Autotrol 1,2,3-TCP Filter

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What the Tulare County Municipal Water Record Shows About 1,2,3-TCP

The public water system serving Tulare County, CA, known as CA Water Service - Visalia, supplies 148,496 people through nearly 48,000 connections using groundwater. Government sampling between 2014 and 2016 detected 1,2,3-trichloropropane, commonly called TCP, in some measurements at up to 0.052 micrograms per liter (0.052 parts per billion), but no federal health-based violations have been recorded.

1. How a Soil Fumigant Impurity from the 1950s–1980s Reached Groundwater Decades Later

TCP entered groundwater as an impurity in soil fumigants used between the mid-20th century and the 1980s. These fumigants, applied in agriculture, percolated through soil layers over decades, reaching deep groundwater reservoirs. This delayed migration explains why TCP appears in modern municipal water drawn from groundwater sources in Tulare County, even years after its use ceased.

2. Why the Reporting Level for 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Is Thousands of Times Lower Than for Common Metals

The federal monitoring program sets the TCP reporting level at 0.03 micrograms per liter, much lower than levels used for metals like lead or copper. This sensitivity helps track even minimal presence due to TCP’s nature as a chlorinated solvent of concern. However, detections above this reporting level do not indicate a violation or unsafe condition under federal law, only that the constituent was measurable at low parts-per-billion concentrations.

3. How to Judge Treatment Capacity Against the Household's Daily Demand

Because your current equipment works but struggles to keep pace, it’s essential to match treatment capacity to daily household water use. Larger households or high water consumption require equipment that can handle the volume efficiently without performance loss. The Autotrol 1,2,3-TCP Filter ships ready to configure and is designed to address chlorinated solvents like TCP effectively when sized correctly for your household’s needs.

4. How Public-System Records Differ from Private-Well Testing in What They Establish

The Tulare County public water system’s TCP measurements reflect broad-area groundwater quality across thousands of connections. These results are averages from multiple sites over time, not a direct assessment of any individual home’s water. To determine your own water’s TCP concentration, a certified laboratory test on your household water supply is necessary.

5. How Seasonal or Multi-Year Variation Shows in the Record (Dates and Ranges Given)

Sampling from April 2014 to January 2016 shows TCP detections occurred in six of 86 measurements, with concentrations ranging between 0.03 and 0.052 micrograms per liter. This variability highlights fluctuations typical in groundwater sources over time and seasons, underscoring the importance of periodic testing and treatment capacity that can manage such variation.

6. How California's 5 ng/L State Limit Compares with the Absence of a Federal MCL

California enforces a 5 ng/L (0.005 micrograms per liter) maximum contaminant level for TCP, stricter than federal standards that currently do not establish an MCL. The Tulare County public water system’s highest TCP detection exceeds this state threshold but remains below any federal health-based violation. Households concerned about TCP levels relative to state limits may explore treatment options that align with these more stringent standards.

Summary: This page examined Tulare County’s 1,2,3-trichloropropane groundwater presence, its historical source, and monitoring context. If your household equipment is no longer keeping pace, evaluating daily water demand alongside certified testing is key to selecting appropriate treatment capacity. The Autotrol 1,2,3-TCP Filter offers a documented solution designed to address TCP effectively when sized and configured for your home's needs.

Where this information comes from

Source: EPA SDWIS public water system record. Sampled 2016-01-12. These figures describe the public water system's record, not the plumbing inside any individual building.

On record: EPA UCMR3 monitoring (2013-2015) for CA Water Service - Visalia (CA5410016), CA: 86 results across 1 listed contaminants, 6 detections above the reporting level; no federal MCL