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Several polar contaminants were found in screening analyses of 30 representative surface water samples collected from rivers, lakes, and canals in Berlin. Residues of pharmaceuticals and N‐(phenylsulfonyl)‐sarcosine originating from various sewage treatment plants effluents were found at concentrations up to the μg/L‐level in the surface water, whereas the concentrations of polar pesticides such as dichlorprop and mecoprop were always below 0.1 μg/L. The pharmaceuticals most frequently detected in the surface water samples include clofibric acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, propiphenazone, and two other drug metabolites. Additional investigations of groundwater wells of a drinking water plant have shown that polar contaminants such as drug residues or N‐(phenylsulfonyl)‐sarcosine easily leach through the subsoil into the groundwater aquifers when contaminated surface water is used for groundwater recharge in drinking water production.