Decommissioning of uranium mill tailings ponds at WISMUT (Germany).

The legacy of uranium mining in East Germany included c.577 ha of ponds containing about 154 000 000 m3 of tailings. Remediation started in 1990 with protective measures against active risks, environmental investigations and development of the first site-specific remediation concepts. WISMUT then decided to prepare for dry decommissioning in situ of all the tailings ponds, using the following basic steps: expulsion of pond water and seepage catchment, including treatment of the water; interim covering of the exposed tailings surfaces, including dewatering of unconsolidated fine slimes by technical means; re-contouring of dams and ponds, and final covering including landscaping and revegetation. The development of these procedures and design of large pond decommissioning is discussed.
The legacy of uranium mining in East Germany included c.577 ha of ponds containing about 154 000 000 m3 of tailings. Remediation started in 1990 with protective measures against active risks, environmental investigations and development of the first site-specific remediation concepts. WISMUT then decided to prepare for dry decommissioning in situ of all the tailings ponds, using the following basic steps: expulsion of pond water and seepage catchment, including treatment of the water; interim covering of the exposed tailings surfaces, including dewatering of unconsolidated fine slimes by technical means; re-contouring of dams and ponds, and final covering including landscaping and revegetation. The development of these procedures and design of large pond decommissioning is discussed.