Two more Tahoe wells in question

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998 | 11:46 a.m.

That's in addition to 10 of the district's 34 wells that have been shut down during the past year because of concerns about MTBE.

STPUD announced Tuesday that laboratory tests conducted last week indicate that MTBE may be present in its Julie and South "Y" wells. The MTBE plume is believed to be coming from a nearby service station that voluntarily shut down in August.

Water from the contaminated wells is diverted to an air stripping tower which can remove low levels of MTBE, said STPUD spokeswoman Dawn Forsythe, adding that all customers are getting safe drinking water.

Laboratory testing is normally conducted to find MTBE at 0.5 to 5 parts per billion, according to STPUD. However, testing at 0.2 parts per billion indicates MTBE may be present in the wells. California allows MTBE in drinking water up to 35 parts per billion.

MTBE - methyl tertiary butyl ether - is a gasoline additive that is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible cancer-causing agent. At low levels, between 15 and 40 parts per billion, people can detect MTBE in water. It smells and tastes like turpentine.