The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a plan on Friday to launch a nationwide testing program targeting 30 currently unregulated contaminants in drinking water. The initiative, officially known as the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), is designed to gather scientific data on chemicals that may be present in public water supplies but do not yet face federal restrictions.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA is legally required to issue a fresh list of these unmonitored substances once every five years. The newly proposed lineup features 30 specific chemicals, including certain types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly called PFAS.
By collecting data directly from sampled public water systems, the agency intends to map out where these chemicals occur, how concentrated they are, and what risks they might pose to the public.
“Across the country, Americans have concerns about exposure to unregulated chemicals in their drinking water, and the Trump EPA is ensuring these concerns are addressed with gold standard science,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Jess Kramer. “The information we collect through this important monitoring effort will inform the agency’s future decisions to protect drinking water for Americans nationwide.”
The agency noted that this data collection will also support its “PFAS OUT” initiative, an outreach program built to help local water utilities handle PFAS challenges. The initiative offers location-specific resources, educational webinars, and direct technical assistance. Local water operations can access these tools and secure technical support through an EPA program called RealWaterTA.
The proposed rule is now open for a 60-day public comment period following its official publication in the Federal Register. To address questions from the public and stakeholders, the EPA will host two identical informational webinars on August 11, 2026, and August 12, 2026.
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