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 is 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) as the site area.  

During the October 11, 2007 site visit, and sampling event, v-belts for the Soil Vapor Extraction System were replaced, groundwater levels recorded and groundwater samples collected. Since the continual operation of the SVE, the contaminant concentrations in the extracted soil vapor have been steadily decreasing.  This is due to the SVE system has been repaired and upgraded.
Groundwater samples collected during this reporting period have shown detectable concentrations fo TPH-G or BTEX compounds in GMW-08.  This well was found to have concentrations fo both TPH-G (1,570 ug/L)and benzene (58 ug/L) that exceed the MTCA Method A Cleanup Levels of 800 ug/L and 5 ug/L, respectively.  Based on these results it appears that the contaminant concentrations in the vicinity of GMW-08 are continuing to decrease.

G-logics continues to monitor and conduct quarterly sampling of on-site monitoring wells.  Also, G-logics continues to conduct frequently monitoring of the VES and collect air samples.

Continued monitoring of the air sparge/soil vapor extraction remediation system to include the collection of air and quarterly groundwater samples.

-Establish timeline for cleanup operations for groundwater & soils.
-Field log of treatment system shut downs.