Video · Tap Water Quality
TTHM in Water: A Glass of Northern Virginia Tap Water
TTHMs, total trihalomethanes, form in tap water when the chlorine used to disinfect it reacts with natural organic matter. They're common in chlorinated city water, and a carbon filter rated for them reduces them.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Tap Water Quality
- Length
- 0:22
- Posted
- June 24, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
Tyler Griffin, SwiftPro's owner, stands at a kitchen sink in a black SwiftPro polo holding a glass of tap water. In a short, direct message, he asks Northern Virginia homeowners whether they know what's in the water they drink, bathe in and use around the house.
The post that goes with the clip names the two families of chemicals behind his question: total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, both disinfection byproducts. They form when chlorine reacts with organic matter, like leaves and soil washed into a river, and they ride along to every tap in the house.
Did you know that the water in your tap, if you live in Northern Virginia, contains cancer-causing chemicals? Click the link below or go to myfreewaterreport.com today to find out exactly what's hidden in the water that you drink, that you bathe in, and that you use in your home today.
Why it matters in your house
- TTHMs come from the same chlorine that keeps tap water free of bacteria, so the goal isn't skipping treatment. It's filtering the byproducts out where you drink.
- Your utility's annual water quality report lists TTHM and haloacetic acid results. Look up yours, and know that levels can run higher at homes farther along the pipes.
- An activated carbon filter certified to reduce TTHMs, at the kitchen sink or for the whole house, is the usual fix. SwiftPro tests tap water and can show you which fits.
How do TTHMs get into tap water?
Utilities add chlorine to kill bacteria. When that chlorine meets natural organic matter in the source water, like decaying leaves washed into a river, it forms trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. The EPA sets limits on both. They're already in the water by the time it reaches you, so filtering at the tap is how homeowners reduce them.
Want it done at your place? See Tap Water Quality at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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