Pilot Project Demonstrates What it Takes to Successfully Treat Private Wells for 123-Trichloropropane

For Immediate Release

June 20, 2023

Contact:

Kelsey Hinton, Community Water Center, (765) 729-1674, kelsey.hinton@communitywatercenter.org 

Pilot Project Demonstrates What it Takes to Successfully Treat Private Wells for 123-Trichloropropane

Monterey County, Calif. - Today, Community Water Center released a report on a 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (123-TCP) Treatment Pilot Project for domestic wells in Monterey County. Household granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment systems were installed and are successfully treating water for 10 homes. These systems are actively reducing their exposure to 123-TCP, helping to protect the health of the families reliant on contaminated domestic wells. 

123-TCP is an extremely persistent contaminant often found in groundwater near rural agricultural communities. Exposure to 123-TCP at levels that exceed the legal limit increases the risk of cancer, and even minute concentrations in drinking water pose a health risk. Statewide, 123-TCP can be found at unsafe levels in 82 public water systems, impacting more than 642,000 people.  

While public water systems are able to install treatment for this contaminant, it is much more complex and expensive to address in the many private domestic wells that are also contaminated. There are no state-certified devices to treat 123-TCP in private wells, forcing families to rely on bottled water for drinking and cooking. Unfortunately, bottled water does not mitigate all concerns as 123-TCP when inhaled as steam, such as in showers, is also a health risk. Providing point-of-entry (POE) treatment for this contaminant is the best short-term option for households connected to contaminated private wells. 

This first-of-its-kind project provided funding for the installation of 123-TCP treatment systems for private wells with unsafe levels of this contaminant. Eight systems are currently online and providing water that is now safely below the MCL (0.005 µg/L) and detection limits (typically <0.0006 µg/L) for 123-TCP. All sites are in Monterey County. 

"I joined the project to have more security while using the water in my home. Even though I have additional contaminants, it protects me and my family from being exposed to TCP while showering,” says Maria Gonzalez, pilot project participant in Northern Monterey County. “This project has really helped reduce my stress levels because every time my family and I would go into the shower I was worried about being exposed to TCP and the health impacts that it could have on us. So I am now very grateful that I can shower without having to worry about the TCP."

“This community-driven pilot project showed it’s possible to reduce unsafe levels of 123-TCP for families reliant on contaminated private wells,” says John Erickson, Technical Director of Community Water Center. “However, installation, monitoring and maintenance costs for household level treatment are infeasible for most families. To achieve the Human Right to Water in California, we must fund short-term treatment options like this pilot and continue to advocate for long-term solutions such as consolidation.

Based on experience gained through this pilot, key recommendations for state policy on drinking water treatment for households served by private wells include:

• Fund sufficient outreach to appropriately identify private well households eligible for this type of treatment and inform them about water quality risks and the proposed treatment all in a language and format that they understand.

• Develop a plan and budget for operation and maintenance for as long as the treatment will be needed, including unexpected repair of leaks and routine replacement of parts.

• When possible, other more proven and robust long-term drinking water solutions such as consolidation with a public water system should be selected over POU/POE treatment.

This pilot project would not have been possible without the substantial efforts of dedicated community partners and their commitment to safe water solutions for their families. Treatment systems were designed, installed, maintained, and monitored monthly by Culligan of Salinas and Weber Hayes and Associates of Watsonville with strategic input from a Technical Advisory Committee. The Project was funded through a supplemental environmental project (SEP) as an enforcement action brought by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board against Monterey Mushrooms, Inc. and Spawn Mate, Inc. for unauthorized discharges of process wastewater and polluted stormwater in 2017.

All installed 123-TCP treatment systems will continue to be monitored and new project sites are currently being considered as this project continues through 2026 with funding from SAFER. 

The full report can be downloaded in English and Spanish. 

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Community Water Center (CWC) works to ensure that all communities have reliable access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Founded in 2006, CWC is a not-for-profit environmental justice organization, whose mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven water solutions through education, organizing, and advocacy. www.CommunityWaterCenter.org