RosRAO Monitored the Environment in the Zverinogolovsky District of Kurgan Oblast

The monitoring has shown no deviations in radiation safety or divergence from average regional values. 

The environmental monitoring was ordered by Dalur JSC (managed by ARMZ Uranium Holding Co./Mining arm of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation).  In accordance with the order of the Russian Government, the enterprise obtained an exploration and mining license for the Dobrovolnoye Uranium Deposit, which is a federal subsurface site in the Zverinogolovsky District. Ecological monitoring is a necessary part of front-end engineering and environmental design carried out prior to the preparation of project documentation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

“Ecological outcome of the uranium deposit development cannot help but worry the locals. In order to remove a pile of questions and concerns, we made our activities fully open and involved the public. Our major purpose is to ensure a level of safe uranium mining allowing us to preserve the natural environment in industrial areas,” said Nikolay Poponin Dalur General Director.

We remind that prior to the monitoring the administration of the Zverinogolovsky district got a publicly available layout representing all the sampling points. Many of them were then added by residents of Zverinogolovskoye, Lebedevka, Trud and Znaniye – the villages neighbouring the Dobrovolnoye Deposit. The locals were also present during the sampling procedure.

Specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Radioactive Waste Management Enterprise “RosRAO” twice sampled water, silt, soil, vegetation, and air. The sampling points were as follows: the Tobol River and reservoirs near the Dobrovolnoye Deposit; the territory of Zverinogolovskoye, Lebedevka, Trud and Znanie villages; the territory of the Sosnovaya Roshcha sanatorium; and the area of the Dobrovolnoye Deposit itself.

Later on, samples underwent some assays in Chelyabinsk laboratories, which are the part of Ural branches of RosRAO. In particular, experts concluded the following: “Volumetric activity of the specified natural radionuclides in the water samples under investigation is within normal values on the content of individual radionuclides in drinking water in accordance with the Radiation Safety Standards НРБ-99/2009. Specific activities of uranium radionuclides (234, 235, 238), thorium-232, polonium-210, lead-210 and radium-226 in samples of bottom sediments, soil and vegetation do not differ from average background values in our region.” In the process of monitoring, the background radiation was constantly measured and proved to be normal.

Specific values of some indicators are as follows. The content of radionuclides in surface water samples (Uranium U-235) at all sampling points (a resevoir, 300 m from the road Zverinogolovskoe-Lebedevka; the Tobol River, 50 m from the bridge in Zverinogolovskoye; lake Kamyshennoe; lake Linevo; a resevoir, 150 m from the road Zverinogolovskoye-Trud and Znanie) is less than 0.01 Bq/kg, while the reference value (provided by the Norms of Radiation Safety of НРБ-99/2009) is 2.9 Bq/kg. The content of radionuclides in samples of bottom sediments (radium Ra-226) is as follows: the reservoir, 300 m from the road Zverinogolovskoe-Lebedevka – 20 Bq/kg; the Tobol River, 50 m from the bridge in Zverinogolovsky – 15 Bq/kg; lake Kamyshennoe – 17 Bq/kg; lake Linevo – 16 Bq/kg; the resevoir, 150 m from the road Zverinogolovskoe-Trud and Znanie – less than 10 Bq/kg. The reference range is 30-35 Bq/kg, though. Given this, the content of radionuclides in samples of bottom sediments, soil and vegetation complies with the reference range.

Details on the environmental monitoring in the Zverinogolovsky District are publicly available at full-time Dalur Information Center.