The Power of Information

National Drinking Water Database


South Bethany Utilities - Lincoln, DE

Serves 12,000 people

MTBE

MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) is a fuel additive that had been used as an octane enhancer in unleaded gasoline; it contaminates groundwater due to spillage or leakage at gas stations, and has been banned or scheduled for phaseout in most states.
 
This Drinking Water System
Test Days Exceeding Health GuidelinesDefinition of what this is
0 days
Test Days Exceeding Legal LimitsNumber of days in which the samples taken in that day exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level (Depending on the contaminant and its MCL, that may or may not trigger an MCL violation. Some MCLs are based on averages spanning several months to a year)
0 days
Test DaysNumber of days in which this chemical has reported results in the data we received from the State
18 days
Tests ConductedNumber of individual tests done for this contaminant
30 tests

Testing Summary

ContaminantAverage/
Maximum
Result		Health Limit
Exceeded		Legal Limit
Exceeded

Testing History

-Tested      -Detected      -Over Health Guidelines      -Over Legal Limit*
MTBEMTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) is a fuel additive that had been used as an octane enhancer in unleaded gasoline; it contaminates groundwater due to spillage or leakage at gas stations, and has been banned or scheduled for phaseout in most states.0 ppb
0 ppb		No
13 ppb		Legal at any levelThis is the Federal Limit. State Limits may be lower.
NOTE: Each dot in the above graph represents one month.
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

Health Based and Legal Limits for MTBE

Health Based Limits for MTBE

StandardDescriptionLevel
California Public Health GoalsDefined by the State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) as the level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. For acutely toxic substances, levels are set at which scientific evidence indicates that no known or anticipated adverse effects on health will occur, plus an adequate margin-of safety. PHGs for carcinogens or other substances which can cause chronic disease shall be based solely on health effects without regard to cost impacts and shall be set at levels which OEHHA has determined do not pose any significant risk to health.13 ppb

Testing Results

Testing DateAverage
Result		Samples taken that dayNumber of Non-DetectsRange of Results
2007-10-250 ppb110 ppb
2007-07-240 ppb550 ppb
2007-06-120 ppb110 ppb
2006-01-290 ppb110 ppb
2006-01-260 ppb110 ppb
2006-01-120 ppb110 ppb
2005-01-270 ppb110 ppb
2005-01-210 ppb110 ppb
2005-01-140 ppb220 ppb
2004-10-250 ppb110 ppb
2004-09-200 ppb220 ppb
2004-07-190 ppb110 ppb
2004-04-290 ppb220 ppb
2004-01-290 ppb220 ppb
2004-01-250 ppb110 ppb
2004-01-200 ppb440 ppb
2004-01-190 ppb110 ppb
2004-01-140 ppb220 ppb