A NEW PROGRAM WILL BE UNDERWAY TO RENOVATE THE SITE OF THE FORMER JUGOVINIL FACTORY
The slag landfill in the area of the former Jugovinil factory has been designated by the Waste Management Plan as a so-called black spot that needs to be remediated, and this story has been going on for quite some time. At the end of October last year, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition issued a decision on the remediation of the location, stating that all remediation activities on behalf of the Republic of Croatia are being carried out by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. After that, the Fund began preparatory activities that are a prerequisite for the implementation of the entire project, which we have written in February this year. At that time, it was said that it was necessary to do additional investigative work, and apparently this was done. The Environmental Protection Fund has announced a public procurement of investigative works and supporting documentation for the project to rehabilitate the slag dump in Kaštela Bay.
On April 3rd this year, representatives of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, led by the Head of the Environmental Protection Sector Aleksandra Čilić, conducted a field inspection of the location of a black spot in the area of the former Jugovinil factory, where there are large quantities of slag and ash: the slag landfill in the Kaštela Bay, and conducted a drone survey of the location in question. After the field inspection, a meeting of representatives of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund with Mayor Denis Ivanović and his associates was held in the premises of the City of Kaštela.
- At the meeting, representatives of the Fund presented the aforementioned Decision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, which determined the rehabilitation of the site with the scope of the intervention defined according to the Urban Plan for the development of the tourist zone Kaštel Sućurac - Sustipan, which includes: the preparation of documentation necessary for radiological and geotechnical investigation works and the implementation of investigation works; preparation of project and other documentation for obtaining the necessary acts for construction and rehabilitation works and services - we were told by the City.
After the geodetic survey of the terrain, geotechnical investigation works follow, that is, sampling from geotechnical wells, in order to choose the most suitable method of rehabilitation of the mentioned area, considering that there are several possible variants of rehabilitation of the area in question.
The public procurement of research works and supporting documentation for the project to rehabilitate the slag landfill in the Kaštela Bay was announced today, July 28. The deadline for submission is September 2 by 13 p.m., and the value of the works is 235 thousand euros.
Let us recall that, as stated by the Environmental Protection Fund, additional investigative work will be the basis for the preparation of all necessary documentation. After that, the necessary permits will be obtained and the contractor will be selected. The technical and technological solution itself will be defined through the documentation that will be prepared.
A new rehabilitation program for the former Jugovinil factory site will be developed
Let's also add that the document "Technical assistance for the procurement of investigative works and optional analysis for the rehabilitation project of the slag dump in the Kaštela Bay" was prepared, and in that documentation it is stated how the new Rehabilitation Program for the site of the former Jugovinil factory will be carried out. It is also stated that the deposited ash and slag pose a low risk to people and the environment, but that the possibility of recovering materials that can be released from regulatory supervision will also be considered.
...The National Program for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Management of Radioactive Waste, Used Sources and Spent Nuclear Fuel (Program for the Period until 2025 with a View to 2060), Chapter 10.4. Remediation of Sites with Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials defines the following:
"The disposal of natural radioactive materials, which must be under regulatory supervision, will be carried out at the location where these materials are located, and in accordance with safety standards for radiation protection and environmental protection according to the requirements of the Act on Radiological and Nuclear Safety [1] and Directive 2013/59 [11]. The purpose of locations where natural radioactive materials are located and remediation programs will be aligned with the results of appropriate risk analyzes for human health and the environment. The possibility of recovering natural radioactive materials that can be released will be considered Furthermore, the remediation program for sites where natural radioactive materials are located will take into account the potential impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events and sea level rise, and will provide for the implementation of continuous radiological monitoring of the sites, including long-term radiological monitoring after the remediation of the sites.
In Kaštela, on the site of the former Jugovinil factory, there are two landfills for ash and slag, and the said material was also used for leveling the terrain and filling the sea. In 1974, the remediation of the location was completed, during which all material with elevated concentrations of uranium and radium was collected and disposed of in an organized landfill on the location itself. The landfill was built in accordance with the regulations of the time for protection against ionizing radiation and with appropriate barriers. After the rehabilitation, the Jugovinil factory continued with the practice of dumping ash and slag by location in the space between the factory and the sea, and most of this material is today accumulated in part of the location of the large settling tank. Radiological research conducted by the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Medicine (IMI) in 2010 on the entire area of the former Jugovinil factory suggests that the deposited ash and slag pose a low risk to people and the environment, as long as the integrity of the existing landfills is not damaged. It is necessary to develop a new Program for the rehabilitation of the location of the former Jugovinil factory, which will be aligned with the Spatial Plans of the Municipality of Kaštela, and within which the possibility of recovering materials that can be exempted from regulatory supervision will be considered.
Extract from Appendix XI of the National Strategy Implementation Program
In Kaštel Sućurac, at the location of the former Jugovinil factory, there are two landfills for ash and slag, which were created as a product of coal combustion in the thermal power plant in the factory area (since 1947), and were partly delivered from the thermal power plants of the former state in the period from 1955 to 1958. The mentioned ash and slag were created by burning local coal with high concentrations of uranium and radium, and were deposited in different parts of the factory location and were also used for leveling the terrain and filling the sea. In 1974, the remediation of the location was completed, during which all material with elevated concentrations of uranium and radium was collected and disposed of in an organized landfill on the location itself (a total of about 38.000 m3). Radiological measurements were systematically carried out before, during and after rehabilitation. The rehabilitated landfill is located on plots 1397, 1397/2 and 1397/3 of the Kaštel Gomilica Cadastral Municipality.
The landfill was built in accordance with the regulations of the time for protection against ionizing radiation and with appropriate barriers (impermeable film, earth embankment). Ash and slag of low radioactivity are spread on a drywall base, and the material is then covered with a 1 mm thick plastic film. Ash and slag with a higher concentration of uranium (>300 ppm) were poured onto that base, and then they were additionally fenced with material with a lower concentration of uranium (<300 ppm). The layer of slag and ash in the landfill is approximately 2 m thick. The surface is leveled and additionally covered with a layer of plastic film 1 mm thick to prevent the penetration of surface water and reduce the diffusion of radon towards the upper surface. A layer of clay with a thickness of 20 to 40 cm was applied over the foil. The clay layer represents a homogeneous and impermeable cover, both for water and for radionuclides. A layer of sand, a mixture of small stones and humus was applied over the clay. A drainage channel was also arranged for the reception of precipitation and torrential water. There is a protective stone embankment facing the sea. After the rehabilitation, the landfill was sown with grass, the planting of plants with deeper roots was prohibited, and any operation on the cover layer that would damage the structure of the protective layer was prohibited. The entire rehabilitation, including radiological measurements and radiological mapping of the location, is well documented and described. The landfill is currently without physical protection and without regular radiological monitoring.
After the rehabilitation, the Jugovinil factory continued to use the same types of coal for its own power plant and to continue the practice of dumping ash and slag at the site. The newly generated slag and ash were dumped in the area between the factory and the sea, for which other factory waste material was also used. The majority of the waste material from the thermal power plant was used for leveling surfaces and backfilling, especially towards the protective coastal embankment that was built in front of the factory complex. The majority of this material is now accumulated at a part of the location of the large sedimentation tank (approximately 180.000 m3). In addition to the above landfills, several contaminated zones have been registered in the area of the former Jugovinil factory, where deposits of ash and slag with varying concentrations of uranium and radium are found. In 1998, with the cessation of operation of the thermal power plant, the practice of dumping ash and slag in the factory compound and its surroundings also ceased. It was estimated that it is necessary to remediate approximately 35.000 m3 of the mentioned natural radioactive material, due to the concentrations that require regulatory monitoring.
Radiological research carried out by IMI in 2010 on the entire area of the former Jugovinil factory suggests that the deposited ash and slag represent a low risk for people and the environment, as long as the integrity of the existing landfills is not damaged. Research has also shown that there are several pockets at the location with elevated and significantly elevated concentrations of uranium and radium.
The General Urban Plan of Kaštela defines the purpose of the location where the old landfill is located as a seaport, and the remaining part of the location for catering and tourist purposes. The Spatial Plan of the City of Kaštela defines the economic purpose (business purpose) for the part of the location where the old landfill is located and the economic purpose (catering and tourist purposes) for the remaining part of the location of the former Jugovinil factory.
It is necessary to develop a new Program for the rehabilitation of the location of the former Jugovinil factory, which will be aligned with the Spatial Plans of the City of Kaštela, and the Program will also consider the possibility of recovering materials that can be exempted from regulatory supervision...
...From the document "Technical assistance for the procurement of investigative works and optional analyzes for the rehabilitation project of the slag dump in Kaštela Bay".
Photo: Croatian Technical Encyclopedia / screenshot
This text was co-financed by the Fund for Promoting Diversity and Pluralism of Electronic Media.
