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.

2017-2019:

FOUND

FOUND ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES

states detected

353

utilities detected

5.0 million

people served

states over health guideline

utilities over health guideline

264

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			51	2,094,602
New Jersey		0	0			59	947,252
Alabama		0	0			9	434,679
Delaware		0	0			15	319,178
California		0	0			14	265,806
Massachusetts		0	0			22	249,956
Wisconsin		0	0			19	74,744
Pennsylvania		0	0			6	72,940
Illinois		0	0			8	66,361
South Carolina		0	0			12	66,118
Michigan		0	0			5	64,651
Maryland		0	0			17	53,085
Missouri		0	0			12	41,114
Georgia		0	0			14	39,312
Arkansas		0	0			10	38,143
New Hampshire		0	0			26	37,556
Virginia		0	0			15	33,978
Indiana		0	0			3	29,458
Texas		1	264			8	16,930
Connecticut		0	0			4	16,155
Iowa		0	0			5	9,176
Nebraska		0	0			5	9,054
Ohio		0	0			1	6,400
Oklahoma		0	0			3	5,631
Vermont		0	0			4	1,248
Maine		0	0			4	490
Rhode Island		0	0			2	370

LESS

Filtering technologies that reduce MTBE

Utilities with the highest amounts of MTBE, 2017-2019

ALL UTILITIES

LARGE UTILITIES

Utility	Location	Tests	Average level	People served
Naval Support Activity-nw	Norfolk, VA	8 of 10	62.3 ppb	2,397
Dalhart Municipal Water System	Dalhart, TX	7 of 25	18.0 ppb	8,256
Town In Country Condominiums - Lower System	Naugatuck, CT	1 of 3	17.0 ppb	120
Woodbine Municipal Utilities Authority	Woodbine, NJ	6 of 6	8.32 ppb	2,650
Klondike Independent School District	Lamesa, TX	7 of 7	8.25 ppb	264
River Lake Subdivision	Mequon, WI	4 of 4	8.18 ppb	100
Deforest Waterworks	Deforest, WI	14 of 19	7.51 ppb	9,400
Norcross Mobile Home Village	Farmington Hills, GA	9 of 16	5.75 ppb	543
Shermans Valley Apartments Perlo III	Loysville, PA	9 of 9	5.71 ppb	45
Kennett	Kennett, MO	52 of 86	5.60 ppb	11,500
Twin Oaks Trailer Park	Roanoke, VA	2 of 3	5.60 ppb	50
Marston PWS	Marston, MO	22 of 25	5.56 ppb	525
Picnic Grove Mobile Homes	Malaga, NJ	50 of 51	4.96 ppb	250
Atkinson Woods	Atkinson, NH	6 of 6	4.82 ppb	140
Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park	New Castle, MD	12 of 12	4.67 ppb	325
Cassatt Water Kershaw-lee Company RWA	Cassatt, SC	20 of 42	4.65 ppb	25,061
Cal 20 Village and Meadow Pointe Park	Upper Lake, CA	19 of 64	4.60 ppb	150
San Bernardino County Medical Center	San Bernardino, CA	13 of 17	4.55 ppb	1,000
Guntersville Water Works and Sewer Board*	Guntersville, AL	1 of 5	4.40 ppb	12,612
Metropolitan Water District*	Cottonwood Heights, UT	4 of 4	4.39 ppb	0
Theresa Waterworks	Theresa, WI	13 of 13	4.38 ppb	1,262
Browns Lake Mobile Home Ct	Burlington, WI	12 of 12	4.21 ppb	225
City of Los Banos	Los Banos, CA	24 of 46	4.08 ppb	37,168
Lakewood Twp MUA	Lakewood, NJ	36 of 48	4.05 ppb	21,750
Portageville PWS	Portageville, MO	49 of 71	3.85 ppb	3,109
Rutland Station	Gray, GA	2 of 2	3.75 ppb	99
Cottages At Cedar Run	West Bend, WI	4 of 5	3.64 ppb	108
Wyoming Water System	Wyoming, IA	1 of 1	3.60 ppb	515
Town & Country Mobile Home Park	Stamford, NJ	11 of 17	3.49 ppb	200
Miner PWS	Miner, MO	34 of 55	3.21 ppb	984
Lawrenceville	Lawrenceville, GA	12 of 16	3.01 ppb	30,000
Woodville	Woodville, GA	12 of 12	3.00 ppb	380
Grubbs Waterworks	Grubbs, AR	2 of 2	2.96 ppb	409
Diaz Waterworks*	Newport, AR	2 of 2	2.96 ppb	1,088
Newport Waterworks*	Newport, AR	2 of 2	2.96 ppb	7,145
Jacksonport	Jacksonport, AR	2 of 2	2.96 ppb	233
Sierra Twain Harte Mobile Home Park	Columbia, CA	1 of 2	2.91 ppb	120
Waunakee Waterworks	Waunakee, WI	24 of 24	2.87 ppb	13,322
Randle Ridge	Culpeper, VA	1 of 2	2.80 ppb	57
Millstone Apartments	Harpswell, ME	3 of 3	2.57 ppb	97
Merchantville Pennsauken	Pennsauken, NJ	39 of 138	2.56 ppb	47,144
Gander Woods Pump District	Dover, DE	6 of 8	2.41 ppb	42
Blueberry Estates	Lakeville, MA	7 of 8	2.39 ppb	80
Prolyn Townhouse Apartments	Pelham, NH	6 of 6	2.37 ppb	123
Loon Estates	Northwood, NH	6 of 6	2.37 ppb	74
Lake Barrington Shores Subdivsion	Lake Barrington, IL	2 of 2	2.35 ppb	2,360
Maryland American Water Company*	Hopewell, MD	29 of 79	2.34 ppb	13,200
Mills Mobile Home Park 1&2	Lexington, SC	19 of 19	2.29 ppb	30
North Concord LLC	Belmont, VT	6 of 6	2.21 ppb	60
Ridge Spring, Town of*	Ridge Spring, SC	21 of 21	2.17 ppb	1,351

* 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	52 of 86	5.60 ppb	11,500
Cassatt Water Kershaw-lee Company RWA	Cassatt, SC	20 of 42	4.65 ppb	25,061
Guntersville Water Works and Sewer Board*	Guntersville, AL	1 of 5	4.40 ppb	12,612
City of Los Banos	Los Banos, CA	24 of 46	4.08 ppb	37,168
Lakewood Twp MUA	Lakewood, NJ	36 of 48	4.05 ppb	21,750
Lawrenceville	Lawrenceville, GA	12 of 16	3.01 ppb	30,000
Waunakee Waterworks	Waunakee, WI	24 of 24	2.87 ppb	13,322
Merchantville Pennsauken	Pennsauken, NJ	39 of 138	2.56 ppb	47,144
Maryland American Water Company*	Hopewell, MD	29 of 79	2.34 ppb	13,200
California Water Service (CWS) - Salinas	San Jose, CA	6 of 257	1.66 ppb	106,858
Manchester Twp Water Utility - Western*	Manchester Twp, NJ	10 of 18	1.31 ppb	15,613
Ocean Pines	Berlin, MD	7 of 12	1.26 ppb	11,890
Yarmouth Water Department*	West Yarmouth, MA	4 of 4	1.18 ppb	39,635
NJ American Water - Atlantic County	Egg Harbor, NJ	13 of 101	1.16 ppb	120,146
Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority*	Cedar Knolls, NJ	24 of 115	1.04 ppb	62,053
Collingswood Water Depar	Collingswood, NJ	35 of 50	0.842 ppb	24,500
City of Waynesboro	Waynesboro, VA	1 of 3	0.833 ppb	21,006
Breezy Hill WD	Graniteville, SC	24 of 44	0.782 ppb	15,282
City of Torrance Water Department	Torrance, CA	58 of 325	0.779 ppb	145,438
Dennis Water District	South Dennis, MA	3 of 3	0.690 ppb	65,000
Aqua NJ - Hamilton Square*	Hamilton, NJ	65 of 85	0.605 ppb	39,128
Concord Water Department	Concord, MA	6 of 41	0.467 ppb	16,402
Willingboro MUA*	Riverside, NJ	19 of 30	0.428 ppb	35,000
Artesian Water Company*	Newark, DE	53 of 239	0.374 ppb	301,000
South Huntington Water Department	South Huntington, NY	3 of 3	0.360 ppb	81,760
East Lyme Water & Sewer Commission*	Niantic, CT	20 of 74	0.351 ppb	15,245
Angola Pump District	Dover, DE	12 of 35	0.346 ppb	11,350
Forrest City Waterworks*	Forrest City, AR	22 of 58	0.338 ppb	15,425
Vineland Water & Sewer Utility	Vineland, NJ	93 of 159	0.333 ppb	36,250
Oconomowoc Waterworks	Oconomowoc, WI	6 of 6	0.318 ppb	15,805
Garfield Water Department	Garfield, NJ	33 of 83	0.300 ppb	30,487
Marion City Water Works*	Marion, IN	1 of 2	0.300 ppb	28,327
Lake Monticello	Rockville, VA	1 of 7	0.286 ppb	11,675
New York American Water - Sea Cliff	Merrick, NY	38 of 105	0.272 ppb	13,400
Beachwood Water Department	Beachwood, NJ	10 of 30	0.246 ppb	10,802
Upper Southampton Mun Authority	Southampton, PA	2 of 7	0.229 ppb	16,000
Cedarburg L & W Commission	Cedarburg, WI	3 of 3	0.223 ppb	11,900
Bridgeton City Water Department	Bridgeton, NJ	7 of 12	0.214 ppb	22,770
Huntsville Utilities*	Huntsville, AL	2 of 98	0.202 ppb	262,155
Garden City Park WD	Garden City Park, NY	53 of 281	0.202 ppb	18,000
Guymon	Guymon, OK	2 of 12	0.200 ppb	11,442
Orleans Water Department	Orleans, MA	4 of 35	0.197 ppb	17,670
City of Granbury*	Granbury, TX	4 of 72	0.196 ppb	11,300
South Brunswick Twp W*	Rocky Hill, NJ	15 of 56	0.192 ppb	45,450
United Water Rahway	Highland Lakes, NJ	25 of 73	0.184 ppb	27,300
Grafton Waterworks	Grafton, WI	1 of 1	0.180 ppb	11,745
Barnegat Twp Water Sewer	Barnegat, NJ	1 of 23	0.170 ppb	20,000
Park Ridge Water Department	Park Ridge, NJ	22 of 214	0.160 ppb	16,466
West Valley Water District*	Rialto, CA	9 of 233	0.158 ppb	72,647
Manitowoc Waterworks*	Manitowoc, WI	1 of 1	0.140 ppb	34,500