A GC method has been developed for the analysis of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in water samples. It entails large-volume injection (LVI) and programmed-temperature vaporization (PTV) of water samples, thermal decarboxylation of TCA to chloroform in the injector, and GC-ECD analysis of the decarboxylation product. Conditions such as final injector temperature, splitless time, and injection volume were optimized. The limit of detection is approximately 0.1 mug l(-1). Several real samples were analyzed. The method presented is an easy means of determination of TCA and eliminates sample-preparation steps such as extraction and derivatization.