Tiny pieces of plastic shed from food wrappers, grocery bags, clothing, cigarette butts, tires and paint are invading the environment and every facet of daily life. Researchers know the plastic particles have even made it into municipal water supplies, but very little data exists about the scope of microplastic contamination in drinking water. 

After years of planning, California is embarking on a first-of-its-kind data-gathering mission to illuminate how prevalent microplastics are in the state’s largest drinking water sources. The latest Western Water article by our journalism team explores California’s groundbreaking program that could help regulators determine whether microplastics are a public health threat and lead to the world’s first standard for microplastics in drinking water. 

Western Water has been providing in-depth coverage of water resource issues in California and the West since 1977. Our team of journalists — Jenn Bowles, who serves as executive editor of Western Water, editor Doug Beeman and writer Nick Cahill — bring deep experience covering natural resources in California and the West.

Additional Water Resources

Western Water is among an array of journalism and educational resources the Water Education Foundation offers to help you stay informed on our most important natural resource – water. And as today is World Water Day, there’s no better time to explore our resources. 

For example:

• As California and the West are whipsawed between drought and flood, the Foundation’s All Things Drought resource page and its Water Academy page on Floods gather news updates and other resources to help you stay informed.  
• As the seven states that rely on the Colorado River negotiate how to use less water, you can find resources on the river that can help you keep up with history, background and daily news developments affecting this troubled lifeline for 40 million people and more than 4 million irrigated farm acres in the American Southwest.
• Aquafornia, our water newsfeed compiled each weekday, gathers the most important and interesting developments involving water from around California and the West to help you stay up to date. Sign up here to get the top daily stories from Aquafornia and the latest Western Water articles delivered directly to your inbox.
• Our library of Layperson’s Guides provides easy to read overviews of key water topics, such as California water, climate change, water rights law and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Our latest addition to the series is the Layperson’s Guide to Water Conservation, explaining the driving forces behind the need to stretch water supplies, and examples of what homeowners, businesses, farmers and cities are doing to make the most of the water they have.