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CALIFORNIA REGION,..,,WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD %,,gt Cal/EPA <br /> CENTRAL VALLEY REGION <br /> 3443 Routter Road,Suite A <br /> �`•.,� � Sacramento,CA 95827-3098 <br /> Phone(916)255-3000 <br /> Pete W <br /> FAX(916)255-3015 ilson Governor <br /> 18 July 1997 <br /> Revised 30 August 1997 <br /> To Whom It May Concern <br /> ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR OXYGENATE COMPOUNDS USED IN CALIFORNIA <br /> GASOLINE-EPA METHOD 8260 (8240-B and 8020) <br /> At a June 1997 meeting at the Department of Health Services in Berkeley, the statewide <br /> analytical methods committee for establishing analytical TPH and additive standards,was <br /> informed that oxygenate compounds,which may constitute a threat to groundwater, other <br /> than MTBE,have been and are being added to gasoline. The list includes, in order of <br /> analytical identification: <br /> 1. Methanol <br /> 2. Ethanol <br /> 3. Tertiary Butyl Alcohol (TBA) <br /> 4. MTBE <br /> 5. Di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) <br /> 6. Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE) <br /> 7. Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether (TAME) <br /> The first three are alcohols and the latter four are ether compounds. Ethanol has been used for <br /> several years in California. MTBE, as you know,has been used as an octane enhancer additive <br /> since the late 1970s and is now used at a higher percentage as an oxygenate in gasoline. Now <br /> we have learned that,TAME has been added to California fuels,since 1995. DIPE has been <br /> used on the East Coast,but recently has been found in Southern California ground water (May <br /> 1997) and San Joaquin County (August 1997). TBA has been found in ground water at a <br /> gasoline service station site in San Joaquin County (1100 ppb,August 1997). To date,we have <br /> no information regarding the use of ETBE in California. <br /> The introduction of these additives present analytical problems for laboratories because the <br /> multiple analytes can co-elute from the column. For instance,TAME may co-elute with <br /> benzene in the EPA-8020 analytical method commonly used today_ Therefore,we believe that <br /> Mass Spectrometry (MS) is the most definitive procedure to determine oxygenate compounds. <br /> MS will likely increase the cost of sample analysis;but,until another comprehensive analytical <br /> method is developed that can distinguish between the compounds, we believe that EPA <br /> Method 8260 is the most reliable, readily available procedure for laboratories. Completion of <br /> proposed studies on analytical procedures for oxygenate compounds by the Lawrence <br /> Livermore National Laboratory, under contract to the State Water Resources Control Board, <br /> should provide additional guidance by early 1998. <br /> Recycled Paper Our mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of California's water resources,and <br /> ensure their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations. <br />