If you want to do your part in keeping Okanagan lakes and rivers clean, consider carpooling.

A new study by the UBC Okanagan School of Engineering says that more than 50 tonnes of tire and road wear particles are released annually into local waterways.

The study鈥檚 lead author, Dr. Haroon Mian, said that the results are 鈥渜uite significant.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 especially alarming considering that this microscopic waste can contaminate our freshwater sources.鈥�

In particular, the study was done locally using Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake as subjects, and were found to be unknowingly contaminated by thousands of vehicles on the highways every day.

鈥淭his analysis focused on a small section of highway in the BC interior, but the findings suggest that other regions across Canada may experience the same challenges with this type of contamination,鈥� said Mian.

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Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com
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