Chemicals have a variety of irreplaceable and beneficial uses in the modern life. However, their production, trade and use should be regulated due to the adverse effects they may have on human health, the ecosystems and the environment. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the emerging aquatic pollutants in Türkiye and review and update the specific pollutants listed in the By-Law on Surface Water Quality. In scope of the study, 199 emerging pollutants from the list of specific pollutants of the By-Law on Surface Water Quality were undergone an ecological risk assessment by applying the NORMAN prioritization methodology. The data on physicochemical and toxicological properties and uses of the chemicals was collected from several publicly available databases. Moreover, ambient water monitoring data collected between 2011 and 2019 in Türkiye was used for exposure assessment. Exposure, hazard and risks scores and overall scores were calculated for 199 chemicals. The chemicals were ranked according to the overall score and 53 chemicals were proposed to have higher risks to aquatic environment and to be assessed more rigorously. The study will be elaborated with additional monitoring data to be obtained from ongoing and future studies and will inform the policy making procedure on updating the specific pollutants list to protect water resources and the human health. By this feature, the study demonstrates a good example of bridging the science and policy.