Tailings Storage Facility No. 2 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Object name: Tailings Storage Facility No. 2 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Ownership (owner) of the object: JV "Gold and Silver" (Israel)
Location of the object: site Kulagan-Tash, right bank of the Kichi-Kemin River
Region: Chui
City (settlement): settlement Ak-Tyuz
Geographical coordinates of the object or settlement:
Elevation (m): 2250
Period of operation and conservation: from 1942 to the present
Current technical condition of the object: unsatisfactory, the upper ditch has been destroyed as a result of a landslide, an accident occurred – dam breach in 1964 with the release of toxic tailings into the Kichi-Kemin River (150,000 m3)
Characteristics of the object: tailings storage facility of the hydraulic type
Volume of waste (thousand m3): 430 Area (thousand m2): 22
Type and kinds of waste: tailings from rare earth production and gold-bearing ores
Chemical composition of waste: Pb – (0.076-0.12)%, Mo – (0.0023-0.009)%, Cu – 0.03%, Zp – 1.2%, Sp – 0.08%, Th – 0.05%, V – 0.04%.
Geological reserves of useful components: not calculated
Impact of waste on the environment and population: as a result of the accident in 1964, an ecological disaster occurred with severe pollution of the Kichi-Kemin River valley with thorium and heavy metals
Radiation characteristics (Exposure dose rate (EDR) of gamma radiation at the surface, radon, activity, etc.): 40-1600 µR/hour, total activity – 1,600 Ci.
Vulnerability of the object to hazardous natural processes and disasters: dangerous slope processes, surface erosion, and dam erosion are developing on the banks of the tailings storage facility.
Seismicity of the area: 9 points
Transboundary impact of the object: severe pollution of the Kichi-Kemin River – a tributary of the transboundary Chu River.
Recommendations for ensuring safety and/or rehabilitation of the object: reclamation of the tailings storage facility with dam reinforcement, construction of a pressure ditch, drainage, organization of monitoring, prohibition of further operation of the tailings storage facility.
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