During active uranium mining, stockpiling of waste rock
and overburden created 48 waste piles at the numerous sites of Wismut.
These waste rock piles could not be left in their original state. Depending
on their location, shape, and contaminant inventory, they presented
various hazards to humans and the environment. Wismut GmbH therefore
has the task of safely and permanently rehabilitating all its waste
rock piles. In the remediation of waste rock piles, two different approaches
are followed. Some of the waste rock piles are excavated and moved either
to engineered sites or to the mined-out Lichtenberg open pit. In cases
where relocation is not feasible on technical grounds, Wismut opts for
in situ, i.e. in-place remediation. Whatever option is chosen, immense
quantities of material have to be moved.
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