Nornickel is taking unprecedented measures to curb the impact of floods on the Doldykan River in Norilsk’s industrial area and is currently undertaking the unprecedented task of cleaning up the Doldykan River and the surrounding territory from sediments accumulated since the Soviet period.
At the beginning of the flood season in 2016, Nornickel tightened its controls over the hydraulic structures and pipelines of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant in the Norilsk industrial area. The company has since been monitoring the situation intensively, running regularly analysis of water samples from reservoirs.
In 2016, Nornickel completed the reconstruction of the tailings and slurry pipelines of the hydrometallurgy shop of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant. Investment amounted to over 1 billion rubles. The use of the most modern technologies introduces the high reliability to the slurry pipeline operation and allows avoiding possible accidents and leaks.
“We have taken on the daunting task of eliminating past sediments from the land. The scope of this work is unprecedented since the sediments have been accumulating since Soviet times. We aim at eliminating all sediments, subject to favorable weather conditions, by the end of 2018. Last year alone, 120,000 cubic meters of soil were transported to the tailings pond; this year we are planning to move 150,000 cubic meters. Our plans also include the landscaping of these territories,” said Viktor Ivanov, Deputy Head, Reconstruction and Industrial Environment, at Nornickel’s Polar division.
“With the onset of the flood season, the Polar division is monitoring the territory along the pipeline of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant and controlling the chemical composition of the Doldykan River and its water protection zone. The melting of snow and the gradual breaking up of ice in the river have stirred up deposited bed sediments. This resulted in a slight coloring of the Doldykan river on June 7. The phenomenon is seasonal and of a short-term nature; there is no danger to the environment,” said Ivanov.
The company is constantly monitoring the situation in the specified area in accordance with a monitoring program of the Doldykan River and its water protection zone approved by the state regulators. Monitoring during the summer months includes, amongst other things, assessing and studying the abundance and mass of aquatic biological resources in the Doldykan River. This project will be carried out by the Krasnoyarsk Territory’s leading scientific institution in the field. (Nornickel/Ukrainian metal)