At the public hearings, ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih presented EIA report of the project for construction of Tretya Karta tailing pond – water-engineering structure designed to dispose of mill tailings. The new facility of mining and beneficiation complex is planned to be constructed in the territory of Shyrokovskiy district – on land plots, which are in use of ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih.
Public hearing is conducted within the procedures stipulated by the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment. It covers the impact during both construction (projects implementation) and further operation of new and reconstructed facilities. The hearings were held by Vitaliy Bilousov, the representative of Energy and Environmental Protection Ministry of Ukraine. The representatives of non-governmental organizations, district residents and ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih specialists participated in the hearings.
Currently, ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih operates Mirolyubivka, Obyedinennoye and Chetvertaya Karta tailing ponds and in process of the reconstruction of Tsentralnoye tailing pond. However, these water-engineering structures are close to reaching their limit in terms of flood dike topping, which leads to the need to create a new pond for waste storage. Tretya Karta tailing pond will be commissioned in parallel with completion of sludging of Mirolyubivka, Obyedinennoye and Chetvertaya Karta tailing ponds and the first phase of Tsentralnoye tailing pond. That is why total environmental impact of tailing management facilities of mining department will be reduced.
The new technological facility will be constructed as per international and state standards, using modern technologies, certified equipment and materials that will minimize man-caused environmental impact on surrounding territories. Impervious screen made of bentonite material will be placed around all basin of tailing pond that enables to almost completely prevent technical water from getting to underground water levels. Total volume of the facility is 34.8 million cubic meters.
Mill tailings are stored using hydrotransportation system, which combines slurry pump stations, main and distributing slurry lines. During storage of mill tailings, water separates from solid fractions of slurry. Settled water gets into the circulation water supply system and then returns to technological process. Circulation water is supplied through fully closed-loop autonomous system.
At the public hearings, authors of the prepared report and representatives of different ArcelorMittal Kriviy Rih services answered the questions from the residents and public. The company will reduce environmental impact of the facility by ensuring a range of environment protection measures: dust suppression on the surfaces of tailings and dike slopes, protection and rational use of water and land resources, planting of windbreaker along the border of land allotment, monitoring of environment condition.
Additional inquiries for information that is not reflected in the report will be addressed in written as per the procedure of environmental impact assessment. (AMKR/Ukrainian metal)