BASF Corporation - Inmont Division (Wyoming, Kent County)

Brent Ritchie, RitchieB1@Michigan.gov or 616-581-1782.

The BASF Corporation (BASF) facility has been industrial since the late-1800s, with uses including the manufacturing/application of furniture finishes and paint. BASF stopped operations at the plant in 1987 to begin manufacturing automotive paint and container coatings; these operations stopped in 1999. An environmental investigation was conducted at the site in 1988 after it was discovered there were leaks from piping and storage tanks. A groundwater pump-and-treat system was installed later in 1993 to clean up many contaminants other than PFAS in the groundwater at the site. The treatment system discharges the treated water into the city of Wyoming's sanitary sewer system for final treatment and eventual release to the Grand River.

On May 7-9, 2018, the city of Wyoming conducted an initial round of testing of wastewater coming into their water treatment plant from locations that held Industrial Pretreatment Permits, such as BASF. A second round of wastewater samples was collected from the facility on August 14, 2018. Results from these sampling events showed elevated PFAS levels in the wastewater coming from BASF. Given the facility's history and the fact that the only wastewater generated at the BASF facility was derived from groundwater extraction wells installed on-site, EGLE requested BASF develop a workplan to assess the presence of PFAS in the groundwater. BASF presented this workplan to EGLE on April 3, 2019, which included groundwater treatment system effluent sample results, which confirmed PFAS in the wastewater and most likely in the groundwater as well.

The groundwater treatment system gathers groundwater from a total of 14 environmental remediation extraction wells from across the site including 11 from the former plant area and 3 from a former storage tank area. The site is in an industrial area immediately adjacent to Plaster Creek. The Grand River is about 1.2 miles downgradient from the site. Groundwater flow is to the north-northeast, paralleling and discharging to Plaster Creek. However, the groundwater treatment system has been working since 1993, so groundwater flow is generally towards the extraction wells on-site. The extent of PFAS contamination has not yet been determined. BASF is also working to engineer a change from a biological treatment system--which treats another contaminant--to a granular activated carbon (GAC) system which will treat both the other contaminant and PFAS.

Content posted January 2021.

Surrounding residents/businesses are on municipal water from the City of Wyoming. There are no known drinking water wells in the current investigation area. EGLE has tested all municipal water supplies for PFAS. View the results for the city of Wyoming.

BASF will continue to investigate PFAS at the facility in accordance with Michigan’s environmental law. One additional groundwater extraction/pumping well will be installed to capture groundwater in the eastern portion of the site and to assure that PFAS impacted groundwater is not migrating into Plaster Creek. BASF continues to wait for supplies and materials (such as carbon filters) to upgrade the groundwater treatment system to remove PFAS chemicals and other contaminants in the groundwater pumped from the facility prior to discharge into the municipal sanitary sewer system.  The City of Wyoming and EGLE are overseeing these efforts.  This work is scheduled for first quarter of 2021.