MTBE

Status: No national drinking water standard exists

MTBE was used as gasoline oxygenation additive to boost the octane number. In 2005, MTBE was replaced by ethanol as a gasoline additive. MTBE causes cancers in rats.

2015-2017:

FOUND

FOUND ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES

states detected

408

utilities detected

6.0 million

people served

states over health guideline

utilities over health guideline

8,256

people served over health guideline

Health concerns for MTBE

Cancer

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 13 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 13 ppb for MTBE was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

ppb = parts per billion

States reporting MTBE in drinking water

	UTILITIES REPORTING ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES			UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION
State	Utilities	People Served		Utilities	People Served
New York		0	0			46	2,390,624
New Jersey		0	0			79	1,428,797
California		0	0			20	573,246
Massachusetts		0	0			33	457,444
Delaware		0	0			14	314,914
Wisconsin		0	0			28	142,302
Oklahoma		0	0			5	90,311
Pennsylvania		0	0			8	75,749
South Carolina		0	0			13	65,877
New Hampshire		0	0			33	54,694
Connecticut		0	0			7	53,687
Virginia		0	0			13	45,829
Missouri		0	0			12	41,303
Alabama		0	0			4	39,783
Maryland		0	0			20	37,852
Georgia		0	0			18	37,634
Nebraska		0	0			6	34,356
Arkansas		0	0			11	33,130
Indiana		0	0			3	29,458
Illinois		0	0			7	28,314
Texas		1	8,256			8	24,676
Iowa		0	0			3	6,881
Vermont		0	0			7	6,481
Ohio		0	0			1	6,400
Maine		0	0			6	470
Rhode Island		0	0			2	346
Utah		0	0			1	0

LESS

Filtering technologies that reduce MTBE

Utilities with the highest amounts of MTBE, 2015-2017

ALL UTILITIES

LARGE UTILITIES

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
Dalhart Municipal Water System	Dalhart, TX	3 of 13	15.5 ppb	8,256
Deforest Waterworks	Deforest, WI	6 of 8	10.2 ppb	9,400
Woodbine Municipal Utilities Authority	Woodbine, NJ	3 of 3	10.2 ppb	2,800
Twin Oaks Trailer Park	Roanoke, VA	2 of 2	8.40 ppb	50
River Lake Subdivision	Mequon, WI	2 of 2	7.45 ppb	100
San Bernardino County Medical Center	San Bernardino, CA	6 of 7	6.46 ppb	1,000
Kennett	Kennett, MO	35 of 56	6.42 ppb	11,500
Norcross Mobile Home Village	Farmington Hills, GA	8 of 12	6.42 ppb	543
Klondike Independent School District	Lamesa, TX	5 of 5	6.26 ppb	264
Marston PWS	Marston, MO	16 of 17	6.09 ppb	600
Sierra Twain Harte Mobile Home Park	Columbia, CA	1 of 1	5.82 ppb	120
Cal 20 Village and Meadow Pointe Park	Upper Lake, CA	8 of 23	5.27 ppb	150
Picnic Grove Mobile Homes	Malaga, NJ	25 of 25	5.16 ppb	250
Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park	New Castle, MD	6 of 6	5.14 ppb	325
Browns Lake Mobile Home Ct	Burlington, WI	6 of 6	5.03 ppb	225
Rutland Station	Gray, GA	1 of 1	4.90 ppb	99
Theresa Waterworks	Theresa, WI	7 of 7	4.90 ppb	1,262
Lakewood Twp MUA	Lakewood, NJ	21 of 27	4.65 ppb	21,750
City of Los Banos	Los Banos, CA	12 of 23	4.60 ppb	37,168
Cassatt Water Kershaw-lee Company RWA	Cassatt, SC	11 of 24	4.47 ppb	24,879
Atkinson Woods	Atkinson, NH	3 of 3	4.40 ppb	140
Metropolitan Water District*	West Valley, UT	4 of 4	4.39 ppb	0
Jacksonport Waterworks	Jacksonport, AR	1 of 1	4.36 ppb	238
Newport Waterworks*	Newport, AR	1 of 1	4.36 ppb	2,477
Grubbs Waterworks	Grubbs, AR	1 of 1	4.36 ppb	907
Diaz Waterworks*	Diaz, AR	1 of 1	4.36 ppb	1,092
Maryland American Water Company*	Bel Air, MD	21 of 35	4.05 ppb	13,200
Portageville PWS	Portageville, MO	33 of 47	3.61 ppb	3,250
Shermans Valley Apartments Perlo III	Loysville, PA	16 of 19	3.60 ppb	25
Town & Country Mobile Home Park	Stamford, NJ	6 of 11	3.45 ppb	200
California Water Service (CWS) - Salinas	San Jose, CA	3 of 110	3.32 ppb	106,858
Waunakee Waterworks	Waunakee, WI	13 of 13	3.27 ppb	13,322
Miner PWS	Miner, MO	21 of 35	3.21 ppb	962
Lawrenceville	Lawrenceville, GA	6 of 8	3.13 ppb	30,000
Woodville	Woodville, GA	7 of 7	2.76 ppb	354
Millstone Apartments	Harpswell, ME	3 of 3	2.57 ppb	97
Fairton Oaks M H Community	Brick, NJ	3 of 3	2.52 ppb	207
Mills Mobile Home Park 1&2	Lexington, SC	12 of 12	2.44 ppb	30
Loon Estates	Northwood, NH	3 of 3	2.40 ppb	74
Ocean Pines	Berlin, MD	3 of 3	2.34 ppb	11,890
Bethany Crest LLC	Clarksville, DE	3 of 3	2.32 ppb	60
Coraopolis Water & Sewer Authority*	Coraopolis, PA	4 of 4	2.25 ppb	5,804
Prolyn Townhouse Apartments	Pelham, NH	3 of 3	2.17 ppb	123
Laurel Village Mobile Home Park	Laurel, DE	19 of 22	2.15 ppb	918
Elsberry PWS	Elsberry, MO	6 of 9	2.11 ppb	1,963
Blueberry Estates	Lakeville, MA	4 of 5	2.10 ppb	80
Mound City PWS*	Mound City, MO	25 of 36	2.06 ppb	1,295
North Concord LLC	Belmont, VT	3 of 3	2.04 ppb	60
Ridge Spring, Town of*	Ridge Spring, SC	10 of 10	2.03 ppb	1,308
Wadhams Water District	Westport, NY	2 of 2	2.00 ppb	87

* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report MTBE, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
Kennett	Kennett, MO	35 of 56	6.42 ppb	11,500
Lakewood Twp MUA	Lakewood, NJ	21 of 27	4.65 ppb	21,750
City of Los Banos	Los Banos, CA	12 of 23	4.60 ppb	37,168
Cassatt Water Kershaw-lee Company RWA	Cassatt, SC	11 of 24	4.47 ppb	24,879
Maryland American Water Company*	Bel Air, MD	21 of 35	4.05 ppb	13,200
California Water Service (CWS) - Salinas	San Jose, CA	3 of 110	3.32 ppb	106,858
Waunakee Waterworks	Waunakee, WI	13 of 13	3.27 ppb	13,322
Lawrenceville	Lawrenceville, GA	6 of 8	3.13 ppb	30,000
Ocean Pines	Berlin, MD	3 of 3	2.34 ppb	11,890
Manchester Twp Water Utility - Western*	Manchester Twp, NJ	5 of 8	1.85 ppb	15,163
City of Torrance Water Department	Torrance, CA	10 of 39	1.60 ppb	145,438
City of Waynesboro	Waynesboro, VA	1 of 2	1.25 ppb	21,006
Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority*	Cedar Knolls, NJ	12 of 56	1.15 ppb	62,050
NJ American Water - Atlantic County	Egg Harbor, NJ	6 of 51	1.13 ppb	120,146
Yarmouth Water Department*	West Yarmouth, MA	1 of 1	0.820 ppb	39,635
Dennis Water District	South Dennis, MA	3 of 3	0.690 ppb	65,000
Breezy Hill WD	Graniteville, SC	12 of 27	0.650 ppb	13,692
Collingswood Water Depar	Collingswood, NJ	16 of 25	0.645 ppb	21,000
Marion City Water Works*	Marion, IN	1 of 1	0.600 ppb	28,327
Aqua NJ - Hamilton Square*	Hamilton, NJ	35 of 47	0.586 ppb	39,128
Merchantville Pennsauken	Pennsauken, NJ	14 of 58	0.508 ppb	47,144
Concord Water Department	Concord, MA	3 of 20	0.501 ppb	16,306
Lake Monticello	Rockville, VA	1 of 4	0.500 ppb	11,588
Artesian Water Company*	Newark, DE	33 of 122	0.393 ppb	301,000
Forrest City Waterworks*	Forrest City, AR	12 of 28	0.362 ppb	15,220
Beachwood Water Department	Beachwood Boro, NJ	8 of 17	0.354 ppb	10,802
South Huntington Water Department	South Huntington, NY	2 of 2	0.340 ppb	81,760
Vineland Water & Sewer Utility	Vineland, NJ	50 of 78	0.311 ppb	36,250
Oconomowoc Waterworks	Oconomowoc, WI	3 of 3	0.293 ppb	15,805
East Lyme Water & Sewer Commission	Niantic, CT	9 of 38	0.292 ppb	15,245
Willingboro MUA*	Willingboro, NJ	10 of 15	0.289 ppb	35,000
Orleans Water Department	Orleans, MA	4 of 26	0.265 ppb	17,670
Garfield Water Department	Garfield, NJ	15 of 42	0.237 ppb	30,487
New York American Water - Sea Cliff	Merrick, NY	16 of 54	0.229 ppb	13,400
Bridgeton City Water Department	Bridgeton, NJ	5 of 8	0.225 ppb	22,770
Cedarburg L & W Commission	Cedarburg, WI	3 of 3	0.223 ppb	11,900
Guymon	Guymon, OK	2 of 11	0.218 ppb	11,442
United Water Rahway	Highland Lakes, NJ	17 of 36	0.191 ppb	27,300
Grafton Waterworks	Grafton, WI	1 of 1	0.180 ppb	11,745
Westborough Water Department	Westborough, MA	3 of 39	0.175 ppb	18,272
Upper Southampton Mun Authority	Southampton, PA	1 of 4	0.175 ppb	16,000
South Brunswick Twp W*	Rocky Hill, NJ	8 of 26	0.163 ppb	45,450
United Water Camden	Camden, NJ	11 of 21	0.152 ppb	46,585
City of Granbury*	Granbury, TX	2 of 42	0.141 ppb	11,193
Sikeston*	Sikeston, MO	5 of 47	0.140 ppb	16,393
Manitowoc Waterworks*	Manitowoc, WI	1 of 1	0.140 ppb	34,500
Harwich Water Department	East Harwich, MA	7 of 52	0.126 ppb	38,643
Garden City Park WD	Garden City Park, NY	20 of 144	0.118 ppb	18,000
Wallingford Water Department	Wallingford, CT	1 of 17	0.118 ppb	37,267
Park Ridge Water Department	Park Ridge, NJ	9 of 108	0.117 ppb	16,466