A new study on water pollution in Illinois may make you think twice before jumping into the lake this summer.

According to the Environment Illinois Research & Education Center, the recent study found microplastics across all 31 tested sites, including Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. These tiny pieces of litter may pose a potential health risk to humans and marine life, but what does that really mean for Chicagoans? 

What actually are microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Studies on the possible links to illnesses, such as cancer, are being conducted by the government and academic researchers. 

What did this study find in Lake Michigan and the Chicago River?

The study found microplastics, microfibers, microfilms and microfragments across the tested sites. These tiny, sometimes invisible to the naked eye, pieces of litter come from single-use plastics, fast-fashion production and stormwater runoff from nearby factories that use plastic pellets (also found in the waters).

RECOMMENDED: The historic Chicago River Swim is coming back in September

Should I worry?

Not immediately. The presence of plastics and other forms of litter are so widespread that there’s no simple fix. Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would require plastics manufacturers to better control runoff stormwater around their factories. The state also introduced a law in 2023 that bans Styrofoam food containers at state buildings. 

Can I still go in the water? 

Yes. Minimizing your contact with the water can, of course, limit the risk of any negative effects, but this study is not a reason to avoid the water completely. That being said, it’s probably wise to avoid submerging yourself in the Chicago River (after all, we all remember the Dave Matthews Band incident of 2004, right?). However, the Chicago River Swim returned last year after nearly a century, which confirms that the water is, technically, safe enough to swim in.

Now what? 

There are a few ways residents can help keep the waters clean. The Environment Illinois Research & Education Center recommends avoiding single-use plastics and fast-fashion trends, and reusing items when possible. The organization has also recommended that the state develop green infrastructure, pass additional producer responsibility laws and halt policies that promote increased manufacture and use of single-use plastics.

Despite these findings, it’s still safe to enjoy a dip in the lake. What’s better than jumping off the concrete beach on a scorching summer day? Just be sure to pick up your trash before you leave.

4Warn Weather – You might have seen headlines circulating about an expected El Niño developing in the Pacific Ocean.

It’s true that El Niño is likely to ramp up as we head into the summer, but what does that actually mean? And, more importantly, how could it affect the weather in Metro Detroit heading into the summer?

El Niño refers to the warm phase of a fluctuating climate pattern along the equator in the tropical Pacific Ocean. More specifically, it describes sea surface temperature anomalies along the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

The last El Niño occurred during the winter of 2023-24. These fluctuating sea surface temperatures can have a major influence on weather patterns around the globe, including across the United States.

During an El Niño pattern, the southern United States tends to be wetter and sometimes cooler than average. Meanwhile, parts of the Midwest, including Michigan, are more often drier and warmer than average.

Some headlines have already begun teasing the possibility of a “Super El Niño.”

That term refers to sea surface temperature anomalies in the monitored El Niño region exceeding 2 degrees Celsius. Since 1950, that has happened only three times, most recently during the 2015-16 event.

Right now, ocean temperatures are only beginning to trend above average. The Climate Prediction Center expects El Niño to develop in the coming months.

While forecasters say it’s likely El Niño conditions will develop, the exact strength of the event remains less certain. The likelihood of a very strong, or “super El Niño”, comes in around 37% as we get into the early part of winter.

In general, strong El Niño events don’t guarantee stronger impacts; rather, they just make certain impacts more likely.

As global temperatures continue to rise, emerging research suggests climate change is amplifying the strength of El Niño and La Niña swings by about 10%. The expected El Niño could push 2026, and even more likely 2027, to a near record category in terms of average global temperature.

So what does this mean for Metro Detroit?

Since there is a high certainty of an El Niño developing, then our forecast would look for the potential of warmer than average temperatures, as well as drier than average temperatures. This does not preclude us from getting frontal boundaries through the region that bring chances for showers and thunderstorms, but overall, the summer would trend drier and warmer than average.