The state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said an evaluation of the Electro-Plating Services Inc. site will be completed this spring. It will be based on dozens of soil and water samples being taken by the department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The chrome plating company in Madison Heights was shut down by state regulators in 2016 due to mismanagement of industrial waste. An EPA cleanup removed toxic chemicals and contaminated liquids.
The leak of bright green goo onto the shoulder of Interstate 696 last month prompted a new investigation. It found high levels of numerous toxins in soil and groundwater at the site, including hexavalent chromium, which is associated with cancer, kidney and liver damage.
The Superfund program enables EPA to arrange cleanup of highly contaminated sites by requiring polluters to pay for the work or using government funds when responsible parties can’t be found.
Michigan officials said on Friday they also had detected high levels o PFAS, in water collected by a sump pump in the facility’s basement.
The Michigan agency said water sampled from the basement pit contained levels of one PFAS compound far exceeding Michigan’s groundwater standard.
The environmental department said the recovered water will be treated to remove the compounds and other pollution before disposal.