Sam Winer Motors Site, Akron, Ohio

Site Background

The site was brought to attention of the Ohio EPA by a citizen's complaint in 1993. The complaint alleged illegal storage of waste solvents in tankers located in one of the vehicle storage facilities. The investigation showed no evidence of solvent in any of the military tankers at the site.

Ohio EPA, OHIO Department of Health, and Summit County Health Department jointly conducted a groundwater investigation in a surrounding area to the east of Sam Winer site on the Bey and Ellen roads in 1993. This investigation was in response to a citizen's complaint. Analytical results of the water indicated no federal Drinking Water Standards were exceeded.

In 1995, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Water conducted a hydrological investigation in the Bey road area adjacent to the Sam Winer property in order to characterize the direction of groundwater flow within the area.

In March of 1996 U.S EPA's Characterization Research Division in Las Vegas, Nevada produced an aerial photograph interpretation report for the site. Using aerial photographs from 1952 to 1990, this report speculated on various land features of the Sam Winer Motor site. During the 1999 Integrated Assessment investigation, Ohio EPA was unable to field verify many of the conclusions drawn from the interpretation report.

On July 6, 1999 the Ohio EPA conducted an Integrated Assessment at the site. As a result of this investigation, soil and groundwater contamination was discovered. The contamination discovered was typical of gasoline spills and other solvents. To ensure citizens safety the Ohio EPA and USEPA also sampled residential wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently investigating the site. The U.S. EPA is characterizing the extent of contamination to determine if further action is necessary. One of the main objectives is to determine the direction of groundwater flow. In order to determine this, the U.S. EPA has installed multiple monitoring wells at the site. One of the many monitoring wells installed is pictured to the right. The U.S. EPA is expected to hold a public meeting on the site near the end of February.

US EPA Monitoring Well