Pik a Pop 15

The site currently operates as a gas station and convenience store. In January 1991, Ecology received reports of gasoline odors in residential basements to the south of the facility. Ecology ordered nearby underground storage tank (UST) operators to conduct tank integrity tests and Maid O’Clover discovered that leakage must have occurred from a turbine pump associated with the western-most 10,000-gallon gasoline UST. It was estimated that about 50-100 gallons of unleaded gasoline was released. 

In 1992, the site was added to Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List with a ranking of “2”. 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.

In February 1991, a site assessment was performed to assess the extent of contamination. This involved drilling 3 soil borings and converting them into monitoring wells. Soil and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). In MW-3, free product and levels of hazardous substances were found above Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) cleanup levels. Soil samples from all three wells and groundwater samples from MW-1 and MW-2 were non-detections.

In May 1991, Maid O’Clover reported another turbine gasket failure. The release was estimated at 100 gallons.

In April 1992, six monitoring wells were installed onsite. Soil and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for TPH, BTEX, and lead. The levels found in the soil samples did not exceed MTCA cleanup levels. The report does not include the laboratory results or the values for the levels of contaminants detected in groundwater samples.

A surface skimming pump was installed in MW-3 and nearly 650 gallons of free product were removed and collected in 55-gallon barrels for recycling. Once this system was no longer productive, an up-flow petrophilic coalescing plate adsorption treatment system was installed on site. This method removed as much of the remaining product and potentially contaminated water and had it go through an oil/water separator and treatment facility for separation of product. After separation, it was recycled and the treated water was discharged to the City of Yakima Treatment Plant.

In 2004, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) was conducted at the site. The Phase II ESA discovered tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in groundwater above Ecology MTCA cleanup levels at two borehole locations. BTEX, gasoline TPH, and diesel TPH were not detected in any of the water and soil samples that were collected near the USTs. In 2005, Ecology sent a response to the Phase II investigation and stated that additional actions were needed to address the PCE in the groundwater.

From September 2013 through July 2014, groundwater compliance monitoring was conducted at the site. Confirmational monitoring will continue at the site and is necessary to confirm the long-term effectiveness of the cleanup.

In 2015, an environmental covenant was recorded with Yakima County prohibiting or limiting activities that may interfere with the integrity of the cap or result in exposure to soil contamination remaining at the site.

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 in December 2015. The site has been removed from the Hazardous Sites List.