Raleigh -- September 5, 2026: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is spearheading a multistate effort urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to mandate testing for microplastics in public drinking water systems. This initiative, if adopted by the EPA, would directly impact Asheville's water supply and other utilities across Western North Carolina.
Jackson, along with a coalition of 11 other states and the District of Columbia, is calling on the EPA to add microplastics to its federal Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR). While the EPA has already included microplastics on its Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), signaling them as a priority contaminant group for further evaluation, Jackson's office argues that this alone is insufficient without requiring actual monitoring in water systems.
The UCMR mandates public water systems to monitor and report on specific contaminants that do not yet have federal drinking water standards. This process generates crucial nationwide data used to determine if formal regulation is necessary. If microplastics are added to UCMR 6, public water systems serving more than 3,300 people, including the City of Asheville’s water utility, would be required to conduct testing and report their findings.
This latest push from Jackson's office was announced on September 3, 2026, following earlier comments submitted in June 2026 regarding the EPA's draft CCL 6. The Attorney General's consistent focus on water safety includes previous efforts related to PFAS "forever chemicals" and other contaminants, underscoring a broader commitment to ensuring clean drinking water for North Carolinians.
The primary rationale behind this advocacy is to understand and manage potential risks to drinking water quality and public health. Jackson emphasizes that without standardized, nationwide data from public water systems, the scope of microplastic contamination cannot be accurately assessed. While human health impacts of microplastics are still being studied, the initiative aims to proactively gather data to ensure the safety and cleanliness of water for WNC residents.
For Asheville residents, mandatory microplastic monitoring would mean that the city's water utility would collect and report data on microplastic levels in local water sources. This would provide transparency and a clearer understanding of the presence of microplastics in the region's drinking water, potentially informing future water treatment strategies or regulations.