Fleck 1,2,3-TCP Filter

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The Limits of Area Water Data for Your Home’s 1,2,3-TCP Status

The EPA’s public water system records for Auburn Water District, which serves roughly 17,000 residents in Androscoggin County from surface water sources, show no detections of 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) above the reporting threshold over multiple samples between 2013 and 2015. This monitoring informs about average conditions across the municipal distribution system rather than individual household water quality. Only a specific water test on your home’s source can establish your actual 1,2,3-TCP concentration.

1. Agricultural Land-Use History and Its Mapping to 1,2,3-TCP Detections

Historically, in regions like Androscoggin County, chlorinated solvents such as 1,2,3-TCP often originated as impurities in soil fumigants used in farming from the 1950s through the 1980s. The Auburn Water District’s surface water supply generally reflects watershed land use, which includes some agricultural activity. While federal monitoring indicates no TCP above detectable levels, patterns elsewhere show that agricultural runoff or soil leaching can introduce trace amounts of this chlorinated solvent into nearby water bodies over time.

2. Why 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Resists Air Stripping and What That Means for Treatment Choice

1,2,3-TCP is chemically resistant to treatment by air stripping, a process that removes volatile compounds by transferring them from water to air. Because of its low volatility and strong chemical bonds, air stripping is ineffective for reducing TCP concentrations. This resistance requires consideration of equipment that uses alternative mechanisms capable of adsorbing or filtering chlorinated solvents specifically.

3. How a Soil Fumigant Impurity from the 1950s-1980s Reached Deep Groundwater Decades Later

The legacy of chlorinated solvent impurities like 1,2,3-trichloropropane in soil fumigants lies in their long-term environmental persistence. These compounds can percolate slowly through soil profiles and enter groundwater over decades. While Auburn’s water supply is from surface water and current data do not show quantifiable TCP, understanding this timeline highlights why routine monitoring and consideration of treatment options remain pertinent for households.

4. How the Treated Water Differs at the Tap Once the Documented Technology Is in Place

Equipment based on the Fleck technology designed specifically for 1,2,3-TCP acts by adsorbing this chlorinated solvent from water as it passes through its filter media. After configuring this technology on household water lines, water at the tap reflects a significant reduction in TCP levels where present. The treated water is free from the chlorinated solvent’s taste and odor characteristics and aligns with cleaner aesthetic qualities compared to untreated supply water that might carry trace TCP.

5. Why the Reporting Level for This Solvent Is Thousands of Times Lower Than for Common Metals

The EPA’s detection threshold for 1,2,3-trichloropropane is set at 0.03 micrograms per liter (0.03 ppb), a sensitivity far greater than thresholds for typical metals or minerals in water. This low reporting level points to the solvent’s potential health considerations at very small concentrations and the need for specialized treatment equipment capable of addressing these trace contaminants effectively. It also explains why non-detection does not mean absence but indicates concentrations below this stringent benchmark.

What Not to Conclude from Area Detection Data

Even with the Auburn Water District’s documented lack of detectable 1,2,3-TCP levels in the period surveyed, this does not guarantee your household water is free of the chlorinated solvent. Your water source, plumbing, and private well conditions can differ significantly. To know your home’s specific situation, water testing targeted at 1,2,3-trichloropropane is essential. Should testing reveal the presence of TCP, technologies such as the Fleck 1,2,3-TCP Filter, which ships ready to configure, are documented for managing this chlorinated solvent effectively within household water systems.

Where this information comes from

Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2014-08-11. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.

On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Auburn Water District (ME0090070), ME: 4 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level