Question:
I bought a house last year and part of the process was to have the well water tested. They said it tested fine.

Well, now, a year later we keep seeing reports that MTBE (spelling?? that gasoline additive) has been detected in the wells of surrounding areas. I want to see if my well is ok or not.

Did that original test, test for this chemical? If not, how can I go about getting it tested for this. I have a two year old child so this is of concern to me.

Answer: Probably not.. When I got my well-water tested, they did minerals and bacteria. Hydrocarbons was another, fairly expensive, test, which I didn't do because said water just barely met the epa standards for primary drinking water anyway, and so I don't drink or cook with it. It wouldn't hurt any to get your water re-tested every few years, anyway. Especially if yours is a fairly shallow well.

The jury is still out on MTBE's impact on health and what a "safe" level in drinking water is. But it's indisputable that, because it spreads relatively quickly in ground water, it can mess up well water supplies. (From what people say, it really stinks and tastes bad, even in very small amounts.) It usually gets into the ground water from leaking gasoline storage tanks. But it can happen to an individual well from a leaking gas tank, stale gas poured out onto the ground to dispose of it, etc. A little goes a long way.

States vary in their willingness to acknowledge and address the problems MTBE causes. My state (PA) is still dragging it's feet; a ban on its use as a gas additive went into effect in the adjoining state (NY) the beginning of 2004. Again, depending on the state, water testing may or may not be required when a house is sold and/or MTBE may or may not be one of the substances tested for.

I suggest you go to your state's website and see what information there is about MTBE, usually on your environmental agency's pages. Use Google to search on MTBE and your state. Imo - since it was usually their lax inspection of underground tanks that allowed the contamination - states do have a responsibility to assist residents. The state also has a responsibility to protect groundwater. Imo, if there are contaminated wells near you, the state should be testing your water. (Your state may however not see it that way.) Talk to your neighbors; there is strength (and votes) in numbers.