Air Spares Inc

Environmental cleanup is completed at the site, and the periodic review in 2019 shows that cleanup work remains effective in protecting the health of people and the environment. This was the second periodic review for the site. The first review was in 2014.

After cleanup, some petroleum (oil-range) hydrocarbon contamination remained in soil at the site. To prevent exposure to that contamination, a restrictive covenant was filed in 2008. The covenant restricts property use and requires maintenance of the building and the asphalt cap in the parking lot that covers the contaminated soil.

When an environmental covenant exists for a cleanup site, Ecology reviews site conditions at least every five years to ensure long-term effectiveness of the cleanup action.

Based on Ecology's inspection of the site on February 15, 2019, the conditions of the building and parking lot covering the area of petroleum contaminated soil remain in satisfactory condition and continue to eliminate exposure to buried petroleum contaminated soil.

From March 28 to April 28, 2019, Ecology held a comment period to give the public an opportunity to comment on conditions at the site. No comments were received and Ecology finalized the second periodic review report.

Second Periodic Review Report-Final

The former Air Spares Inc. property is located at 2617 East L Street in Tacoma. The site is located in a residential/commercial area.  The building was built in the early 1970s.  Air Spares bought the property in 1985. A laboratory and parking lot now occupy the site.

Three underground storage tanks were installed on the property, perhaps during construction of the facility in the 1970's.  Reportedly, the tanks were taken out of service sometime during 1986 and all three tanks were removed in 1998. 

The site had three underground storage tanks on the property:

• One 6,000 gallon tank for gasoline.
• One 10,000 gallon tank for diesel.
• One 300 gallon tank for waste oil.

In 1998, the three underground tanks were removed and soil collected from the excavated areas was tested for contaminants.

Analysis of soil samples collected from the excavation of the 6,000 and the 10,000 gallon tanks showed no petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. The holes were backfilled and compacted with the removed soils.

Visual evidence and the smell of petroleum contaminated soil was noted when the 300-gallon waste oil tank was excavated.  Analysis of soil collected from the excavated area showed that petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated the soil surrounding the tank. About 176 cubic yards of petroleum contaminated soil were removed and replaced with clean material. 

In 2006, results of additional study showed that no groundwater was encountered during sampling. Petroleum contaminated soil above state cleanup levels was present under the corner of the building. The remaining contaminated soil could not excavated from under the building without threatening the structural integrity of the building.

Because some residual petroleum contaminated soil remained, an environmental covenant was filed for the site. A covenant was recorded in 2008 that prohibits activities that could cause release of contaminants contained as part of the cleanup. 

With the cleanup action completed and the environmental covenant in place, Ecology issued a no further action determination in 2008. 

For the first periodic review, Ecology held a public comment period from February 6 through March 10, 2014 and received no comments.