Smoking water

How Chelyabinsk residents save a burning lake three kilometers from the city

Until 1952, Kurochkino was a standing swamp. However, after the commissioning of the Komsomolskaya coal mine, the recreation spot famous for many Chelyabinsk residents became the swamp constantly coming from the mines into a lake into a lake up to five meters deep. The water was warm here. And the city is near.

However, in the zero, the Chelyabinskogol company went bankrupt, the mines near Kurochkino began to close. Water ceased to flow into the lake, and a mothballed sludge -like, on which year -round endogenous fires began, which torment the inhabitants of nearby settlements to this day began.

Fear of local residents

The resident of Starokamyshinsk Sufi Khalilova, a kilometer from the steaming sludge of the sludge, has a garden. For three years now, she, along with other residents of the village, visits the Shlamotnik district to make sure of safety: “Doesn’t it burn where”? Today, the smell of Gary does not bother so much: according to Sufya, "there was nothing to breathe a year ago." All because in 2019, thanks to the appeals of local residents, it was possible to achieve the filling of individual foci. However, as Sufya Khalilova admits, "the problem has not left to the end."

With activists from the environmental movement "Antismog" we climb the snowdrifts upstairs of the ladies of the sludge. We have a view of the shallow lake and on the other side of the dam - on the black spots of scorched and smoking land.

Andrei Kulpin, Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of the city of Kopeisk, says that black spots are traces of an endogenous fire, a thermal process that occurs deep underground.

“I discovered the foci of fire about 5 years ago,” says Kulpin. - The locals knew about these fires, but did not declare anywhere. We invited Rosprirodnadzor here, recorded these foci. Until now, real stewing measures have not been taken. ”

The water level in the lake, according to the social activist, directly affects endogenous fires. When the water in Kurochkino entered the enrichment factory, she created a “protective mirror” from oxygen, which helped to avoid fires:

“A year ago, when the foci of the fire intensified noticeably, there was a lot of smoke, with a weak wind, all this stood above the village. With the assistance of Antisod, we managed to rock this situation in the media, and the Kopeisk administration was forced to declare the emergency mode and allocate funds for extinguishing. However, the funds were small: about three million rubles. Extinguishing individual foci was carried out by clay, although according to the technology it is provided that the clay shutter is supposed to be made from side to side. Accordingly, over the next few months, new foci of fire appeared next to this delivery, since oxygen continued to arrive. ”

Reclamation

“Even at the beginning of reclamation work, we saw that the clay reflection is not quite clay,” says the deputy head of Antisodsk. - At first I thought that it could be a special clay suitable for such work. But, when they partially showered the territory, I took this clay and showed it to specialists, from whom I received an oral conclusion that it was not clay, but a loam. That is, it is such a substance from a career, and the career was probably somewhere nearby, which, of course, is much cheaper. And I immediately had questions:

How effectively was the money for reclamation?

From the dialogue with the local administration, I learned that they did not receive any money at all. The elimination of endogenous fires took place at the expense of the Kopeisk reserve fund. Having visited the territory a few months after the reclamation, we found that the loam cracked, oxygen access continued and burning resumed. ”

Malenkin recalls that when he only took up the problem, the territory of fires was very large. At the distance of the outstretched hand, nothing was visible. The gas analyzer went through the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide:

“These substances stand out during burning. With a rod or with a wind of less than 2 m/s. These substances can accumulate in the atmosphere. People living next to the combustion site are exposed to the dangerous and harmful effects of these gases. The effect of the accumulation of carbon monoxide is similar to the situation when a person will run in a bathhouse. In addition to the foregoing, there is another danger - the accumulation of harmful combustion products in the human body. ”

According to Malenkin, there are more and more foci of smoldering and fires:

“We use thermal imaging equipment and we see all this. All our indicators of the gas analyzer indicate that the secreted gases are dangerous for life and health. If there is a long time, a head may hurt. Of course, with a strong wind, this all swells, but the worse for the southern outskirts of Chelyabinsk. After all, through Kurochkino, combustion products go to Lake Smolino, and there is already a Lenin district of the city. ”

The chance to fix everything

“For one of the education, I am an ecologist,” continues Andrei Kulpin. - I am engaged in professionally disposal of dangerous and biological waste. If we talk about the technology of the reclamation of this sludge -like and getting rid of the foci of fires on the shallow shores of Lake Kurochkino, then these methods are well known. Even when there was still a coal company, a project for the reclamation of this sludge of this sludge was developed. This project exists, it only needs to be lifted from the civil project, find funding and implement it. But since this land is federal, the city and the region do not have the right to invest their funds here. Therefore, federal financing needs to be sent here. Moreover, substantial amounts are required. Another question is about extinguishing fires on a shallow shore. It can be solved by restoring the water level in Kurochkino by pumping from Lake Smolny. ”

According to Kulpin, the water pumping project has existed for several years. A pumping station was restored under it, repairs one of the pipes. In August 2019, water was launched. They promised to swing around the clock, but they pumped only during working hours from Monday to Friday, from 8 to 20 hours.

“If you download around the clock from May to October, then a meter is really [to increase the water level] in one season. Moreover, there is another problem on Smolino - there is an excess of water level by about 60 centimeters. And the budget here, respectively, is Chelyabinsk, which is much larger than a kopeisk. But, apparently, some bureaucratic problem prevents this from realizing it. The State Duma deputy Litovchenko already worked in this story, and local deputies tried to decide something, but the keyword remains with the administration of Chelyabinsk. Because the financial problem is at the City Hall of Chelyabinsk, the pumping station is also in their farm, an organization that serves water pumping is also in the department of the regional center. If at least a meter to pump up for this season, then a burning shore would go under the water, and this is already good, ”Kulpin explains.

Oleg Makhalov, who edits one of the recreation centers on Kurochkino, says that the lake shallow because of its artificial origin:

“During the work of the mine, the water, along with coal dust, flowed into the sumps, and from there to the lake. Seven to eight years ago, the mines closed, the water stopped flowing into the pond. Therefore, the lake is degrading. Accordingly, everyone is used to the fact that Kurochkino’s reservoir has an important recreational value, and everyone is interested in making this puddle again to become a lake. Therefore, there is a project to pump water from Smolino to Kurochkino. I am vividly interested in this project and wait for it to be warm and the water pump will resume. Then we will resume public control. ”

Last year, according to Makhalov, Kurochkino became 16 centimeters deeper. And this despite the fact that the project was “slipping” due to technical problems.

People living in the vicinity of the lake hope that this year in Kurochkino it will be possible to serve even more water. And there the fires will leave. The mayor of Chelyabinsk, Natalya Kotova, has already given a direct indication - to swing water around the clock.

OFFICIALLY

The press service of the administration of the Kopeysk city district:

“In connection with the complaints of the residents of the village of Starokamyshinsk, Kopeysk City District, the smoke of Gary in the air, and in connection with the current situation in February 2019, held a meeting of the CCC and the OPB of the city district, which decided to introduce a municipal emergency regime. Forces of the administration of the Kopeysk city district liquidated 1.300 square meters. m. endogenous fires.

Currently, the administration of the city district has organized visual daily monitoring of the foci of endogenous fires, if the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) will be taken to eliminate the identified foci of fire.

Under the chairmanship of the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, at the end of 2019, an expanded interdepartmental meeting was held with the participation of the head of the Kopeysk city district, representatives of federal and regional ministries and departments on the topic “On the coordination of work to eliminate the negative impact of closed coal mines“ Central ”,“ Komsomolskaya ”,“ Kopeysky ”in the Kopei City District. The mechanism of solving the problem is determined, which will allow and ensure measures to bring the tailings of the developed coal mines to a safe state in the Kopeysk city district. ”