Engineering & Land Planning was retained by Smythe Volvo to investigate a fuel oil leak at their facility utilized as a car dealership and service center in Summit, NJ. Current and historic operations at the site consist of retail sale and service of Volvo automobiles. Two (2) waste oil and two (2) lubricating oil underground storage tanks (USTs) were removed in March 1998 and prior to the removal of these USTs, one (1) 550-gallon heating UST was abandoned in place and is reported to have last been used in April 1985. 

Impacts were confirmed in the soil and ground water throughout the site, which are associated with the former regulated and unregulated USTs.  Approximately 287 tons of soil was removed in the area of the former waste oil and lubricating oil USTs in 1998, but efforts to remove all impacted soils was unsuccessful due to structural concerns of the nearby building.  In 2014, a monitoring well was installed in the area of lubricating oil tanks, which exceeded NJDEP Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS).  Part of the impacts detected in the on-site monitoring well are attributed to the off-site contamination from the adjacent gas station.  As part of assigning an offsite source impacting onsite groundwater, E&LP conducted a preliminary assessment in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26E-3.9 to confirm the source of off-site impacts.  Additionally, petroleum based LNAPL was observed in the on-site monitoring well. 

Based on E&LP’s 2014 Preliminary Assessment/Remedial Investigation Report recommendations, to remove LNAPL-impacted soils from beneath the onsite building, excavation is warranted.  E&LP’s 2019 Remedial Action Report successfully demonstrates complete soil and groundwater remedial action at AOCs 1 (waste oil UST) and 2 (lubricating oil UST) and an unrestricted use RAO was issued in 2021 as well as a soils only unrestricted use RAO for AOC-6 (gasoline USTs).  However groundwater impacts persisted in the area of AOC-6 and are currently being remediated via ISCO injection using Provect-OX.  The process also enhances subsequent utilization of sulfate and iron as terminal electron acceptors for facultative redox reactions to support secondary biodegradation of any residual contaminants of interest.  It is anticipated that one more year of Natural Attenuation Monitoring will we required to demonstrate natural degradation of the residual contaminants.  At that time, E&LP will establish a CEA and submit a Groundwater Remedial Action Report for AOC-6 with a Groundwater Remedial Action Permit application to NJDEP.  Upon approval of the permit, E&LP will issue a limited restricted RAO for AOC-6 and close the case.