Virginia drinking-water officials say they have not sampled for microplastics or pharmaceutical residues. A research review expected in December could help inform what comes next.

Roanoke, VA

Author: Roanoke Rambler Staff, Tina Charisma Lead

Published: 7:50 AM EST November 4, 2026

Edited: 7:51 AM EST November 4, 2026

Listen Here: Roanokesradio.com

Roanoke residents looking for information about their drinking water can check published results for contaminants that public utilities are required to monitor. But for microplastics and pharmaceutical residues, the state’s drinking-water office has no measurements from its own sampling to offer.

“The Office of Drinking Water has not conducted sampling for microplastics or pharmaceutical residues,” the Virginia Department of Health told The Roanoke Rambler.

That leaves a gap in the information available to households seeking to understand their water. It does not establish that either substance is present—or absent.

It also does not establish whether local utilities have tested independently. Asked about water quality in the Roanoke area, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directed the newspaper to public water systems for information about any voluntary sampling they may have conducted.

The question comes as federal officials consider microplastics and pharmaceuticals for further scrutiny, and Virginia awaits a research review expected to be completed in December.

Federal Attention, Without a Testing Requirement

Virginia’s Office of Drinking Water says it has not sampled for microplastics or pharmaceutical residues. 

EPA has included microplastics and pharmaceuticals as groups on its draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List, which identifies substances for research and possible future regulation.

In its response to the newspaper, EPA said the list helps guide research priorities, funding decisions and its regulatory agenda. Inclusion signals that a substance warrants scientific attention; it does not itself establish a drinking-water standard or require local sampling.

That is different from the enforceable standards and treatment requirements EPA has established for more than 90 contaminants in public water systems. VDH enforces those federal requirements in Virginia, EPA said.

For residents reading a water-quality report, the distinction matters: results for regulated contaminants do not answer every question about substances outside routine monitoring.

A Review Expected in December

VDH said future microplastics sampling would depend on changes in federal or state law.

For now, the department is conducting a literature review through Virginia Tech, with results expected by December 2026.

A literature review examines existing research. It does not, by itself, provide new measurements of what is in Roanoke’s drinking water.

Asked whether existing treatment systems can remove microplastics, particularly the smallest particles, VDH pointed to the review rather than providing a direct assessment of local treatment performance.

The department also identified obstacles to testing: uncertain sampling methods, a lack of certified uniform analytical methods, limited laboratory capacity, high costs and incomplete agreement about the implications for human health.

Those challenges affect both the ability to measure particles consistently and the conclusions residents could draw from a result.

What Earlier Testing made Possible

The Western Virginia Water Authority’s 2026 water-quality report offers an example of how monitoring for a different contaminant led to action.

After HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX, was detected in water feeding Spring Hollow Reservoir, the authority increased testing, adjusted its use of granular activated carbon and temporarily stopped pumping from the Roanoke River into the reservoir, according to the report.

The report says the upstream source stopped discharging water containing the chemical and that river samples have been below the detection limit for HFPO-DA since May 2023.

That history documents a response to a measured contaminant. It does not establish whether microplastics or pharmaceutical residues are present, or how effectively local treatment removes them.

Well Owners Face Different Responsibilities

For households using private wells, decisions about further testing fall largely to the owner.

VDH said a bacteriological sample is required when a private well is constructed, before it enters service. After that, further water-quality sampling is at the owner’s discretion.

A bacteria test does not answer questions about microplastics or pharmaceutical residues. VDH said it has no data on the incidence of microplastics in private wells.

The department noted that bored wells and wells in karst terrain are generally more vulnerable to contamination. That does not establish that any particular well contains microplastics.

Asked whether it would assist with an independently designed local sampling project, VDH said it was willing to help “with appropriate authority and funding.”

Its response identifies a possible route to gathering evidence, rather than an announced sampling program.

For now, residents seeking existing results can consult Virginia’s online Drinking Water Viewer and their utility’s water-quality report. Questions about voluntary testing need to go directly to the water provider, EPA said.

Virginia’s forthcoming review may help explain the science. Whether local sampling will follow remains unanswered.

The Roanoke Rambler