Washington -- The Clinton Administration will fund two $1 million pilot projects in New York and California to assist with the cleanup of the gasoline additive MTBE in contaminated community water supplies, according to a recent EPA announcement.
EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner said July 6 that the two pilot projects, will help clean up areas of Long Island, N.Y., and Santa Monica, Calif.
"To protect public health and the environment, the Clinton-Gore Administration has called on Congress to eliminate MTBE from gasoline, and we've begun regulatory action aimed at phasing it out," said Browner.
"However, in the meantime, action must be taken to help communities already affected by MTBE leaks. Today, we are providing additional funding to help New York and California remove MTBE contamination in affected communities and prevent future problems from leaking tanks."
New York will use its $1 million award to accelerate cleanup at 50 MTBE contaminated sites on Long Island. The funds for Santa Monica, Calif. will help the state and the city with the cleanup of MTBE contaminated groundwater.
Although it is impossible to tell how extensive the contamination is, a U.S. Geological Survey and Oregon Graduate Institute study released March 20 shows that as many as 9,000 community water wells in 31 states may be affected by contamination from the gasoline additive.
Remediation costs vary depending on local factors like disposal costs, technology used, and how much cleanup needs to be done.
In a report issued Jan. 17, the American Water Works Association estimates that costs to water utilities nationwide to prevent, clean up and treat water supplies contaminated with MTBE could run higher than $1 billion.
California, one of the hardest hit, has created the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund ( http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/~cwphome/ustcf/fundhome.htm). This fund attempts to help companies with the costs associated with remediating MTBE-polluted soil and water. More information, including sample cost estimates are available on the site.
In complying with the Clean Air Act, gasoline refiners inadvertently ran afoul of Clean Water standards. MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an additive in gasoline used by many refiners to provide oxygenates in fuels. Leaking storage tanks contaminated groundwater in many states before officials realized what was happening.
In 1999, the Clinton Administration convened a panel to investigate if MTBE posed special risks to water supplies. The panel presented confirmed In the Fall of 1999 that MTBE threatens water supplies.
The Administration subsequently called on Congress to phase down or eliminate MTBE. The Administration also has begun regulatory action to control MTBE under the Toxics Substances Control Act.
