Trichloroacetic acid
Orleans Water Department
Trichloroacetic acid, one of the group of five haloacetic acids regulated by federal standards, is formed when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Haloacetic acids and other disinfection byproducts increase the risk of cancer and may cause problems during pregnancy. Click here to read more about disinfection byproducts.
Samples
Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)
Samples exceeding
health guidelines
Testing results - average by year
| Year | Average result | Samples taken | Detections | Range of results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2014 | N/A | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2015 | 0.219 ppb | 16 | 5 | ND - 0.890 ppb |
| 2016 | 0.445 ppb | 16 | 12 | ND - 0.740 ppb |
| 2017 | 0.266 ppb | 16 | 5 | ND - 0.990 ppb |
| 2018 | 0.369 ppb | 16 | 9 | ND - 0.830 ppb |
| 2019 | 0.356 ppb | 16 | 6 | ND - 1.40 ppb |
ppb = parts per billion
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
EWG Health Guideline 0.1 ppb
The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for trichloroacetic acid was proposed in 2020 by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk.a one-in-a-million lifetime risk of cancer. Values greater than one-in-a-million cancer risk level can result in increased cancer cases above one in a million people.
ppb = parts per billion
All test results
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-18 | ND |
| 2015-02-18 | ND |
| 2015-02-18 | ND |
| 2015-02-18 | ND |
| 2015-05-13 | ND |
| 2015-05-13 | ND |
| 2015-05-13 | 0.890 ppb |
| 2015-05-13 | ND |
| 2015-08-12 | ND |
| 2015-08-12 | ND |
| 2015-08-12 | ND |
| 2015-08-12 | ND |
| 2015-11-18 | 0.640 ppb |
| 2015-11-18 | 0.580 ppb |
| 2015-11-18 | 0.650 ppb |
| 2015-11-18 | 0.750 ppb |
| 2016-02-17 | ND |
| 2016-02-17 | 0.530 ppb |
| 2016-02-17 | 0.500 ppb |
| 2016-02-17 | 0.540 ppb |
| 2016-05-18 | 0.640 ppb |
| 2016-05-18 | ND |
| 2016-05-18 | 0.580 ppb |
| 2016-05-18 | 0.570 ppb |
| 2016-08-10 | 0.520 ppb |
| 2016-08-10 | 0.540 ppb |
| 2016-08-10 | 0.590 ppb |
| 2016-08-10 | ND |
| 2016-11-16 | 0.660 ppb |
| 2016-11-16 | 0.740 ppb |
| 2016-11-16 | 0.710 ppb |
| 2016-11-16 | ND |
| 2017-02-15 | 0.960 ppb |
| 2017-02-15 | 0.870 ppb |
| 2017-02-15 | 0.880 ppb |
| 2017-02-15 | 0.990 ppb |
| 2017-05-17 | ND |
| 2017-05-17 | ND |
| 2017-05-17 | ND |
| 2017-05-17 | ND |
| 2017-08-16 | 0.560 ppb |
| 2017-08-16 | ND |
| 2017-08-16 | ND |
| 2017-08-16 | ND |
| 2017-11-15 | ND |
| 2017-11-15 | ND |
| 2017-11-15 | ND |
| 2017-11-15 | ND |
| 2018-02-14 | 0.830 ppb |
| 2018-02-14 | 0.600 ppb |
| 2018-02-14 | 0.580 ppb |
| 2018-02-14 | 0.800 ppb |
| 2018-05-16 | 0.530 ppb |
| 2018-05-16 | ND |
| 2018-05-16 | ND |
| 2018-05-16 | ND |
| 2018-08-15 | 0.570 ppb |
| 2018-08-15 | ND |
| 2018-08-15 | ND |
| 2018-08-15 | 0.800 ppb |
| 2018-11-14 | ND |
| 2018-11-14 | 0.600 ppb |
| 2018-11-14 | ND |
| 2018-11-14 | 0.600 ppb |
| 2019-02-13 | 1.40 ppb |
| 2019-02-13 | 1.40 ppb |
| 2019-02-13 | 0.870 ppb |
| 2019-02-13 | 0.910 ppb |
| 2019-05-15 | ND |
| 2019-05-15 | ND |
| 2019-05-15 | 0.620 ppb |
| 2019-05-15 | 0.500 ppb |
| 2019-08-13 | ND |
| 2019-08-13 | ND |
| 2019-08-13 | ND |
| 2019-08-13 | ND |
| 2019-11-14 | ND |
| 2019-11-14 | ND |
| 2019-11-14 | ND |
| 2019-12-11 | ND |