My name is Christina Miller and I am a homeowner and live at 14 Skylark Drive in Derry NH. We have been living at this address since June of 1998. When we purchased this property, a fairly thorough water test was performed and our water measured high in nitrates so an additional water purification system was installed. No mention of MtBE was made nor were any tests provided.
MTBE
During 1999, the MTBE problem was highlighted in many states across the country and examined in TV and other news reports. During the New Jersey investigation US Rep Bob Franks NJ, reported that "The Environmental Protection Agency knew about potential threats to public health and drinking water supplies years before the agency allowed the widespread use of a potentially cancer-causing gasoline additive to combat air pollution. The 1987 EPA internal memo assessing the health effects of MTBE noted that it could be toxic, causing neurological problems or tumors when inhaled or absorbed by the skin. The memo also stated that the chemical had been found in groundwater in four states, affecting up to 20,000 people." USC and others have investigated the linkages of liver disease and cancer related problems.
THIS IS A PROBLEM ACROSS ALL AMERICA - NOT JUST NEW HAMPSHIRE
So far, tens of thousands of private drinking water wells and a handful of municipal water supplies have been contaminated by MTBE in the U.S. and further spreading of the chemical through underwater springs and aquifers is likely, say researchers. Among the worst examples of MTBE pollution so far are South Tahoe, California, where about half the drinking water wells have been contaminated, and Santa Monica, California, where 80 percent of the public water supply has been contaminated. Both cities now have to import water from elsewhere at costs of up to $3 million a year. In Maine, more than 5,000 private drinking water wells were found contaminated, forcing residents to hook into municipal water lines. The MTBE predicament could be costly for oil and gas companies who are already being held responsible for some of the pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Estimates for cleaning up MTBE are around $1 million per well, because current cleanup technologies for the chemical are limited. Several lawsuits around the country name gasoline operators as defendants in MTBE contamination cases, including ones filed by the South Tahoe Water District, a San Francisco-based environmental group called Communities for a Better Environment, and a group of five private citizens in North Carolina, to name a few. A number of energy companies, including Shell Oil, are responding to the threat of more numerous legal challenges by sponsoring research into microbial treatment - the cheapest MTBE remediation technology currently available. Microbial treatment uses bacteria to breakdown MTBE into its harmless components. Other methods of cleanup are significantly more expensive and include absorption using activated carbon, photo-oxidation using ultra violet light, and chemical oxidation using substances like hydrogen peroxide. Because of the financial and technological hurdles, many contaminated areas have yet to be cleaned up - and are instead simply sectioned off to reduce spreading while more cost-effective treatments are found. While MTBE's destructive nature in water may have come as a surprise to most, officials at the EPA say the chemical's troublesome characteristics were never a mystery to them - even before the U.S. Clean Air Act went into place.
MY EXPERIENCE
In January 2000, we received a notice that our MTBE sample was below the limit (9 parts per billion). We were retested in April 2000 and the reading was 22. First of all this indicates that anyone with any detection of MtBE should be cautious because of these significant fluctuations. Current studies are all short term in length, and are still limited as to the impact and damage to liver, kidneys and as a carcinogen. Further more, another test in May then indicated the % had dropped again. Thus, although MTBE is a known problem, its dispersion and control is not well understood.
Letters we received are very confusing. On page one of a letter from NH Department of Health and Human Services dated July 31, 2000, (with a 9.5 MtBE level) indicated that there are "no restrictions on water usage", yet on page two it stated "although the MtBE concentration is below drinking water standard, because of the concern about possible fluctuations in the contaminant level, we understand that DES will be installing a point-of-entry water treatment system".
When the MTBE levels were 22, we were warned not to use the water. The materials provided told us how to better store gasoline and I don't feel provided us with enough information that made be more comfortable about the effects of MtBE. Even though I was pregnant and informed the authorities involved in this study, we were not offered water alternatives or informed in any of the letters about alternative water purification or MTBE's harmful effects on us, never mind my unborn baby. Since we were informed about this problem, I began to do what I a considerable amount of research on my own. But almost to no avail. There is not much information found on the effects of MtBE or the problems that it may cause in the long run. Of all the information that is out there, I have come to the conclusion that no one has done enough testing on MtBE.
In June of 2000, we finally started to receive bottled water. We were provided as much as we needed. Nice, but still a problem to take a shower, do the laundry, wash our fruits and vegetables, and for cooking, among many other things you use faucet water for, but take for granted. After repeated phone calls and what seemed like lots of convincing, it was finally decided we 'might' qualify for a water purification system.
THE SYSTEM
A new water purification was installed finally at our residence in September. What concerns us also, is the fact that we received no paper work that this system will be maintained and upgraded as needed for the lifetime of the residence and our ability to resell our home in the future may be directly related to proving the status of this system. We are also still very concerned about our health, which probably won't go away for a while since there still is no resolution to this problem.
In closing, the NHDES did the right thing in testing for levels across the state but should provide honest and full disclosure to all residents on MtBE and its possible harmful effects. The NH DES needs to also be very proactive. We had to continually call to get results. We still have not been provided any notice of what the source of contamination is. And finally, if there are long-term effects on our health, how does the state expect to respond?