en.Wedoany.com Reported - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially approved a groundwater pollution control plan submitted by BASF, aimed at preventing contaminants from flowing into the Detroit River.
The plan was jointly developed by BASF, the EPA, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Under the proposal, BASF will install physical barriers around its facility in Wyandotte, Michigan, and construct a groundwater collection system and on-site water treatment facility at the 230-acre riverside site to prevent chemicals that have seeped from contaminated soil into the groundwater from entering the Detroit River.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2027. Specific measures include: installing barriers at the facility boundary to limit the flow of contaminated groundwater across the site boundary into the Detroit River; building a groundwater collection and extraction system to capture contaminated groundwater; and constructing an on-site water treatment facility to treat the collected groundwater. According to a letter from the EPA to BASF, the company must report construction progress to the EPA on a monthly basis.
BASF stated that it plans to build a physical barrier along the northern, eastern, and southern boundaries of the Wyandotte North Plant to prevent contaminated groundwater from migrating off-site. Water collected by the extraction system will be transported to a new above-ground treatment plant within the BASF facility for processing. Previously, after rejecting a cleanup plan submitted by BASF in 2018, the EPA directed the company to adopt the current approach, determining that a perimeter barrier combined with groundwater treatment would provide a more comprehensive remediation.
According to EPA documents, the groundwater collection and extraction system will intercept groundwater that would otherwise flow toward the river, pump it to the surface, and treat it before discharge. The system is designed to treat groundwater containing various contaminants identified during investigations by the EPA and EGLE, including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS or forever chemicals).
Officials stated that the BASF site on Biddle Avenue has severely contaminated soil, and the location is near Wyandotte's drinking water intake system. This former marshland was drained and filled with chemical waste in the 1880s. The plant, a major employer in Wyandotte, produces products such as polyurethane, specialty plastics, and resins.
The Detroit News contacted BASF representatives for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
