Radioactive pollution sources within the Dnipro Basin

3.3.4 Radioactive pollution sources within the Dnipro Basin

Uranium mines and ore-processing sites

Uranium mines and ore-processing sites are concentrated in the Ukrainian part of the Dnipro Basin. Uranium exploration activities commenced in 1944, and 21 deposits were discovered, most of them located within the Dnipro Basin itself although there are some uranium deposits in the Southern Bug and Siversky Donets River Basins.

Mining and ore-processing operations in Zheltye Vody have had a profound impact on the environment and sanitary situation in the region. Runoff and leachate from tailings, mines and other contaminated sites has lead to elevated concentrations of radionuclides in the local rivers, although these concentrations remain below the maximum admissible levels set for drinking water sources.

Table 3.17  Major hot spots in the Russian, Belorussian and Ukrainian parts of the Dnipro Basin

Operations at the Pridniprovsky Chemical Plant (PCP) and related facilities have resulted in elevated levels of uranium and its daughter elements in the Konoplyanka River and the Dnipro itself. In order to determine the effects of uranium mining and ore-processing activities in the region, pollution pathways need to be analysed, examining the presence of radioactive contamination in air, vegetation and food products. This information is currently scarce and needs to be made available prior to planning and implementing remedial actions.

Radioactive waste storage and disposal sites

The following radioactive waste disposal sites are located in the Dnipro Basin:

1. The “Ecores” State Enterprise near Minsk comprises of two sealed trenches and two storage sites that are currently being filled. This facility accepts radioactive waste material from the “Sosny” Nuclear Research Centre and another 100 industrial, research and healthcare organisations and institutions. The site is located 2 km from the Slutch River and 1.6 km from a local lake. The site does not meet existing international standards for the engineered disposal of low/medium radioactive waste material. However, the site is located some distance away from the Dnipro River and therefore any environmental impact associated with its operation in the future is likely to be limited.

2. The “Radon” State Enterprise in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk operates two disposal sites. These sites accept radioactive waste and spent materials from non-energy sources, including industrial organisations, healthcare institutions and agricultural companies.

3. Numerous waste disposal or ‘temporary’ storage sites for Chernobyl-related waste materials are located in Belarus and Ukraine, the largest of them being the “Buryakovka” disposal site which comprises of 30 cells with a sealed bottom (1m natural clay layer).

These facilities are considered to have moderate local impact potential. There are no significant radioactive waste disposal/storage sites in the Russian part of the Dnipro Basin. Engineered containment arrangements at the existing radioactive waste disposal sites are considered to be adequate and capable of preventing a potential impact on the environment. However, the majority of radioactive waste storage sites at the nuclear power plants are reaching capacity.

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