Tailings Storage Facility No. 3 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Name of the facility: Tailings Storage Facility No. 3 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Ownership (owner) of the facility: Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic
Location of the facility:
mouth of the Kutesai stream, left bank of the Kichi-Kemin River
Region: Chui
City (settlement): Ak-Tyuz settlement
Height (m): 2200
Period of operation and conservation: 1965 - 1978, conserved in 1979
Current technical condition of the facility: dam height 81 m, surface not reclaimed, tailings water seepage observed
Characteristics of the facility: hydraulic-type tailings storage
Volume of waste (thousand m³): 1050 Area (thousand m²): 30
Type and kinds of waste: tailings from rare earth production, containing thorium and heavy metals
Chemical composition of waste: Th – (135-866) ppm, Zr – (1000-1115) ppm, Pb – (846-5500) ppm, As – (94-530) ppm, Be – (13-42) ppm, Cd – (2-16) ppm, Sb – (47-88) ppm, Mo – (26-332) ppm, La – (176-1454) ppm.
Impact of waste on the environment and population: contamination of surface waters with thorium, lead, and other heavy metals.
Radiation characteristics (Exposure Dose Rate (EDR) of gamma radiation at the surface, radon, activity, etc.): EDR = 80-410 µR/hour, locally up to 800 µR/hour, total activity - 2100 Ci.
Vulnerability of the facility to hazardous natural processes and disasters: high risk of tailings storage failure with discharge of tailings into the Kichi-Kemin River due to landslide processes, shifting of waste rock from above.
Seismicity of the area: 9 points
Transboundary impact of the facility: contamination of the Kichi-Kemin River bed with thorium and heavy metals – a tributary of the transboundary Chu River.
Recommendations for ensuring safety and/or rehabilitation of the facility: comprehensive repair and reclamation of the tailings storage, monitoring of the dam and the surrounding environment.
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