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s Cal/EPA . CALIFORNIA REGIO' WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD CENTRAL VALLEY R�ION 3443 Routier Road, Suite A Sacramento,CA 95827-3098 Phone(916)255-3000 Pete Wilson,Governor FAX(916)255-3015 18 July 1997 To Whom It May Concern ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR OXYGENATE COMPOUNDS USED IN CALIFORNIA GASOLINE- EPA METHOD 8260 At a recent meeting at the Department of Health Services in Berkeley,the statewide analytical methods committee for establishing analytical TPH and additive standards,was informed that oxygenate compounds, other than MTBE,have been and are being added to California gasoline which may constitute a threat to groundwaters. The list includes,in order of analytical identification: 1. Methanol 2. Ethanol 3. Tertiary Butanol 4. MTBE 5. Di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) 6. Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE) 7. Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether (TAME) The first three are alcohols and the latter four are ether compounds. Ethanol has been used for several years in California. MTBE, as you know,has been used as an octane enhancer additive since the late 1970s and is now used at a higher percentage as-an oxygenate in gasoline. Since 1995,TAME,manufactured by Chevron,has been added to California fuels. DIPE has been used on the East Coast,butzecently has been found in Southern California ground water (May 1997). To date,we have no information regarding the use of ETBE in California. The introduction of these additives present analytical problems for laboratories because of the number of analyses required and internal interference. For instance,TAME is difficult to distinguish because it co-elutes with benzene in the EPA-8020 analytical method commonly used today. Therefore,the analytical methods committee concurred that EPA-8260 is required to determine which compound has been used. This analytical method will likely increase the cost of sample analysis;but,until another comprehensive analytical method is developed that can distinguish between the compounds,EPA 8260 is the single,provisional method of analysis for these compounds. This problem is further compounded because the oil refineries ship gasoline around the state and then trade gasoline between geographic was. For instance,if gasoline is needed-in the San Francisco Bay area by Shell, Shell will obtain some gasoline from, say, Chevron in the Bay area and, in exchange, Chevron will receive some Shell gasoline in Southern California. The Recycled Paper Our mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of California's water resources,and ensure their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations.