Government testing from 2013 to 2015 in Waterford Township, Oakland County, recorded no detections of 1,2,3-trichloropropane above the reporting level of 0.03 micrograms per liter (µg/L) in the public water system, which sources its water from groundwater and serves over 73,000 people.
How a soil fumigant impurity from the 1950s-1980s reached deep groundwater decades later
1,2,3-TCP is a chlorinated solvent historically used as a soil fumigant and industrial chemical starting mid-20th century. Though banned decades ago, residues can remain in soil layers and gradually leach into deep groundwater over time due to its chemical stability and mobility. This slow migration explains why chlorinated solvents like TCP are still detected today, even though the original use was many years prior.
The agricultural land-use history of the region and how it maps onto detections
Waterford Township and surrounding Oakland County had periods of agricultural activity including crop fumigation practices that contributed to the presence of chlorinated compounds in groundwater. While widespread recent detections of TCP in the municipal water system were not observed in the recent monitoring, this historical land use provides context for why such contaminants remain a focus of water quality surveillance in the region.
How many samples and wells stand behind the figures, and what a small sample means
The record for Waterford Township's public water system showed 24 sampling results over the 2013-2015 monitoring period for 1,2,3-TCP. Sampling was conducted on groundwater wells supplying municipal water, reflecting system-wide water quality rather than individual home plumbing conditions. The limited number of samples means ongoing monitoring is important for a robust understanding, as small sample sets can miss localized presence or fluctuations in constituents.
What 'detected', 'median' and 'range' mean in the sampling record on this page
In the sampling data, 'detected' means the chemical was measured at or above the reporting level, which was 0.03 µg/L (parts per billion). Median values represent the middle concentration when the dataset is ordered, and range refers to the span between the lowest and highest detected values. For this system, no 1,2,3-TCP was detected, so median and range are not applicable. These terms describe measurement results and do not indicate violations or safety status.
How to compare this area's record with a neighbouring county's without overreading it
Comparing Waterford Township's monitoring results with those of neighboring counties requires attention to differences in land use, sampling frequency, well depth, and source water type. For example, a detection in a single well within another county does not imply household-level presence here, nor does it change this area's current record. Each jurisdiction’s monitoring provides information specific to its water system and cannot be extrapolated directly.
Granular activated carbon contact time: why bed depth matters more for TCP than for taste
To address chlorinated solvents like 1,2,3-trichloropropane in residential water supplies, treatment methods that use granular activated carbon (GAC) are effective because TCP adsorbs strongly onto carbon media. The key to efficiency with TCP is ensuring sufficient contact time between water and carbon, which depends largely on the depth of the carbon bed and the flow rate. Longer contact time enhances capture of low-level chlorinated solvents more than when treating taste or odor compounds.
For households evaluating treatment options, equipment such as the Autotrol 1,2,3-TCP Filter ships ready to configure for point-of-entry treatment. This technology leverages optimized carbon bed depth and controlled flow to address chlorinated solvent presence effectively.
This page summarizes monitoring done on the public water system supplying Waterford Township, Oakland County, which sources groundwater for over 73,000 residents. Original EPA data is available at the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule public records site for detailed reference.
Where this information comes from
Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2014-06-03. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.
On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Waterford Township (MI0006910), MI: 24 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level