclusive, sustainable economic growth. Read more about this opportunity here.

FY2021NOAA Marine Debris Removal Grant Opportunity

The NOAA Marine Debris Program's FY2021 Marine Debris Removal grant competition (NOAA-NOS-ORR-2021-
2006587) is open and soliciting Letters of Intent for review. Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due September 4, 2020.
Projects awarded through this grant competition will create long-term, quantifiable ecological benefits and habitat
improvements for NOAA trust resources through on-the-ground marine debris removal activities, with highest
priority for those targeting derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris. Projects should also foster
awareness of the sources and effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living marine resource habitats,
and contribute to the understanding of marine debris composition, distribution and impacts. Follow all submission
instructions for the LOI outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity published at Grants.gov here.

NOAA RESTORE Science Program: Planning for Actionable Science

The NOAA RESTORE Science Program plans to release its next funding opportunity sometime this month. This
competition will provide natural resource managers, researchers, and other stakeholders with funding to plan a
research project that informs a specific management decision impacting natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico. All
natural resources and decisions associated with them are eligible. $2.5 million is expected to be made available
through this funding opportunity. The minimum and maximum individual award amount is approximately $25,000
and $125,000, respectively. For updates, check here.

Alliance to End Plastic Waste: Request for Proposals (RFP)

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste is now accepting project proposals on the implementation of infrastructure to
eliminate leakage of plastic waste through collection and containment. This RFP prioritizes support to cities in Asia,
Africa and Latin America. In partnership with organizations that directly work with cities, they hope to shape high-
quality submissions that ultimately deliver against the goal of driving investments in much-needed infrastructures.
The first window for submission of Concept Papers closes December 31st, 2020. To submit your proposal, please
visit the Plastic Free Waste Cities page.

Save the Dates/Calendar

August 4-6th: Association of Clean Water Administrators 2020 Annual Meeting

Conference agenda items include a deep-dive of the implications of the recent County of Maui Supreme Court
decision regarding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and Section 401 revisions, insight on environmental
justice, integrated planning from the local perspective, and EPA PFAS updates. Register and view the full agenda
here.

August 24-27th: 6th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC6)

An event for scientists, practitioners, educators, policy-makers, artists, and journalists to network and learn from
one another about marine conservation, using science to inform policy and management to catalyze change. Register
and explore plenary sessions and speakers here.

August 25-27th: Circularity 20 Conference

Circularity 20 is the largest circular economy conference in the US. Building on the success of last year's sold-out
launch event, Circularity 20 will bring together more than 1,000 thought leaders and practitioners across industries
and functions and empower participants to turn circular economy concepts into profitable opportunities. Read more
about the conference here.

Save the dates for future months...

September 2nd (2PM EDT): "Working with unlikely stakeholders to prevent marine debris"
webinar

This webinar is co-sponsored by OCTO and will be led by Nicole Baker, Founder of Net Your Problem LLC, a
solutions-oriented company which provides responsible disposal services (i.e., recycling) for fishing gear in Alaska
and programs in development for all US coasts. To learn more about their work, please register here.

-------
September 14-I7th: Waste Expo

The largest waste and recycling event in North America, featuring 20+ virtual sessions about solid waste
management. Agenda forthcoming here.

September 29-October 1st: The National & Coastal Estuarine Conference

Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) expects this summit to be a highly interactive, state of the art, virtual opportunity
to network with colleagues, share lessons learned, and hear from experts on the latest in coastal restoration and
management. More than 300 proposals for panels, presentations, and posters have been submitted and nearly 30
sponsors already committed to the Summit. Read more about the Summit here.

October 14-I7th: The North American Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference

For nearly five decades, NAAEE has convened one of the leading annual conferences for environmental education
professionals, designed to promote innovation, networking, learning, and dissemination of best practices. The goal
of this year's conference, held virtually, is to "educate, collaborate, and inspire change." Check back here to
register.

October 20th (2PM EDT): Webinar on The Clean Currents Coalition: "A global collaborative solution
to the complex plastics problem"

This webinar will be led by Molly Morse and Valeria Tamayo-Canadas from the Benioff Ocean Initiative with support
from OCTO. The Clean Currents Coalition is a global network of 9 teams combatting the flow of plastic waste from
river systems to the ocean. Join the webinar to learn more about the solutions championed by Coalition member
teams in their river systems, the plastic-intercepting technologies they are piloting, and the social, policy, and
infrastructure-related strategies they are catalyzing in these communities. Register for the event here.

November 23-27th: MICRO2020 International Conference — Fate and Impacts of Microplastics:
Knowledge and Responsibilities

MICRO'S biannual international conference will be held during the originally planned dates of November 23-27,
2020, but it will be substantially online-based with several in-person meeting nodes. The goals of this conference are
to: (i) identify the research challenges; (ii) facilitate open access to the breadth of ongoing research; and (iii)
contribute a collaborative effort to our continuously expanding community. The call for abstracts is open from June
25 to September 20. Read more about the conference here.

December 7-8th: The Our Ocean Conference in Palau

The goal of Our Ocean 2020 is to show how local ocean actions and innovations drawn from diverse contexts can
translate into raising the level of global ocean ambition. Areas of action for conference discussions include: protected
areas, climate change, sustainable food from the ocean, a clean ocean, sustainable blue economies, and maritime
security. Keep apprised of news by clicking here.

The Microplastics Breakdown

The section below only includes a selection of notable, recent microplastics study
summaries. If you would like to receive the complete Microplastics Breakdown, please

contact Balhcisfictd.Nimnnafcftepa.eov

MICROPLASTICS SOURCES. TRANSPORT AND FATE

Coastal Zone Use Influences the Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in Hangzhou Bay,
China

Ting Wang, Menghong Hu, Lili Song, Jun Yu, Ruijuan Liu, Shixiu Wang, Zhifu Wang, Inna M. Sokolova,
Wei Huang, Youji Wang

The authors examined microplastics in seawater, sediment, and biota samples (fish, shrimp, and crab) and
characterized the abundance, shape, polymer type, and size of microplastics in Hangzhou Bay. Overall, the
abundance of microplastic in the bay was found to be lower than in other estuaries and adjacent sea areas in
China. Their analyses of the spatial distribution, polymer types, and shapes of microplastics indicate that
aquaculture and urban activities (e.g., coastal sewage) are the most important sources in the bay. Read the
full abstract here.

Interaction of Freshwater Microplastics with Biota and Heavy Metals: A Review

Nafiaah Naqash, Sadguru Prakash, Dhriti Kapoor, Rahul Singh

-------
The authors reviewed studies of microplastic contamination in freshwater systems with a focus on the
adsorption of heavy metals. Both aged and virgin microplastic particles were reported as carriers of heavy
metals, while aged particles were reported to adsorb significantly higher rates. This was attributed to surface
alterations by excessive weathering and ultraviolet radiation. These changes expand the surface area and
result in anionic active sites for the adsorption of pollutants such as metals. Read the full abstract here.

Impact and Fate of Microplastics in the Riverine Ecosystem

DJ Sarkar, SD Sarkar, S Mukherjee, BK Das

This chapter in "Contaminants in Drinking and Wastewater Sources" examines the processes via which
microplastics enter the river ecosystems and the fate of the plastic particles afterwards. In addition, it
discusses the ecotoxic effect of microplastics on aquatic biota, their detection techniques and possible risk
management. The authors identify the transport and fate analysis of the plastic particles through rivers as of
particular importance in establishing their abundance and to develop strategies to reduce possible human
health impacts. Read the full abstract here.

MICROPLASTICS IN WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER

Towards Control Strategies for Microplastics in Urban Water

E Faltstrom, SAnderberg

In this study, the authors use three substance flow analysis (SFA) studies for three pollutants: cadmium,
copper and pharmaceuticals, selected based on three criteria that the authors deemed made them similar to
microplastics. Flows and strategies to control the flows of wastewater and stormwater in certain European
city regions were compared with the goal of obtaining guidance for microplastic management and evaluating
potential strategies for controlling microplastics. Based on their analysis, the authors concluded that when
developing management plans for microplastics, the responsibility for each measure and the impact on the
entirety of the urban system should be considered as well as which portions of the system are particularly
valuable and should be avoided. They also acknowledge that there are advantages to prevention but that it
can be difficult to implement or need to be combined with other measures to significantly impact the load,
especially if they are based on voluntary action. Read full abstract here.

POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON AQUATIC LIFE. ECOSYSTEMS V	"U\*

Evidence of Selective Enrichment of Bacterial Assemblages and Antibiotic Resistant Genes
By Microplastics in Urban Rivers

J Wang, X Qin, J Guo, W Jia, Q Wang, M Zhang

In this study, microplastic particles were sampled in two urbanized rivers in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. The
bacterial assemblages colonizing microplastics were compared to planktonic bacteria in water samples from
the river. One of the significant results of this study was that microplastics selectively enriched antibiotic
resistant genes. Results suggest that microplastics may serve as hotspots for microbial interaction, which
possibly increases risks to freshwater ecosystems and human health. Read full abstract here.

Microplastics in the Agroecosystem: Are they an Emerging Threat to the Plant-Soil System?

Huadong Zang, Jie Zhou, Miles R. Marshall, David R. Chadwick, Yuan Wen, Davey L. Jones
The authors investigated the effect of microplastics on plant growth, soil microorganisms, and
photoassimilate carbon (C) allocation. They found that microplastics had numerous impacts on plants,
which varied depending on the type and amount. They found that microplastics had a negative effect on
plant growth, they greatly altered the flow of carbon through the plant-soil system, and increased the soil
microbial biomass as well as changed the structure and metabolic status of the microbial community. The
authors concluded that microplastics in soil are not benign and therefore every step should be made to
minimize their entry into the soil ecosystem and potential to transfer into the food chain. Read full abstract
here.

MICROPLASTICS IDENTIFICATION METHODS

Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry in Environmental Analysis: Focus on
Organic Matter and Microplastics

YPico, D Barcelo

The authors reviewed existing literature on Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS)
and explored its possible use to identify micro and nanoplastics in environmental samples. They concluded
that Py-GC-MS is more sensitive than other methods like Raman and FTIR, and less affected by impurities
and interferences of the samples. In addition, they found that it is the only technique able to detect
nanoplastics. Read the full abstract here.

-------
Separation and Identification of Microplastics From Primary and Secondary Effluents and
Activated Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants

CB Alvim, MA Bes-Pia, JA Mendoza-Roca

This study investigated three methods for extracting and characterizing microplastics at wastewater
treatment plants: one directed for effluents (peroxidation), and two for activated sludge (peroxidation and
Fenton). Samples of primary effluent, secondary effluent and activated sludge were collected from a
wastewater treatment plant located in Valencia, Spain. Peroxidation was found to be an effective method for
primary and secondary effluents and for activated sludge. A large amount of microfibers was observed in all
samples, corresponding to more than 90% of the microparticles. In the case of secondary effluents, only g%
of these microfibers were identified as plastics, the remaining ones corresponded to cotton. Read the full
abstract here.

If you'd like to see your posting in this email, please email MHrshall.Laync@cpH.gov with any

suggestions!

US EPA - Trash Free Waters | nandi.romcltecpa.gov | https: f /\vww.epa.ROv/tra»h-frGC-watcrs

-------