Even Remote Sacred Springs Show Microplastics at Every Site Sampled

Remote springs can look pristine and still carry plastic particles too small to see. A new peer-reviewed baseline study of culturally important freshwater systems in South Africa found microplastics at every site sampled, including remote springs.

Researchers from Rhodes University, the National Research Foundation, and the University of the Witwatersrand sampled nine sites in March 2025, during the rainy season: four at Isinuka Springs near Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, and five carbon dioxide–seeping freshwater systems along the Bongwana Fault. Across those sites they found 184 microplastic particles, with concentrations ranging from 5 to 48 particles per litre (an average of about 20.4 per litre). The highest concentration was at the most intensively used Isinuka site.

Communities and visitors use these waters for drinking, bathing, spiritual cleansing, traditional healing, and other cultural practices. Lead author Thendo Mutshekwa and colleagues describe the work as a baseline occurrence study. It does not show that microplastics in these waters are causing health problems, and it does not describe seasonal or long-term pollution patterns. Only one surface-water sample was taken per site, and sediments and aquatic organisms were not analysed.

Most particles were fibres and filaments (about 70%). Polypropylene and polystyrene were the most commonly identified polymers in the subsample that could be analysed. The study did not trace the particles to a single source; littering, human activity, rainfall and runoff, tourism, and even the atmosphere are all possible pathways. What stood out to the team was that microplastics turned up even at cleaner-looking, more remote sites.

The takeaway is simple: water that looks clean to the naked eye can still carry particles we cannot see, which is why the researchers call for regular, multi-season monitoring of sacred springs, done together with the communities who have cared for these waters for generations.

A note on scope: this post summarises a baseline study. It is not medical advice or a health-risk finding, and it is not a claim that any product treats or restores these springs.

Sources

• Mutshekwa et al., “Microplastics contamination in Isinuka springs and CO₂-seeping freshwater systems in South Africa: a baseline study,” African Journal of Aquatic Science (2026). Read the study
• Mail & Guardian (Sep 24, 2026), The microplastics hiding in SA’s sacred waters. Read the coverage

Keep learning

Explore more water literacy and current news at Hydrology University: hydrologyuniversity.com

More from WaterVO News: Truckee River spring microplastics coverage · Spout Monolith: water from air, no plumbing line required

Curious about a household drinking-water option that doesn’t need a plumbing line? See the Spout Monolith.