1,2,3-TCP and EDB in Gloucester County Well Water: Testing and Treatment

1,2,3-TCP, EDB and DBCP are man-made chemicals tied to old soil fumigants. New Jersey regulators have found them in some private wells in Gloucester County and other South Jersey farm areas. You cannot see, smell or taste them, so the only way to know is a lab test. New Jersey has some of the strictest limits in the country: 0.030 micrograms per liter (µg/L) for 1,2,3-TCP, 0.05 µg/L for EDB and 0.2 µg/L for DBCP. The Private Well Testing Act has required all three tests at every home sale since March 3, 2019. If your well is above a limit, a whole-house granular activated carbon system is the proven treatment. A Clear Alternative offers a free in-home water analysis across Gloucester County. Call 1-888-577-8088.

What 1,2,3-TCP, EDB and DBCP Are

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP) is an industrial solvent, and it also turned up as an impurity in some soil fumigants once used on farm fields. The NJDEP notes that it leaches through soil into groundwater and lasts a long time once it gets there.

Ethylene dibromide (EDB) was a gasoline additive and a fumigant for crops and turf. The EPA suspended its use as a soil fumigant in 1984. DBCP was a soil fumigant and nematode killer used on many crops until the late 1970s.

All three are long gone from New Jersey farm use, but they can stay in groundwater for decades. The New Jersey Department of Health calls 1,2,3-TCP a potent carcinogen. That is why the limits are set so low.

Why Gloucester County Farm Areas Should Pay Attention

Gloucester County has a long history of orchards, vegetable fields and nurseries, and many of the homes around them run on private wells drawing from shallow sandy aquifers. That combination is where fumigant residue tends to show up. In its review of the chemical, the NJDEP listed private well detections of 1,2,3-TCP from 1999 to 2009 in Gloucester, Salem, Camden and Atlantic counties, among others. The state’s testing subcommittee report also found it in public wells in Gloucester County.

That does not mean most wells are affected. Plenty of wells next to farm fields test clean. But a home near current or former farmland, especially one with an older or shallower well, is a good reason to test instead of guess.

New Jersey Limits and Testing Rules

New Jersey’s drinking water limits, from the NJDEP standards table, are:

• 1,2,3-TCP: 0.030 µg/L (30 parts per trillion). New Jersey set this limit itself, and as of the NJ Department of Health fact sheet there was no federal standard.
• EDB: 0.05 µg/L
• DBCP: 0.2 µg/L

The 1,2,3-TCP limit is not a “safe line” based on health alone. The Department of Health explains that the health-based level is even lower, 0.0013 µg/L, but labs cannot reliably measure that low, so the legal limit was set at the lowest level labs can detect.

When Testing Is Required

Under the Private Well Testing Act, a home well must be tested for these three chemicals when the property is sold, every five years if the home is rented, and when a new well is built. If you have owned your home since before March 2019, your well may never have been tested for them. The Department of Health recommends a test by a certified lab if you are concerned.

How to Test Your Well

1. Use a New Jersey certified lab and ask for 1,2,3-TCP, EDB and DBCP by EPA Method 504.1 or 524.3. One method usually covers all three.
2. Sample raw water from a tap before any filter or softener, so you know what the well itself is producing.
3. Add the rest of a full panel if it has been a while: bacteria, nitrate, iron, manganese, pH, arsenic, gross alpha and volatile organic compounds. Farm-area wells often have nitrate questions too; see our nitrate guide.
4. Retest to confirm any result over the limit before you invest in treatment. Results this low can vary from sample to sample.

Treatment: Whole-House Granular Activated Carbon

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is the standard treatment for these chemicals. In its 2016 treatment report, the NJDEP described New Jersey private wells where two GAC tanks of 1.5 cubic feet each, run in series at up to 5 gallons per minute, brought 1,2,3-TCP below the 30 parts per trillion limit. The report called GAC the most widely used and best available treatment.

Why Two Tanks in Series

With two tanks, the first one does most of the work and the second one catches anything that starts to slip past. A sample tap between the tanks lets you see when the first tank is wearing out, so the carbon gets changed before any contamination reaches your faucets. The system should be sized to the home’s peak flow, because water that moves through carbon too fast is not treated as well.

Point of Entry, Not Just the Kitchen Sink

We generally recommend a whole-house (point-of-entry) carbon system for these chemicals, so every tap is treated, not just the kitchen faucet. If the water also has iron, manganese or low pH, those are treated ahead of the carbon so they do not foul it. Our Gloucester County iron and manganese guide covers that side. See all our options on the water treatment page.

What to Do Right After a High Result

• Talk with your doctor or the local health department if you have health questions.
• Many families switch to bottled water for drinking and cooking until treatment is in place and a follow-up test is clean.
• Keep copies of your lab reports. You will need them to size the treatment and to compare results later.
• Test the treated water after installation, then on a schedule, so you know the system is working.

Keeping a Carbon System Working

Carbon does not last forever. As it fills up, it stops holding these chemicals, and nothing about the water will look or taste different when that happens. That is why the sample tap between the two tanks matters. A lab test from that tap tells you when the first tank is close to used up. At that point the spent carbon is replaced, and in many setups the fresh tank moves into the second position. How often depends on the levels in your well and how much water the household uses, so the first year of testing sets the schedule.

If you are buying a Gloucester County home that already has a carbon system, ask the seller for service records and the last test of the treated water, not just the raw well test.

Gloucester County Wells We Serve

We test and treat private wells across Gloucester County, including Franklin, Elk, Monroe, Harrison, South Harrison, Woolwich, Logan, Newfield, Clayton and Mantua. Many of these towns mix farmland with newer neighborhoods on private wells. Visit our Gloucester County service area page for more on local water.

When to Call A Clear Alternative

Call us if a home sale test showed 1,2,3-TCP, EDB or DBCP, if you live near farm fields and your well has never been tested for them, or if you already have a carbon system and are not sure when it was last serviced. A Clear Alternative is a family-run company that has been treating New Jersey water since 1991, working from 9230 Collins Ave in Pennsauken. We will walk through your lab report, test what we can in your home for free, and design treatment around your results. Call 1-888-577-8088.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 1,2,3-TCP in well water?

1,2,3-Trichloropropane is a man-made chemical once found as an impurity in some soil fumigants and used as an industrial solvent. It leaches into groundwater and lasts a long time. New Jersey's limit is 0.030 micrograms per liter.

Is testing for 1,2,3-TCP required in New Jersey?

Yes, under the Private Well Testing Act at the sale of a home, every five years for rentals, and for new wells, since March 3, 2019. Homeowners who have not sold since then may never have tested for it.

Can I smell or taste 1,2,3-TCP or EDB?

No. At the levels that matter for drinking water, these chemicals have no taste, smell or color. A certified lab test is the only way to know.

What removes 1,2,3-TCP from well water?

Granular activated carbon. The NJDEP reported that two carbon tanks in series reduced 1,2,3-TCP below New Jersey's limit in private wells.

Does a reverse osmosis filter at the sink remove 1,2,3-TCP?

For these chemicals we recommend a whole-house carbon system, which is the treatment the NJDEP has documented for private wells, so every tap in the home is treated.