Whole House 1,2,3-TCP Reduction Water Filter System - Trichloropropane Removal
Making the Treatment Decision This Week
This week, your household is weighing which class of treatment to pursue for 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) concerns, considering data from local water quality reports and your residence in Deschutes County.
A Legacy of a Soil Fumigant Impurity and Its Journey to Groundwater
1,2,3-trichloropropane originated as an impurity in soil fumigants widely applied between the 1950s and 1980s. Over decades, this chlorinated solvent migrated through soil, eventually reaching groundwater and surface water sources. This slow movement means that even current detections can reflect historical applications rather than recent contamination events.
What Public Water System Records Tell You Compared to Private Well Testing
The Bend Water Department, serving over 77,000 people in Deschutes County, provides federally collected data based on its monitoring of surface water sources. Between December 2013 and October 2014, 1,2,3-TCP was not detected above the reporting threshold of 0.03 micrograms per liter (µg/L), equivalent to 0.03 parts per billion (ppb), in 22 separate samples. These results are system-wide and do not reflect the water quality at any specific household or private well. To understand your home’s water quality directly, a private water test measuring 1,2,3-TCP concentration must be obtained. This single-sample approach is essential since public system data provides context but cannot define individual water conditions.
Differences Between Aesthetic Secondary Standards and Health-Based Limits Applied to 1,2,3-TCP
It is important to distinguish between aesthetic secondary standards and health-based federal limits. For 1,2,3-trichloropropane, there is currently no federal maximum contaminant level (MCL) established, meaning no regulatory health-based threshold applies. Some states or regions may set advisory levels primarily for taste, odor, or staining considerations, but these do not represent health risks. Recognizing this distinction helps households focus on what measurements mean for health rather than aesthetic preference.
Interpreting Measured Levels Against Federal Standards and What This Does Not Guarantee
The absence of 1,2,3-TCP detections above the federal reporting level within the public system suggests low or undetectable presence in monitored surface water sources. However, this does not guarantee that every home’s water is free from TCP since private wells or household plumbing can differ. The reporting level also does not serve as a health limit but as a point above which detections are noted. Therefore, low or non-detect results in the public system indicate no EPA health-based violations and can help frame your treatment needs but cannot replace direct testing of your own water supply.
Household Symptoms That Are and Are Not Linked to 1,2,3-TCP Presence
1,2,3-trichloropropane is a chlorinated solvent that typically does not produce noticeable taste, odor, or staining effects at low concentrations. Therefore, common household water issues such as unpleasant taste or visible discoloration are unlikely to indicate TCP. Symptoms more commonly associated with TCP require laboratory analysis rather than visual or sensory detection. If health concerns are driving your decision, testing is the only way to confirm presence or absence.
Next Step: The Single Test to Clarify Your Water’s 1,2,3-TCP Level
The decisive step is to order a certified water test measuring 1,2,3-trichloropropane concentration in your household supply. This test will provide a precise microgram per liter (µg/L) measurement tailored to your water. If the test shows measurable TCP, then pursuing the C-Series 1,2,3-TCP Filter, which ships ready to configure for home use, can address the issue. Without this test, treatment decisions must rely on incomplete regional data, which cannot confirm your home’s quality.
Where this information comes from
Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2014-10-20. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.
On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Bend Water Department (OR4100100), OR: 22 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level