Penza, 21 July 2015. PenzaNews. A new disposal facility for the waste of the chemical weapons disposal facility in Leonidovka village of the Penza region will possibly be built within the biological security area of the factory. The public hearings on the new plans were held on Monday, July 20, in the culture center of Kondol village.

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The event involved the acting chairman of the Penza region government Dmitry Semenov, as well as representatives of the regional Rospotrebnadzor, ministries and state bodies, along with residents of Leonidovka, Zolotarevka and Kondol villages and other people who took interest in the issue.

The waste disposal facility project was presented by Mikhail Mikh, chief engineer designer of the project at “SoyuzpromNIIproyekt,” who reminded that the chemical weapons disposal facility will cease performing its original function in 2015, and thus the object must be struck out of the list of the chemical waste disposal facilities and its legal entity must be terminated.

According to him, the disposal facility for the Class 3 and 4 chemical waste (little danger and medium danger) created in the process of terminating chemical ammunition will span over 7 hectares of land within the “Leonidovka” security zone and sanitary protection zone.

The aim of the project is to protect the ecology of the nearby settlements and the Surskoye water basin and keep in the same clean state as before the chemical weapons disposal facility was constructed.

The waste that will be moved to the polygon includes ash content left from burning reaction mass and alkaline filters, as well as non-combustible materials such as concrete, brick, mineral wool, aluminum oxide and so forth.

“This facility will use the current infrastructure of the factory such as power lines, water pipelines, communications and alarm systems,” Mikhail Mikh stressed.

Based on the project data, the area of the facility will be encircled with a highway, a perimeter ditch and, an earth dam three meters wide that will house ten land-based storage sections made of armored concrete with reinforced moisture seal. These sections, in turn, will house industrial waste in soft containers and metal drum barrels. Moreover, some buildings of the weapons disposal facility will also be involved in waste packaging and shipping process.

The project will employ 16 workers during the transporting period, and will have an eco-monitoring system in place.

The construction process will start in 2016 and last for 25 months with the necessary expenses of nearly 1 billion rubles, followed by a 4.5-year period of waste transporting.

The authors of the project aim to complete it before the termination of the chemical weapons disposal factory.

During the public hearing, the head of Mikhail Mikh’s department in the company Igor Ionov commented on the possible effect on the environment from the facility, and said the pollution and contamination levels during the construction process would not exceed the allowed thresholds, while the aftereffect on the flora and fauna will be minimal and reversible and additional measures are able to prevent water and soil contamination.

The audience took great interest in the eco-monitoring process at the facility, as well as its protection system and further work after the factory is terminated and possibly replaced by an other, more conventional enterprise.

In particular, Dmitry Semenov recommented the project designers and the top management of “Leonidovka” object to thoroughly analyze the security and service threats for the disposal facility after the transfer period is over.

In the end, the protocol was signed with all notes and suggestions.

According to Dmitry Semenov, the project will undergo additional improvements and after another hearing, along with a necessary state environment audit and a positive verdict, will go into the construction phase, says the press service of the Penza region government.