AWWA WQTC58904

A nationwide investigation was conducted to study the frequency of occurrence, concentration, and distribution of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), other ether gasoline oxygenates, their degradation byproducts, and 62 other volatile organic compounds in source water used by community water systems (CWSs) in the United States. The investigation was comprised of two surveys designed to collect new water quality data. The first, termed the Random Survey, employed a statistically stratified design for sampling source waters from randomly selected CWSs. In the second survey, termed the Focused Survey, source water sampling was biased to locations where MTBE and other gasoline components were suspected or known to occur. The data from the Random and Focused Surveys of this study indicate that both ground and surface water sources are vulnerable to MTBE contamination. Utilities that are most vulnerable include those whose source waters are located in MTBE high-use areas, in highly populated areas, and those with recreational watercraft use. The detection frequency of most VOCs was significantly related to urban land use and population density. Includes 9 references, tables, figures.