What Happens to 1,2,3-Trichloropropane When Air Stripping Is Attempted?
1,2,3-Trichloropropane, often abbreviated as 1,2,3-TCP or simply TCP, is a chlorinated solvent that does not readily evaporate from water during air stripping processes. This resistance to air stripping means that treatment methods relying on volatilization are ineffective against this contaminant. Air stripping is typically used for volatile organic compounds that easily transfer from liquid to gas, but TCP’s chemical properties require different treatment approaches focused on adsorption or advanced filtration.
Why Is Granular Activated Carbon Bed Depth More Critical for 1,2,3-TCP Than for Taste or Odor Compounds?
The treatment of 1,2,3-trichloropropane with granular activated carbon (GAC) depends heavily on contact time, which is primarily determined by the bed depth of the carbon. Unlike aesthetic issues such as taste or odor, which can be addressed with relatively shallow carbon beds, effectively managing TCP demands deeper GAC beds to provide enough surface area and contact duration for adsorption. This extended contact is necessary because TCP molecules bind less readily and at slower rates than many other organic compounds common in water.
How Does 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Enter Groundwater and Tucson’s Distribution System?
In Pima County, the presence of 1,2,3-TCP in the metropolitan water system ties back to its origin as an impurity in soil fumigants used between the 1950s and 1980s. These chemicals eventually migrated downward, reaching deep groundwater sources that supply Tucson’s public water system. The Metropolitan Drinking Water System (DWID AZ0410076) relies on groundwater, which makes monitoring for legacy contaminants like TCP an essential part of ensuring water quality. Importantly, federal monitoring from 2014 to 2015 found no detections of 1,2,3-TCP above the reporting level of 0.03 micrograms per liter (µg/L), meaning at the system level, this chlorinated solvent was not measurable during that period.
How to Assess Treatment Capacity Based on Your Household’s Water Use?
Considering treatment options for TCP means selecting equipment designed to handle your household’s daily water demand while providing adequate contact time with filtrating media such as granular activated carbon. Since TCP adsorption depends on enough bed depth and flow rate control, it is important that equipment shipped ready to configure matches the volume of water your household consumes. For typical residential use, systems designed specifically for 1,2,3-trichloropropane can be directly purchased to address this concern efficiently without over- or under-sizing.
What Are Long-Term Risks if 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Is Not Addressed?
Leaving chlorinated solvents like TCP untreated in water over many years can result in taste and odor issues, staining, and potential equipment corrosion related to water quality changes. Although the Metropolitan Water System in Tucson shows no health-based violations for 1,2,3-TCP, homeowners relying on private wells or different water sources may need to test for this compound specifically to make informed decisions. Treating 1,2,3-trichloropropane proactively can mitigate aesthetic problems and extend the lifespan of household water infrastructure.
To sum up, the Metropolitan Drinking Water System serving Tucson and Pima County is monitored by the EPA and has reported no detections of 1,2,3-trichloropropane above the 0.03 µg/L reporting level in recent federal surveys. This information is publicly available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) under public water system records. For those concerned about their own water quality, especially if not connected to the public system, testing for 1,2,3-TCP is the only way to know individual household levels. The Autotrol 1,2,3-TCP Filter provides a proven, configurable treatment option to address this contaminant when present.
Where this information comes from
Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2015-08-31. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.
On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for Metropolitan DWID (AZ0410076), AZ: 46 results across 1 listed contaminants, 0 detections above the reporting level; nothing detected above the method reporting level
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