Żelazny Most Reservoir is the largest
sump reservoir
Sump may refer to:
* An infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers
* Sump (cave), a permanently flooded section of a cave, where an underground flow of water exits the cave into the earth such that t ...
of
froth
Foams are two-phase material systems where a gas is dispersed in a second, non-gaseous material, specifically, in which gas cells are enclosed by a distinct liquid or solid material. Note, this source focuses only on liquid foams. Note, thi ...
(copper mining
tailings dam
A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and poten ...
) in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, owned by
KGHM Polska Miedź
KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. (Kombinat Górniczo-Hutniczy Miedzi), commonly known as KGHM (Polish pronunciation: ), is a Polish multinational mining corporation headquartered in Lubin, Lower Silesia, Poland. Founded in 1961 as a state enterprise, th ...
.
The name of the reservoir comes from the nearby village of
Żelazny Most, located 3.4 kilometres south-west of the reservoir; with the village of
Rudna to the east of the reservoir.
The reservoir's construction began in 1974, and
exploitation (and the completion of the reservoir's construction) on February 12, 1977. The construction of the reservoir included the destruction of the villages of Barszów, Kalinówka, and Pielgrzymów. Previously, the sump was stored in the Gilów Reservoir, which was closed after the new reservoir was put into operation.
The site is the largest tailings dam in Europe, which was further expanded in 2021.
[Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization 4, edited by Roberto Quental Coutinho and Paul W. Mayne, page 194]
References
Lakes of Poland
Lakes of Lower Silesian Voivodeship
1977 establishments in Poland
Tailings dams
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