July-August 2001

A Gasoline Additive May Be In Your Drinking Water

The gasoline additive MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) has been found in ground water, public drinking supplies and private wells.  MTBE is a gasoline additive used for the purpose of improving air quality and is made by combining methanol derived from natural gas and isobutylene.  Heavy use in gasoline originated with the Federal Reformulated Gasoline Program component of the Clean Air Act of 1990 as a means to provide reductions in the emissions of a number of air pollutants from motor vehicles.  Its purpose is to make gasoline burn more efficiently and, hence, cleaner.  Since the inception of EPA regulations in 1995, significant increases in air quality have been observed nationwide, despite continuously increasing automobile traffic.

The problem is that MTBE is highly water-soluble and absorbs less on soils, relative to other components of gasoline. Consequently, it has a tendency to migrate further, and more quickly, than other components of gasoline.  MTBE thus behaves as an "indicator chemical" or first warning sign that a likely fuel spill has occurred nearby.  MTBE plumes in the subsurface have been documented at Port Hueneme CA, East Patchoque NY, Spring Creek WI and Vandenberg AFB CA. In ground water with low oxygen conditions, MTBE is slow to break down and remains in the environment longer than other gasoline-related compounds.

Five to ten percent of drinking water supplies in areas using reformulated gasoline show at least detectable amounts of MTBE.  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted the most comprehensive research on MTBE in which they sampled 2,743 wells in 42 states over a five-year period.  The study found MTBE in about 5% (145) of the wells sampled. MTBE was detected in 22 of the 42 states studied.  Surface water (e.g., lakes, and rivers) contamination by MTBE has also been documented.

Since 1995, the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has been periodically sampling community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems for MTBE.  Of the 1,084 public water systems tested, MTBE was detected in approximately 85 systems; 11 systems had levels above 20 ppb.  Of these 11 systems, 10 now have alternate sources or the levels have dropped below 20 ppb. MDE is sampling for MTBE contamination at all leaking underground storage tank sites with groundwater impacts.  Data from leaking underground storage tank remediation activities indicated that 270 domestic wells have been impacted by MTBE to date.  These systems have had carbon filtration installed to remove contamination.

MTBE at low concentrations in drinking water can raise taste and odor concerns, while the health effects of exposure by ingestion and inhalation are controversial and still under study.  Levels of 20 to 40 parts per billion (ppb) have been described as a turpentine-like taste and smell. The smell has been described as a "rotten orange" smell in well water at 440 ppb.  Other products using citrus oil extracts (limonene and/or linalool) in cleaners and insecticides can also impart a citrus smell.  Routine tests, such as those performed by local health departments, will indicate no bacteria, road salt, or nitrates.  Furthermore, three people exposed to the same exposure level reported 1) that the smell was very faint 2) had a clear odor, and 3) couldn't smell it.  In other words, different people have different detection abilities.  Obviously, if you detect these odors in your well water, you should not drink it.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that MTBE poses a potential for carcinogenicity, based on studies performed to date on laboratory rodents.  EPA issued a "Water Advisory" (HAL) for MTBE of 40 parts per billion, primarily for taste and odor considerations.  However, EPA has not yet established drinking water standards (Maximum Contaminant Limits) for MTBE.

The primary source for MTBE ground water contamination is leaking underground storage tanks (UST's). Note that some fuel storage systems are not currently regulated by EPA (i.e., at farms and small above ground storage tanks).  Hence, farms can pollute their own water supply by having leaking fuel tanks.

Treatment on an aquifer basis is difficult and expensive.  Individual wells can add appropriate filter systems to continue using the well.  Often, drilling another (deeper) well is recommended.

More information can be found at:

http://www.ngwa.org/position/mtbepos.html
http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/mtbe/index.htm
http://www.dnr.state.mo.us/mtbe/index.html
http://www.mtbelawonline.com/

Gary K. Felton
Assistant Professor
Extension Water Quality Specialist

Book Details How to Develop Swine Breeding and Gestation Facilities

MidWest Plan Service (MWPS) has just released the book Swine Breeding and Gestation Facilities Handbook, MWPS-43, the third publication in a three-part series on swine housing and management. This book provides builders and swine producers with a thorough explanation of the process and challenges of constructing and managing a swine breeding and gestation facility.

According to Jay Harmon, an associate professor and extension agricultural engineer at Iowa State University and one of the authors of the book, "Proper design and management of a breeding and gestation facility should enhance animal management and movement and increase labor efficiency, animal well being, and worker safety." He says a breeding and gestation building needs to be designed so it enhances the reproductive processes of the animals it houses.

Throughout MWPS-43, the focus is on the specific demands of the breeding and gestation facility, Harmon says. He says, "This book meets a variety of audience needs by combining discussions of housing management options with discussions of building layouts and equipment needs." Along with the discussions of management, layouts and equipment, other chapters explain manure handling options, environmental control systems, and utility requirements.

The book is extensively illustrated, with approximately 60 figures showing specific examples of the concepts being discussed. Also included are more than 40 tables, equations, and examples that provide detailed specifications for space requirements, manure production volume, ventilation rates, insulation levels, and light levels. Appendixes to the book contain worksheets and forms for determining sow, gilt, and boar inventories.

Other publications in the swine housing series from MWPS are Swine Housing and Equipment Handbook, MWPS—8; Swine Farrowing Handbook: Housing and Equipment, MWPS-40; and Swine Nursery Facilities Handbook, MWPS-41.

Swine Breeding and Gestation Facilities Handbook, MWPS—43 is available for $15.00 per copy, plus $3.75 shipping and handling from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-5701.

Got Turf Problems?
You Need This Book!

Insects, diseases, weeds, and other problems can wreak havoc on a lush, healthy stand of turfgrass. Identifying the cause of a turfgrass problem can be an exercise in frustration for homeowners, golf course superintendents, and park and sports field managers who take great pride in their lawns, greens, parks, and fields. A new pocket guide, Turfgrass Problems: Picture Clues and Management Options ($24.95 plus S&H/sales tax; 214 pages; June 2001), can help turf managers and lawn care aficionados identify problems and implement appropriate management strategies to achieve and maintain healthy plants.

Turfgrass Problems: Picture Clues and Management Options is loaded with over 130 color photos of problems that affect cool-season turfgrasses (which include creeping and colonial bentgrasses, Kentucky and annual bluegrasses, fine-leaf and tall fescues, and perennial ryegrasses). The compact, spiral-bound guide will be an invaluable reference for anyone with a serious interest in turfgrass health -- including homeowners, IPM specialists, lawn care professionals, golf course superintendents, agronomists, park managers, extension educators, and students.

The guide covers four types of problems: abiotic problems, diseases, insects, and weeds. (Abiotic problems are caused by "nonliving" factors, such as weather, poor soil structure, or improper nutrient levels.) Each problem discussion includes photos, a complete description of the problem's appearance and the conditions under which it tends to occur, and nonchemical management strategies. Color-coded tabs on each page help readers flip to a particular chapter quickly. If the problem cannot be identified from the photos and descriptions in the guide, a chapter on scouting and sampling procedures will help readers take further action.

A unique feature of the guide is the timelines chapter, which includes three symptom timelines that tell when a certain disease, insect, or weed is likely to emerge. The timelines are based on average climate conditions in the northern United States, but detailed instructions are included for refining the timelines for a specific locale using growing degree days. A glossary, conversion factors, and references are included as well.

Turfgrass Problems: Picture Clues and Management Options was written by Eva Gussack, Extension Associate, and Frank S. Rossi, Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Science and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, both of the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. It was published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES).

Turfgrass Problems: Picture Clues and Management Options, NRAES-125, is available for $24.95 per copy, plus $5.50 shipping and handling, within the continental United States, from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-5701. If ordering more than one copy or if ordering from outside the United States, contact NRAES for shipping rates and possible quantity discounts. All major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be made payable to NRAES. For more information or a free publications catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at nraes@cornell.edu.

A Symposium on Environmental Research in the Cayuga Lake Watershed

This publication is the proceedings from a symposium on environ­mental research in the Cayuga Lake watershed, held October 12, 1999 at Cornell University (NRAES-121, $20.00, 210 pages, 2001). Included are 16 papers in 3 categories: watershed research; lake research, sediments; and lake research, ecology. Also included are 13 abstracts of poster presentations.  The symposium—sponsored by the Center for the Environment at Cornell University and the U.S. Geological Survey—brought together scientific researchers, educators, and government officials from the federal, state, and local levels. Nearly a century ago, the Finger Lakes (of which Cayuga Lake is one) were recognized by limnologists as an extraordinary "model region" for the study of lakes worldwide. Among the Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake is blessed by its size and depth, a watershed of mixed land uses, and soils characteristic of New York State and beyond. The diversity of human influences and land uses in the watershed abound with intellectual challenge and practical impacts on the Lake. Because of the representative, virtually worldwide relevance of the Finger Lakes, lessons learned at Cayuga Lake may be expected to have global value and application.

NRAES-121 is available from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-5701, for $20.00 plus $3.75 shipping and handling.