Federal regulators have approved a Wyandotte, Michigan chemical manufacturer's plan to curb pollution from reaching the Detroit River.

According to the plan, BASF will install physical barriers around its facility and build a groundwater collection system and on-site water treatment unit at its 230-acre riverfront site. The project aims to keep chemicals that have leached from contaminated soil into groundwater from reaching the Detroit River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced full approval of the company's submission on Monday. BASF, the EPA and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) worked to develop the plan.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2027. Facets include:

• Perimeter barriers to limit groundwater movement across the site boundary and into the Detroit River
• A groundwater collection and extraction system to capture contaminated groundwater
• An on-site water treatment facility to treat collected groundwater

According to an EPA letter to BASF, the company must provide the agency with monthly updates on the construction progress.

BASF has said it plans to construct a physical barrier along the north, east and south boundaries of the North Works plant in Wyandotte, intended to prevent contaminated groundwater from migrating off the site.

EPA directed BASF to pursue the approach after rejecting an earlier cleanup proposal in 2018, concluding that a site-wide perimeter barrier paired with groundwater treatment would provide a more comprehensive remedy.

The groundwater collection and extraction system will intercept groundwater that would otherwise flow toward the river, pump it to the surface, and send it for treatment before it is discharged, according to EPA documentation.

Water collected by the extraction system will be routed to a new above-ground treatment plant on BASF property.

The system is being designed to treat groundwater containing a wide range of pollutants identified during EPA and EGLE investigations, including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS or forever chemicals).

Soil at the BASF site on Biddle Avenue, which is located near Wyandotte's drinking water intake system, is heavily polluted, officials said. The former marshland was drained and filled with chemical waste in the 1880s. The plant, which is a major employer in Wyandotte, manufactures products including polyurethanes, specialty plastics and resins.

The Detroit News reached out to BASF representatives seeking comment but there was no immediate response.

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