On February 11, 2004, the Washington State Patrol served a search warrant on Japanese Auto Sales and Service in Kent, Washington and arrested the owner for operating an illegal wrecking yard. Officials from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the City of Kent Code Enforcement Division were on-scene to assist the Washington State Patrol with their illegal wrecking yard investigation. This assistance involved determining how the wrecking yard was storing and disposing of their used automobile fluids. Several drums and containers of waste were scattered throughout the site, including drums and containers "hidden" under a pile of automotive tires. There was also evidence of spilled materials that had been released to the asphalt pavement and which had migrated to off-site soils. The EPA mobilized the Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START-2) to the site to characterize the contents of each of the drums and to provide further analytical support. Samples were submitted to a commercial laboratory to determine if hazardous substances are present.
