VOC Reduction System Water Filter

Buy Now

View full details

EPA records for the public water system serving AS show no detections of several monitored volatile organic compounds (VOCs) above their reporting levels during 2013-2015. This data comes from the Central ASG system and covers 68 separate samples for each listed VOC, all reporting zero detected concentrations above the threshold levels.

How Are VOCs Different from Other Common Residential Water Concerns?

Volatile organic compounds are a class of chemicals that can dissolve in water and sometimes impart taste or odor. They differ from minerals or metals like iron or hardness-causing elements, which are often confused with VOC effects. Unlike microbial contaminants, VOCs do not relate to bacteria or pathogens. Understanding this distinction helps focus testing and solutions on the specific compounds involved.

Why Does the Public Water System Record Not Tell Me Exactly What's in My Home's Water?

The EPA’s sampling data represents the water quality at entry points of the public system, averaged over many samples. It does not measure water quality inside any individual home’s plumbing, which may vary due to household pipes, fixtures, or additional water sources. Private well water also differs since it’s separately sourced and tested. To assess your home's water, a targeted sample from your tap analyzed for VOCs is essential.

What Do Terms Like 'Detected,' 'Median,' and 'Range' Mean in the EPA Sampling Data?

• Detected: Indicates whether the chemical was measured above the instrument’s minimum reporting level. Here, none of the tested VOCs were detected above those levels.
• Median: The middle value of measurements taken. With no detections, the median is effectively zero.
• Range: The span between the lowest and highest detected values, which here is from zero up to the reporting limit but with no actual detections.

These terms help interpret the scope and variability of contamination, but they do not define safety or legal limits, only what was measured.

Which Household Fixtures or Water Uses Would First Reflect the Presence of VOCs?

VOCs tend to be more noticeable in cold water usage—for drinking, cooking, or ice making—before hot water, as heating can reduce their concentration. Fixtures like kitchen taps, water dispensers, or filtration pitchers are thus the first places where VOC effects might appear if present. Appliances dependent on cold water will reflect any chemical presence earlier than bathtubs or showers.

How Do Aesthetic Secondary Standards for VOCs Differ from Health-Based Limits?

Government health-based limits focus on long-term risk of harm, while aesthetic secondary standards address taste, smell, or staining issues. For many VOCs, no federal maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) exist; instead, monitoring programs like EPA’s UCMR measure presence without defining health thresholds. This means detection alone does not imply a health risk or violation.

What Is the Single Test I Should Order to Understand VOCs in My Home Water, and What Result Would Settle My Concern?

To determine the VOC status of your home water, arrange for a comprehensive VOC test of a tap sample from your residence, analyzed by a certified laboratory. A result showing no VOCs above reporting levels consistent with local public system findings would confirm low VOC presence. If VOCs are detected, a Pentair VOCs & Industrial Chemicals Filter offers a direct-purchase option designed to reduce these chemicals effectively, shipping ready to configure for household use.

Where this information comes from

Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2015-02-27. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.

On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Central ASG (AS9711948), AS: 408 results across 6 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level