Don't Drink the Water

The other day, my parents received a certified letter that stated the gas station which they are 2 houses away from, was leaking and MTBE, the additive that helps gasoline burn cleaner, was found in nearby wells. This has been a problem for some time around their county but this was the first that their local station was reported to have a problem.

The Baltimore Sun ran an article with some further information including:

the levels have been rising since spring

The letters, sent Friday, come nearly two months after the state received the results of groundwater testing at Meller's Food Mart, a convenience store and former Sunoco station. The state's delay in notifying the county Health Department could be a violation of Maryland law.

the county Health Department did not receive word of detection until Aug. 31 - nearly seven weeks after the findings

One of the wells also showed benzene, another gas additive, at 171 parts per billion.