Facility Site ID: 554 Cleanup Site ID: 1941

Site Description

The Fifth Wheel Truck Repair site is the location of a heavy truck repair shop. A shop building, divided into two tenant spaces, is located on the property associated with the site. Businesses that have operated at the site location include a heavy truck repair shop and an auto body shop. Potential sources of contamination are hazardous substances entering a former dry wells and waste water sumps located at the interior and exterior of the building. 

The drywell was removed in 1991. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and perchloroethylene were revealed in the dry well. Most of the contaminated soil was excavated down to 12 feet below ground surface. The soil was lawfully disposed of in a local landfill and the drywell was backfilled with clean structural fill. 

TPH is a mixture of many different chemicals and originates from crude oil, which is used to make petroleum products, such as fuel oils, gasoline, and solvents. 

Exposure to TPH can be from air, chemical use, soil, or water. TPH can affect the blood, eyes, immune system, kidneys, liver, lungs, nervous system, skin, as well as unborn children.  There is also an increased risk of certain types of cancer.

More information about potential sources of TPH and associated health risks can be found on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website.

After a Site Hazard Assessment, the Site was ranked a “3” on the Hazardous Sites List. The Hazardous Sites List is a statewide list of contaminated properties. Sites can be ranked from a “1” to “5”.  A rank of “1” is the highest level of environmental concern compared to other sites on the List, and a rank of “5” is the lowest.

What Is The Yakima Railroad Area

This site is a part of the Yakima Railroad Area (YRRA). The Yakima Railroad Area is approximately six square miles in size and includes parts of the cities of Yakima and Union Gap. The Yakima Railroad Area groundwater is contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE or PERC) from past industrial use, and is centered around the railroad/industrial corridor of the greater Yakima area.

PCE is a manufactured chemical that is widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics and for metal-degreasing. It is also used to make other chemicals and is used in some consumer products.

Exposure to PCE can be from the air, chemical use, soil, or water.  PCE can affect the kidneys, liver, nervous system, and reproductive system, as well as unborn children. There is also an increased risk of certain types of cancer.

More information about potential sources of PCE and associated health risks can be found on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website.

What's Been Done

Contaminated soil was removed and disposed of through a series of remedial investigations and interim actions from 1989 into the 2000s. Most of the contaminated soil was excavated down to 12 feet below ground surface. The soil was lawfully disposed of in a local landfill and the drywell was backfilled with clean structural fill. Subsequent investigation, soil samples, and groundwater samples indicate remedial actions have sufficiently removed the contaminant source.

Voluntary Cleanup Program

This site was cleaned up under our Voluntary Cleanup Program, which provides technical help to owners of contaminated sites.

Voluntary Cleanup Program customers pay fees to cover our costs for technical help and reviewing cleanup reports. Sites in this program must meet the same cleanup standards as the sites Ecology manages under legal orders.

Legal 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Fifth Wheel EO No. DE 94TC-C103 Amendment 6/16/1995 Enforcement Order
Fifth Wheel RI/FS EO No. DE 95TC-C103 1/13/1995 Enforcement Order
Fifth Wheel PLP ltr 4/23/1993 Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter
Public Information 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Fifth Wheel Repair Shop - Delisting Fact Sheet 2/9/2024 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Fifth Wheel RI/FS Fact Sheet - Spanish 1/17/1995 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Fifth Wheel RI/FS fact sheet 1/17/1995 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
State Environmental Policy Act 1
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Fifth Wheel SEPA checklist 5/23/1995 SEPA Documents
Technical Reports 30
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Hensrude 3/25/2024 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Adams 3/25/2024 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Hensrude 9/29/2023 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Adams 9/29/2023 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Quality Monitoring Data Summary 2021 5/1/2023 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - Groundwater and Soil Sampling Report 4/17/2023 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Hensrude 4/7/2023 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Adams 4/7/2023 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Hensrude 9/30/2022 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA GW Sampling Event - Adams 9/30/2022 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2018 - 2020 4/1/2022 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event - Hensrude 4/1/2022 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event - Adams 4/1/2022 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event 10/6/2021 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event 9/29/2021 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling 3/29/2021 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event 11/6/2020 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - Work Plan for Site Closure 3/18/2020 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - YRRA Groundwater Sampling Event 9/25/2019 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2017 7/1/2018 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2014 - 2015 7/1/2016 Groundwater Monitoring Report
YRRA Groundwater Quality Performance Monitoring 2013 10/1/2014 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair Site Hazard Assessment 2/1/1997 Site Hazard Assessment Report
Fifth Wheel Environmental Investigation & Remediation rpt 5/2/1996 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair Site History Report 6/15/1995 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Fifth Wheel Interim RI rpt 5/25/1995 Remedial Investigation Report
Fifth Wheel Sampling rpt 10/1/1993 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Fifth Wheel Intermediate Cleanup Engineering rpt 4/1/1991 Remedial Action Report
Fifth Wheel Intermediate Drywell Cleanup rpt 2/1/1991 Remedial Action Report
Hahn Motor & Fifth Wheel UST Integrity Assessment 10/25/1989 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Voluntary Cleanup Program 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - No Further Action Opinion Letter VCP CE0513 9/13/2023 VCP Opinion on Site Cleanup – NFA
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - VCP Further Action Letter 7/30/2020 VCP Opinion on Site Cleanup – Other
Fifth Wheel Truck Repair - VCP Application Accepted 7/20/2020 VCP Administrative Document
There may be more documents related to this site. To obtain documents not available electronically, you will need to make a public records request.

Places to see print documents

  • Central Regional Office
    1250 W Alder St
    Union Gap, 98903-0009
    Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.

Contaminants 9

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Metals - Metals - Other RB RB
Non-Halogenated Organics - Non-Halogenated Solvents RB B
Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Solvents RB RB
Metals - Arsenic RB B
Metals - Lead RB B
Non-Halogenated Organics - Benzene RB B
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Diesel RB B
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Gasoline RB B
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Other RB B
S
Suspected
C
Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
B
Below Cleanup Levels
RA
Remediated-Above
RB
Remediated-Below
R
Remediated
This contaminant list was based on our best information at the time it was entered. It may not reflect current conditions at the site.