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• Cal/EPA <br /> `ere CALIFORNIA REGIO' WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD <br /> • CENTRAL VALLEY R—.,ION <br /> 3443 Routier Road, Suite A <br /> Sacramento, CA 95827-3098 <br /> Phone(916) 255-3000 " <br /> Pete <br /> FAX(916) 2S5-3015 wiLsoa,Goverrar <br /> 18 July 1997 - <br /> To Whom It May Concern <br /> ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR OXYGENATE COMPOUNDS USED IN CALIFORNIA <br /> GASOLINE - EPA METHOD 8260 <br /> At a recent meeting at the Department of Health Services in Berkeley,the statewide analytical <br /> methods committee for establishing analytical TPH and additive standards, was informed that <br /> oxygenate compounds, other than MTBE, have been and are being added to California <br /> gasoline which may constitute a threat to groundwaters. The list includes, in order of <br /> analytical identification: <br /> 1. Methanol <br /> 2. Ethanol <br /> 3. Tertiary Butanol <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. Since <br /> 1995, TAME,manufactured by Chevron,has been added to California fuels. DIPE has been <br /> used on the East Coast,butzecently has been found in Southern California ground water (May <br /> 1997). To date, we have no information regarding the use of ETBE in California. <br /> The introduction of these additives present analytical problems for laboratories because of the <br /> number of analyses required and internal interference. For instance, TAME is difficult to <br /> distinguish because it co-elutes with benzene in the EPA-8020 analytical method commonly <br /> _ used today. Therefore,the analytical methods committee concurred that EPA-8260 is required <br /> to determine which compound has been used. This analytical method will likely increase the <br /> cost of sample analysis;but,until another comprehensive analytical method is developed that <br /> can distinguish between the compounds,EPA 8260 is the single,provisional method of <br /> analysis for these compounds. <br /> This problem is further compounded because the oil refineries ship gasoline around the state <br /> and then trade gasoline between*ob aphic was. For instance,if gasoline is needed the <br /> San Francisco Bay area by Shell, Shell will obtain some gasoline from, sav, Chevron in the Bay <br /> area and, in exchange, Chevron will receive some Shell gasoline in Southern California. The <br /> Recycled Paper Our mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of California's water resources.and <br /> ensue their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations. <br />