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.  

G-logics (the PRP's contractor) mobilized to the site on May 8, 2005, to install two extraction wells EX-1 and EX-2.  These wells were constructed to accommodate the following tests: Soil Vapor Extraction Radius of Influence, Enhanced Fluid Recovery, Air Sparge Radius of Influence, and Plume Eater Radius of Influence. The wells were screened at five feet above and below the groundwater level to facilitate the groundwater withdrawal and soil vapor extraction testing. The wells were also screened at the bottoms (of the wells) for air sparge injection testing.  The upper and lower screens were simultaneously used in conjunction with the Plume Eater testing.  

The initial startup of the air sparge/soil vapor extraction remediation system occurred on July 1, 2005.

Quarterly groundwater samples were collected from all on-site monitoring wells on June 30 and July 1, 2005.  The groundwater samples collected were analyzed for NWTHP-Gx and BTEX by Method 8021B.  Analtyical results from eight of the fourteen monitoring wells sampled contained elevated levels (above MTCA Method A Cleanup Levels) of benzene, toluene, xylenes and NWTPH-Gasoline range.

The PRP's consultant G-logics will continue to collect and analyze the samples collected from the Air Sparge/Soil Vapor Extraction System and the on-site monitoring wells.

Continue to review all progress reports developed by the PRP's contractor G-logics and conduct oversight of field activities.

Determine radius of influence of Vapor Extraction system & ground water contamination.