Independent environmental research concerning the content of microplastic and other pollutants in the Volga River

The first stage of the expedition- Upper Volga Region

The non-profit Foundation "Clean hands, clean rivers", supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Tver, will be conducting an expedition in the upper region of the Volga River in the summer of 2020. The objectives of the expedition are as follows:
• assessment and analysis of microplastic in river water
• identification of pollution sources

The expedition route will include a section of the Volga river within the local region. The total distance that will be covered is over 370 km. A number of cities and tributaries are located within the area of research section of the river. Conducting thorough research within those cities and tributaries will allow the team to estimate their roles in regards to the overall pollution.

The research format involves analysis of a wide range of parameters. The Foundation's research vessel is equipped with modern equipment. Sampling and analysis at 50 different places will result in a very detailed description of the river's current state in regards to pollution.

In addition to studying a number of environmental parameters, the foundation's specialists will evaluate the microplastic content using their own, newly developed methods. The Foundation's studies on microplastic are completely new to Russia. The waters of Volga have never been examined for microplastic prior to the upcoming expedition.

The Foundation "Clean hands, clean rivers" has extensive experience in environmental research. In 2019, a comprehensive program to study microplastic in the rivers of Russia, has been launched. Since then, the studies have already been carried out on the rivers Don, Oka, and a number of rivers in the Moscow region. The results of the research have been presented to the Federal Agency for Water Resources and the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation.

Conducting a comprehensive environmental study on the Volga River within the region of Tver, allows for a detailed analysis of the pollution in the river. In addition to that, this expedition will become an important stage on the way to a more in-depth and broad study of the Russian rivers and should be of great importance for further research on the Volga. The expedition of the Foundation "Clean hands, clean rivers" is a contribution to the national ecological campaign in Russian Federation.