Dam safety study - Vechslav Reservoir

The project's primary objective is environmental restoration, specifically the cleanup of mercury contamination in the soil, and waters of the Nura River Basin, to ensure safe water supply both for agriculture and human consumption, in an effort to achieve clean environmental natural habitats and ecosystems. However, the contaminated ground cleanup is a complex process, particularly in a large area with diverse sites, where the primary contaminant is as toxic, mobile, persistent, and bio-accumulative as mercury. This environmental assessment, because of such significant environmental impacts, calls for the preparation of an environmental management plan. The main mercury contamination sources are in the Temirtau area, but also in the backwaters of the river and oxbow lakes on the floodplains, and in floodplains along a 25 KM river stretch, whose topsoil is considered hazardous. Mitigation measures include: site management, and institutional controls limiting access to cleanup sites, and restricting land and water uses; health and safety protection, i.e., medical monitoring, airborne mercury monitoring, training, protective equipment, and decontamination equipment; contingency planning, emergency response, and spill control; waste removal from buildings, which includes vacuum technology for mercury removal; soil removal, which includes avoidance of wet weather, flooding, and high winds, and, stockpiling soil by covering excavated areas, and underlining soil stockpiles to prevent dust emissions, and leaking into groundwater, respectively, while the installation of ditches should control surface water runoffs; wastes transportation should be by covered trucks; and, landfill sites will be selected for waste disposal with high moisture, and/or high levels of organic mercury compounds.