A four-year research project looking into the impact of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems and on agricultural soils will have important implications for the Great Lakes, said its principal researcher. Funded by the Canadian government, the $1-million project was announced in May. It will measure microplastic levels in wastewater from treatment plants draining into Ontario rivers and streams that feed into the Great Lakes. Plants differ in their approach to treating wastewater, and so the team of university, government and private researchers hopes to better understand which treatments are best able to deal with microplastics.