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Use and Releases of MTBE in Canada
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A report based on responses to Environment Canada's May 26, 2001 information gathering notice on Methyl tertiary-Butyl Ether.
Joanna Bellamy
Jeffrey Guthrie
Steven Groves (student)
Oil, Gas and Energy Branch
Environment Canada
March 2003
Questions and comments on the content of this
report should be directed to:
Oil, Gas and Energy Branch
Air Pollution Prevention Directorate
Environmental Protection Service
Environment Canada
Place Vincent Massey, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H3
Fax: (819) 953-8903
Table of Contents (TOC)
Executive Summary
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Background
3.0 Information on MTBE Provided Pursuant to the CEPA 1999 Notice
4.0 Path forward
Appendix A - May 26, 2001 CEPA 1999 Notice on MTBE
Appendix B - U.S. states taking or considering action to ban MTBE
Appendix C - Reported production, import and export of gasoline containing MTBE and of MTBE, by region
Appendix D - Reported incidents of ground and drinking water contamination with MTBE
List of Figures
- Figure 3.1 - Companies reporting producing,
exporting producing, exporting or importing gasoline containing MTBE in
Canada, 1991-2000
- Figure 3.2 - Reported production, imports and
exports of gasoline containing MTBE in Canada, 1991-2000
- Figure 3.3 - Companies that reported producing,
exporting and importing MTBE in Canada, 1991-2000
- Figure 3.4 - Net volume (production + imports -
exports) of MTBE Canada, 1991-2000
- Figure 3.5 - Reported number of sites with MTBE
contamination of ground water
- Figure 3.6 - Distribution of maximum reported
concentrations of MTBE in ground water (ppb)
- Figure 3.7 - Distribution of facility types for
which ground water contamination was reported
- Figure C.1 - Reported production, imports and
exports of gasoline containing MTBE in Canada by region, 1991-2000
- Figure C.2 - Reported production, imports and exports of MTBE in Canada by region, 1991-2000
List of Tables
Executive Summary
On May 26, 2001, Environment Canada published a
Notice in the Canada Gazette requiring the reporting of information on the use
and releases of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in Canada. This
report is based on the information provided by companies in response to the
Notice in July 2001. The report summarizes findings from the Notice, including
an assessment of the extent to which MTBE has been detected in ground water and
drinking water in Canada, and lays out the steps being taken by the federal
government to address the issue.
Twenty three responses1 to the CEPA 1999 Notice were submitted to Environment
Canada. MTBE was reported as having been detected in ground water at two
hundred and fifty locations and in every province in Canada2. Among the two
hundred and fifty locations, six were sites where ground water was used as a
source of drinking water. All six sites were located in PEI. In all six cases,
the concentration of MTBE was at levels below the United States Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) consumer advisory level of 20 to 40
parts per billion. Data later provided to Environment Canada indicated that as
a result of remediation, MTBE was no longer detected at three of the six
locations. In Canada, as in other jurisdictions, ground water contamination
with MTBE is believed to be linked to releases of gasoline from storage tanks
systems.
In 1998, gasoline containing MTBE accounted for 10% of the Canadian gasoline
pool. This fell to 2% in 2000, was projected to drop to less than 1% by the end
of 2001, and to decrease further in subsequent years. By the end of 2002, use
of gasoline containing MTBE in Canada was projected to fall by 95% from the
1998 peak. However, contamination of ground water resulting from the past use
of MTBE may persist for some time due to its slow rate of degradation in the
environment.
Only one company, Alberta Envirofuels, reported producing MTBE in Canada. It
reported that it would cease production of MTBE in 2002 and instead produce
iso-octane. Eleven refining and marketing companies reported having used MTBE;
only Irving Oil and North Atlantic Refining indicated that they intended to
continue producing gasoline containing MTBE after 2001. Both of these Atlantic
refiners export reformulated gasoline, which must contain oxygenate, to the
U.S. While North Atlantic Refining reported that it plans to continue marketing
gasoline containing MTBE in Canada, Irving Oil has indicated that it will
not.
While addressing contaminated sites is primarily an area of provincial
jurisdiction, the federal government plans to coordinate a number of actions to
address the issues related to MTBE contamination. Given the substantial
decrease in use of MTBE in Canada, the following initiatives, falling into
three areas, are considered appropriate:
1. Preventing releases of MTBE into the environment:
- Codes of practice for underground and above ground storage tanks developed
in 1993 by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) are
being updated (expected to be published in 2003).
- New federal regulations are being developed to put technical requirements
such as leak detection in place for all tanks under federal jurisdiction
(expected to be completed in 2003).
2. Detecting ground water and drinking water contamination:
- On a broader level, Environment Canada will continue to study and report on
the use of MTBE in gasoline in Canada in order to monitor potentially affected
regions;
- Environment Canada will monitor MTBE contamination of ground and drinking
water across Canada through information provided to the department by provinces
and territories.
3. Remediating contaminated sites:
- The CCME is developing Canadian water quality guidelines for the protection
of aquatic life and the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Subcommittee on Drinking
Water is developing Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality for MTBE.
These guidelines may be used to guide clean up for cases where standards do not
exist (expected to be completed in 2003-2004).
These actions will provide an ongoing understanding of MTBE usage in Canada,
mitigate the potential for further MTBE releases, and give guidance for
remediation of contaminated sites.
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