Emerging Contaminants
This page contains links to information about new and emerging contaminants that pertain to drinking water and to recycled water.
New and emerging contaminants are unregulated and may be new contaminants (e.g., MTBE, now regulated in California) or those that may have been present but not detected (e.g., perchlorate and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, now also regulated in California). Other examples of such contaminants are PFAS, microplastics, NDMA and other nitrosamines, cyanotoxins from harmful algal blooms, and 1,4-dioxane.
Also among the emerging contaminants are pharmaceuticals and personal care products, industrial chemicals present at low concentrations, and chemicals that may affect hormone status, referred to as "endocrine disruptors."
Other Information about Emerging Contaminants
- Notification and Response Levels for Unregulated Contaminants
- U.S. EPA Drinking Water Health Advisories
- Division of Drinking Water Method Development and Validation
- U.S. EPA's Analytical Methods for Unregulated Contaminants
- U.S. EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rules
- Monitoring Strategies for Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Recycled Water - Recommendations of a Scientific Advisory Panel (PDF, 4.2MB), April 2018.
- Pharmaceutical Waste and Personal Care Products - information from Cal/EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)
- DTSC’s Safer Consumer Products Program Candidate Chemicals List
- No Drugs Down the Drain - an effective means of source water protection is to keep pharmaceuticals out of wastewater
- Pharmaceuticals and Other Product Categories - information from the Product Stewardship Institute
- Chemicals and Contaminants in Drinking Water
Other Information
- Information for Public Drinking Water Systems
- Division of Drinking Water's Recycled Water Information
Stay informed
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Subscribe to the Drinking Water Program Announcements email topic to receive notifications and the latest updates.
Contact Us
State Water Resources Control Board
Division of Drinking Water
Regulatory Development Unit
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 100
Sacramento, CA 95812-0100
Street Address:
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
E-mail us at DDWRegUnit@waterboards.ca.gov.
