1,2,3-TCP Residential Treatment Pilot Project

 

NEW:

The 123-TCP Treatment Pilot Project for Domestic Well Households in Northern Monterey County is taking place in unincorporated communities where residents rely on domestic wells contaminated with high levels of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (123-TCP). 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.

The Project goals were to:

  • Conduct a pilot project to install 123-TCP Point-of-Entry (POE) household-level water treatment to reduce exposure by treating the water for this contaminant to levels below the California Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) at up to 20 households supplied by domestic wells or small water systems.

  • Monitor and document the project process, costs, and results to inform statewide efforts to effectively and economically implement 123-TCP treatment for domestic wells and state small and local small water systems.

Read the full report in English HERE

Read the full report in Spanish HERE

Background:

Many communities in current and former agricultural areas may be impacted by 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP) contamination of their groundwater because of its historic use in pesticides. The contaminant, which remains in groundwater for a very long time, is known to cause cancer, liver and kidney damage, as well as other health impacts. In 2017, CWC and our partners successfully advocated for the State of California to adopt a legal limit or Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for 1,2,3-TCP in drinking water. CWC supports communities and private well owners to seek funding and implement community-driven solutions to reduce 1,2,3-TCP in their drinking water.

CWC’s 1,2,3-TCP Residential Treatment Pilot Project focuses on point-of-entry treatment of the water in homes in Monterey County and San Benito County. The primary goal of this project is to reduce exposure to 1,2,3-TCP in the whole household including from inhalation of steam while showering. This multi-year project will also document costs associated with small-scale treatment of 1,2,3-TCP, which will help inform efforts statewide to address this dangerous contaminant impacting more than 642,000 Californians.

Update: Twelve 1,2,3-TCP treatment systems have been installed as of April 2024. Eleven systems are currently online, serving 60 people in Monterey County.

The SEP project is being undertaken as part of a settlement of an enforcement action by the Central Coast Water Board against Monterey Mushrooms, Inc. and Spawn Mate, Inc., for unauthorized discharges of process wastewater and polluted stormwater in 2017.