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7-28-1997 4:03PM FROM <br /> P. 3 <br /> CALIFORNIA REGIO.- WATER QUALITY CONTROL.BOARD OIEP.A. <br /> CENTRAL VALLEY REGION <br /> 3443 Routicr Road, Suite A <br /> Sacramento,CA 95927-3098 <br /> Pbone(916)25S-3000 <br /> PA'X(916) 255-3015 Pa[ai[son Govcrro. <br /> 18 July 1997 _ <br /> U <br /> :. <br /> To Whom It May Concern <br /> ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR OXYGENATE COMPOUNDS USED IN CALIFORNIA <br /> GASOLINE-EPA METHOD 8264 <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 /> b. Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether(MTBE) <br /> 7. Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether(T_AI S) <br /> The first three are alcohols and the latter four are ether compounds. Ethanol has been used for <br /> several years in Calirornia. MTBE,as you know,has been used as an octane enhancer additive <br /> since the late 1970s and is now used at a higrer percentage as-an oxygenate in gasoline. Since <br /> 1995, TAMM,manufactured by Chevron,has been added to Califorrda fuels. DIPE has been <br /> used on the East Coast,butzecertly has beer found in Southern California ground water (May <br /> 1997). To date,we have no information regarding the use of ETBE in Cal:.forrda. <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 Ln the EPA-8023 analytical method commonly <br /> used today. Therefore,the analytical methods coam-dttee concurred that EPA-8260 is required <br /> to determine which compound has been used. This analytical method%U 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 /> compoanalysis for these <br /> unds-This problem is further cornnovanded because the oil refineries ship gasoline around the state <br /> and thext trade gasoline between oeoa aphic mss. For instance,if gasoline is needed iii the <br /> San Francisco Bay area by Shell,She'?will obWn some gasoline from, say, Chevron in the Bay <br /> area and, in exchange,Chevron vrill receive some Shell gasoline in Southern California. The <br /> . : <br />