Laserfiche WebLink
CALIFORNIA REGI^VAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD <br /> — �• CENTRAL VALLEI,4GION <br /> 3443 Roucicr Road,Sviu A <br /> `:,• �' Sac.-amcam,CA 45827-3098 <br /> Phone(916) 355-3000 <br /> FAX(916) 55-3015 ? ov3so�Ga++errnr <br /> 18 July 1997 - - <br /> To Whom It May Concern r <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 /> methocis committee for establishing analytical TPH and additive standards,was informed.that <br /> oxygenate compounds, other than MTBE, Rave been and are being added to California <br /> gasoline which may constitute a threat to groundwaters. T'ne list incudes, in order of <br /> analytical idea-tincation: <br /> 1. Methanol <br /> 2. Ethanol <br /> I Te_teary Butanol <br /> a. MTBE <br /> 5. Di isopropyl ether (DIFE) <br /> 6. Ethvl Tertiary Buryl Ether(ETBE) <br /> 7. T artiary Amyi Methyi Ether MALICE) <br /> The first three are alcohols and the latter- four are ether compounds. Ethanol has been used for <br /> several years in California. fi BE, as you-m=ow,has been used as an octane e*utancer additive <br /> since the late 1970s and is now used at a 1-4ner percentage as-an oxygenate in gasoline. Since <br /> 1995,TAiME,manufactured by Chevron,has been added to California fuels. DIPE has been <br /> used on the East Coast,but.recently has been found in Southern California ground water (May <br /> 1997). To date,we have no information rea.arding'the use of ETRE in Cali.fornia- <br /> The introduction of these additives press=analytical problems for laboratories because of the <br /> number of analyses required and irate nzil inte.*-'P rence. For intine,TAME is difficult to <br /> dis�gruish 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 req=ed <br /> to dete--=ine which compound has been used. This analytical method will laely m=ease the <br /> cost of sample analysis:but,until another comprehensive analytical method is developed that <br /> can dist;n"'t" between.the compounds,EPA 8260 is the single,provisional method of <br /> anaivsis for these compounds. <br /> This problem is further compounded because the of re-fne_ries sl-iip gasoline around the smote <br /> and then"ade gasoline between o o-grauhic areas. For ins�nce,if gasoline is needed-in the <br /> San Francisco Bay area by Smell,Snell will obtain some gasoline from, say, Chetron in the Bay <br /> area and, in exczanje, Chevron will receive some Shell gasoline in Southern California. The <br /> �rr�cied?rner <br /> Our m=ian it to m-=zr a mrd eaea=r rhe aualwof California's water reraraohd <br /> enrrae area anger atlaaatian mrd d,ju~ent tits jot:ire uerrcit aj prrsent and jraro'e arcz <br />