Tailings Storage Facility No. 4 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Name of the facility: Tailings Storage Facility No. 4 of the Ak-Tyuz Mining Administration
Ownership (owner) of the facility: Kyrgyz-Israeli Joint Venture "Gold and Silver"
Location of the facility: mouth of the Chiynike stream, right bank of the Kichi-Kemin River
Region: Chui
City (settlement): Ak-Tyuz settlement
Height (m): 1700
Period of operation and conservation: from 1978-2008, not conserved.
Current technical condition of the facility: the upper ditch and drainage systems are not functioning, significant flooding of the tailings.
Characteristics of the facility: tailings storage of the washed type
Volume of waste (thousand m3): 1500 Area (thousand m2): 25
Type and kinds of waste: tailings from rare earth production, containing thorium and heavy metals
Chemical composition of waste: Th – 0.038%, Pb - up to 0.12%, Zn - up to 0.07%, Th2O3 – (0.11-0.15)%, Y2O3 - up to 0.02%, ZrO2 – (0.2-0.5)%, Mo - up to 0.007%, F - up to 0.1%, Cu - up to 0.015%.
Impact of waste on the environment and population: contamination of groundwater and surface waters with thorium and heavy metals.
Radiation characteristics (Exposure Dose Rate (EDR) of gamma radiation at the surface, radon, activity, etc.): EDR = 25-40 µR/hour, locally up to 1400, total activity – 6,300 Ci.
Vulnerability of the facility to hazardous natural processes and disasters: risk of landslides, risk of dam failure with a height of 56 m.
Seismicity of the area: 9 points
Transboundary impact of the facility: contamination with thorium and heavy metals of the Kichi-Kemin River – a tributary of the transboundary Chu River.
Recommendations for ensuring safety and/or rehabilitation of the facility: comprehensive repair, drainage, and reclamation of the tailings storage facility, including repair and restoration of the drainage channel, cleaning of the settling pond, prohibition of further operation of the tailings storage without strengthening the dam.
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