Washington State Department of Ecology

News Release

Department of Ecology News Release - Oct. 10, 2000

00-198

MTBE found at 48 percent of petroleum-contaminated sites tested

OLYMPIA - Months before 60 Minutes raised concerns about MTBE contamination across the United States, the Washington state Department of Ecology was already searching for evidence of the chemical in this state - and a newly completed report reveals there is a problem.

MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) is a gasoline additive that causes unpleasant odor and taste in water it contaminates and is suspected of causing cancer. On a national level, it has contaminated ground water extensively and even affected drinking-water wells.

The Ecology Department (Ecology) obtained a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July 1999 to test for MTBE in Washington state.

Beginning last December, Ecology checked a representative sampling of 70 sites across the state where underground tanks are known to have leaked petroleum products in the past. All 70 sites have undergone or are undergoing cleanups.

Of the 62 sites where petroleum was detected, MTBE was identified at 30 of them (48 percent), and 15 of those sites had MTBE levels higher than EPA's national drinking-water advisory of 20 parts per billion (ppb).

Public interest in the issue was raised in January 2000 when CBS News' 60 Minutes aired a story about MTBE contamination problems in drinking-water supplies in some parts of the country. According to the state Department of Health, which is responsible for monitoring drinking water in Washington, MTBE has not been detected in public drinking-water wells in Washington state.

"MTBE is not used to oxygenate gasoline in Washington, so we didn't expect to find it at as many sites as we did," said Barry Rogowski, who manages underground-storage-tank cleanups for Ecology. "We found MTBE in ground water, but luckily not at the alarming rates or as widespread as in states like California. Even so, protecting ground water is our highest concern, and we are taking steps to lessen the threat to drinking water and the risk of human exposure."

Rogowski said Ecology is in the process of modifying state cleanup rules to add a cleanup level of 20 ppb in ground water for MTBE. The level is consistent with other state cleanup levels. The proposal also sets a cleanup level of 100 ppb in soil and requires sampling for MTBE at all leaking tank sites.

If members of the public have concerns about their wells or about public-water systems, they can contact the Department of Health at 800-521-0323. State-certified drinking-water laboratories (found under "laboratories" in the yellow pages) that test for volatile organic chemicals can screen for MTBE.

Contact: Caitlin Cormier, public information officer, 360-407-6149; pager, 360-971-5536
Barry Rogowski, Ecology's toxics-cleanup program, 360-407-7236
Jim Hudson, state Dept. of Health, 360-236-3131

Note to reporters and editors: Due to confidentiality agreements with property owners, Ecology can disclose only the name of the city where MTBE contamination was found, not the precise location.

The MTBE report is available online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0009054.html (Note: Link updated May 31, 2002.)

Additional MTBE information can be found at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/ust-lust/MTBE.html

Information about the update of Washington's toxics cleanup standards is available at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/laws-rules/activity/wac173340.html (Note: Link removed Oct. 4, 2001; Web page no longer active after rule adoption..)