Fleck 1,2,3-TCP Filter

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Agricultural Land-Use History and Regional 1,2,3-TCP Findings

Baltimore City County's water enters homes from a public surface water system serving over 1.6 million people. Although this urban region is less agricultural today, a historical perspective reveals that neighboring farmlands once used soil fumigants containing chlorinated solvents. These substances, including 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP), were impurities found in soil treatments from decades ago. Sampling by federal authorities between 2013 and 2015 recorded no detected 1,2,3-TCP above 0.03 micrograms per liter (µg/L) across twelve measurements in the system, indicating the public supply has no measurable TCP by those tests. This background sets expectations that residential tap water in Baltimore City typically aligns with these low-detection findings, reflecting wide-area water quality rather than an individual household's condition.

Legacy of Soil Fumigants and Their Path to Local Water Sources

Between the 1950s and 1980s, 1,2,3-trichloropropane was often an unintended component in soil fumigants used to control pests. Over decades, compounds like this migrated from soils into deeper groundwater layers or surface waters feeding widespread water supplies. The Chesapeake Bay watershed, encompassing Baltimore City, has experienced such historical chemical movements through groundwater recharge and river inflows. Understanding this slow transport process clarifies why monitoring continues despite low or non-detect values and why urban water systems remain vigilant to these legacy substances potentially entering water sources.

Evaluating Treatment Capacity Relative to Household Water Needs

For a household seeking to address concerns about 1,2,3-TCP, assessing daily water usage is critical. Treatment technologies based on the Fleck System are designed to handle volumes consistent with typical residential demand. Such equipment ships ready to configure and works by targeting chlorinated solvents like TCP, functioning effectively without requiring complex setup. Matching the treatment capability with peak and average daily water flow ensures the system can maintain reduction efficiency and water quality at fixtures.

Sample and Well Depth Influence on TCP Expectations

The depth of water samples and well locations in Baltimore City’s system affect what concentrations might be found. Surface water sources supplying much of the area tend to have different contaminant profiles than deep groundwater wells. The monitored system’s records reflect surface water quality, where TCP presence was not detected above reporting levels. Households on private wells or those drawing from confined aquifers might observe different chemical profiles, underlining the importance of individual water tests to understand specific tap water composition beyond system-wide data.

Scope of Sampling: How Many Tests Inform Regional Water Quality

The Baltimore City public water system's monitoring included twelve samples for 1,2,3-TCP, a modest but federally recognized sample size for the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3). While this provides an informed snapshot of system-wide water quality, it does not substitute for testing at individual taps. A small number of detections or non-detections across this sample cannot guarantee identical water quality at every home but indicates that 1,2,3-trichloropropane, if present, is below the measurable threshold in the public supply’s surface water source.

Recommended Water Testing to Determine Individual Household Status

Due to regional data showing no detections of 1,2,3-TCP above 0.03 µg/L in Baltimore City’s surface water system, the single decisive step for any household is to conduct a targeted analysis of their own water. Only a certified laboratory test measuring 1,2,3-trichloropropane at a home tap or well can establish true local levels in micrograms per liter or parts per billion. Such testing clarifies if additional measures using a Fleck 1,2,3-TCP Filter, which addresses chlorinated solvents effectively, would be beneficial based on actual household water conditions.

Where this information comes from

Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2015-10-27. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.

On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Baltimore City (MD0300002), MD: 12 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level