United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region X
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Japanese Auto Wrecking (JAW) site (no longer operating at this location) originally occupied approximately 1.7 acres.  The site (located at 7777 262nd Street in Kent, Washington) is a former auto wrecking yard that was referred to the EPA’s Emergency Response Unit by the Washington Department of Ecology, the Washington State Patrol, and the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) division.  The site located near other auto wrecking yards, is within 0.25 mile of the Green River, and within 0.5 mile of residences.  Prior to their February 2003 eviction, Japanese Auto Wrecking had taken over approximately 5.72 acres of the former Astro Salvage property.  During the START site visit on February 13, 2003, oil was observed floating on surface water and strong petroleum odors were noted near a car-crushing area on the Japanese Auto Wrecking property.  Workers on site reported dumping of thousands of gallons of gasoline directly into the soil at several locations.  The site was closed by Washington Department of Labor and Industries in January, 2003, due to unsafe working conditions.  On February 27, 2003, the EPA responded to the site due to the potential for buried chlorine gas cylinders to leak.  On May 2, 2003, the EPA defined the entire 15 acre property (this includes the approximately 8 acres formerly occupied by Japanese Auto Wrecking) the site area.  

During the month of February 2005 the EPA identified additional pits that were suspected as dumping areas.  These pits were identified by a former employee of the Japanese Auto Wrecking site.  According to this former employee gasoline was dumped in these two pit areas as recent as 3 years ago.  These pits are identified as Pit C and Pit E.  The RP's contractor G-logics mobilized to the site during the week of February 7, 2005 to install up to four boreholes to an approximate depth of 21 feet below ground surface.  Two borehole were installed in the area marked Pit C and two boreholes were installed in the area marked Pit E.  Concentrations exceeding MTCA Method A Cleanup levels for benzene and TPH gasoline were detected in the groundwater samples collected from Pit C.  There were no levels of BTEX or TPH-Gasoline detected in groundwater samples collected from Pit E.  A meeting discussing the analytical results detected in groundwater samples from Pit C was held on Februrary 24, 2005.  This meeting included members of the BB Partnerships (property owners),the EPA OSC, and the START-2.  The EPA OSC requested that the groundwater plume that exists at the site be delienated.  
G-logics mobilized to the site during the week of March 14, 2005.  The purpose of these field activities are to further charaterize Pit C and to delienate the groundwater plume that exists at the site.  Boreholes and monitoring wells were installed  for the purpose of delienating the plume.  A monitoring well insatlled approximately 300 feet east of the plume detected benzene at a concentration of 71 parts per billion of benzene.  A site meeting that will include the EPA OSC, START-2, BB Partnerships, and G-logics, is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 7, 2005.  At this meeting the RP's contractor G-logics will present the final analytical results from the March 2005 sampling event.

The Responsible Party's consultant G-logics will continue to collect and analyize the samples extracted from the VES system.  

Characterize the complete extent of plume of contamination, including new pit areas.

Complete review of G-Logics final removal action plan and site characterization final analtyical results (collected during the March 2005 sampling event).  

Check website (http://www.epaosc.net/JapaneseAutoWrecking) for additional site maps, photos, and reports.

Determine if RP has necessary funding to complete the required removal actions.