Dnipro University of Technology, 19, Dmytro Yavornytskyi Avenue, Dnipro, UA-49005, Ukraine.
Technical University "Metinvest Polytechnic" LLC, 80, Pivdenne Shosse St., Zaporizhzhia, UA-69008, Ukraine.
J Environ Radioact. 2023 Nov;268-269:107246. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107246. Epub 2023 Jul 26.
In this study, we present an assessment of the uranium ore tailings impact on groundwater and surface water contamination. The radioactive materials were deposited in the tailings storage facility "Dniprovske" (the city of Kamianske, Ukraine) from 1954 to 1968; now it contains about 5.85·10 m of hazardous waste on the area of about 76 ha in the floodplain of the Dnipro river. The lack of a proper waterproof screen below deposited tailings and in the earthen dam led to permanent watering of radioactive materials, their leaching and migration in groundwater into the nearest small Konoplianka river. We used the reports on previous site-specific studies conducted in 1999-2016, monitoring results, and the field studies conducted in 2022 with the authors' team participation. The calculations performed with the advection-dispersion model to simulate transport of radionuclides U, Th, Ra and Pb through the embankment to the Konoplianka river and dilution relations were compared to the monitoring data of the surface water quality. Among four radionuclides, uranium poses the greatest risks today; the subsurface runoff increases its concentration in the Konoplianka river water by several times over the background value. It is estimated that due to much more intensive sorption in the shallow aquifer, the contribution of Ra and Pb to the increase in radioactivity of Konoplianka river water is insignificant compared to uranium, whereas the migration front of Th has probably not yet reached the riverbank. In the next 50 years the radionuclide fluxes will increase by 1.3-3.7 times for different isotopes, with the uranium subsurface runoff growing at a slower rate than nowadays. These results are of high significance for improving hydrological, hydrogeological, and geotechnical monitoring on this hazardous facility to maintain its radiation safety.
在这项研究中，我们评估了铀矿石尾矿对地下水和地表水的污染影响。放射性物质从 1954 年到 1968 年被储存在尾矿储存设施“第聂伯罗夫斯克”（乌克兰卡缅斯克市）；现在，在第聂伯河漫滩上约 76 公顷的区域内，储存了约 5.85·10^6 立方米的危险废物。由于沉积尾矿下方和土坝内缺乏适当的防水屏，导致放射性物质持续被水浸湿，它们在地下水中浸出和迁移到附近的小科诺普利亚尼卡河。我们使用了 1999 年至 2016 年进行的特定地点的研究报告、监测结果以及 2022 年与作者团队一起进行的实地研究。使用对流-弥散模型进行的计算，模拟了放射性核素 U、Th、Ra 和 Pb 通过堤坝向科诺普利亚尼卡河的迁移以及稀释关系，并与地表水质量的监测数据进行了比较。在这四种放射性核素中，铀今天构成了最大的风险；地下径流使科诺普利亚尼卡河水中铀的浓度比背景值高出数倍。据估计，由于在浅层含水层中吸附更为强烈，与铀相比，Ra 和 Pb 对科诺普利亚尼卡河水中放射性增加的贡献微不足道，而 Th 的迁移前沿可能尚未到达河岸。在未来 50 年内，不同同位素的放射性核素通量将增加 1.3-3.7 倍，而铀的地下径流增长速度将比现在慢。这些结果对于改善该危险设施的水文、水文地质和岩土工程监测，以维持其辐射安全具有重要意义。
