The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed including microplastics and pharmaceuticals on a list of contaminants in drinking water for the first time. The move, part of the draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), is a step that could eventually lead to new limits on those substances and affect future water quality regulations for Santee and East County residents.

While this proposal does not impose immediate regulations, it is a first step toward formally recognizing these substances as emerging concerns for public water systems, triggering further research into their health effects and treatment methods. For East County water customers — served by agencies including Helix Water District (La Mesa, El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, and Lakeside) and Padre Dam Municipal Water District (Santee) — this federal action could eventually lead to new monitoring and filtration standards.

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles that are increasingly found in oceans, soil, and even the air, have raised public health concerns worldwide. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is responding to Americans who have worried about plastics and pharmaceuticals in their drinking water.

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to publish the Contaminant Candidate List every five years, identifying unregulated contaminants that may require national drinking water regulations in the future. The inclusion on the CCL is the first step in a lengthy process that involves data collection, health-risk assessment, and public comment before any new rules are mandated.

Local water agencies will likely await further guidance and research from the EPA before making any changes to their current treatment processes. However, this federal action puts the issue of microplastics firmly on the agenda for water purveyors across the country.