The problem

Partizansk is a city in Primorski Krai in the Russian Far East. Since the late 19th century it was an active coal mining site but mining operations have ceased since the fall of the Soviet Union. In the early 1950's a large coal-fired electric plant began operations here. The coal ash was disposed in a circular dam part of which broke in May of 2004 and released 60,000 tons of ash into the Lozovy Creek and Partizanskaya River, which is the source of drinking water to Partizansk and other settlements downstream.

Current Activity

60,000 tons of coal ash was released into the Lozovy Creek and Partizanskaya River when the waste containment dam of the electric plant broke in May 2004. Studies are needed to establish the degree and nature of contamination in the river and its effect on the local population.