Robys Services

Roby’s Services (Roby's) is the location of a former service station.  In 1993, workers digging near the streets to install new sewer lines found petroleum contamination in the soil.  In 1997, Ecology conducted an initial investigation, which showed petroleum contamination above state cleanup levels for both soil and groundwater.  The contamination is believed to have come from leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs) at Roby’s. 

Roby’s was on Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List with a ranking of “3”.  Sites on the Hazardous Sites List are a priority for Ecology, and have completed a Site Hazard Assessment (SHA).  A SHA provides information about the environmental risk of the Site. Risk is based on the amount of contaminants, how toxic they are, and how easily they can come in contact with people and the environment. Sites are ranked relative to each other on a scale of “1” to “5”; with a rank of “5” being the lowest.

 
Roby’s Services operated as a gas station and auto repair facility in Buena from the 1950s until approximately 2003.  During a sewer system upgrade for the town in 1993, petroleum contamination was discovered at several sites within Buena, including Roby’s Services.  Ecology conducted soil and groundwater studies that included soil testing and the installation of 12 monitoring wells throughout the town of Buena to test groundwater.  Five underground storage tanks (USTs) and their associated piping were dug up and removed by Ecology in 2001.  Contaminated soils were found in the excavated tank pit.  
 
 
In 2011, Ecology removed many site structures and concrete and pumped out a waste oil tank.  Laboratory tests of the waste oil showed the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and lead.  In 2012, the empty waste oil tank and the surrounding contaminated soil were dug up and removed from the site, and the pit was backfilled with clean fill. 
 
Approximately 2,500 tons of soil and 122 tons of concrete debris were removed from the site and disposed of properly.  Any remaining contaminated soil was addressed by adding a compound that helps enhance breakdown of the remaining petroleum contamination.  Current testing shows any residual soil contamination is not impacting groundwater beneath the site.  A barrier of native soil and vegetation will limit people’s exposure to any potential contamination.
 

Based upon cleanup activities and the recording of the environmental covenant, Ecology has determined the Site is no longer a threat to human health and the environment. Ecology issued a No Further Action determination and the Site was removed from the Hazardous Sites List in August 2016. 

Gold Nugget Market