Fabrichny Tailings Storage

The tailings storage near the settlement of Fabrichny (Fabrichny, Khvostokhranilishche) is an abandoned industrial site in the Kavalerovsky municipal district of Primorsky Krai, several hours' drive from Vladivostok. It is a complex of settling ponds and waste dumps that once held the ore-processing waste of the Khrustalny Mining and Processing Combine. After rain, water collecting in the basins of the tailings storage turns a bright turquoise or azure color because of its chemical composition, which makes this abandoned industrial site unexpectedly picturesque.

History

The Khrustalny Mining and Processing Combine (KhGOK) began operating in 1942. In 1944, on the basis of the Lifudzin and Khrustalny ore mines, Enterprise No. 501, "Glavolovo", was established. During the Soviet years the combine was of strategic importance: it accounted for about 30 percent of all the tin mined in the USSR. Besides tin, the processing plants of KhGOK also extracted copper, indium, silver, zinc and other metals. The enterprise operated until 1992, though according to other sources work on its site continued until 2001. After the combine closed, its tailings storage facilities and waste dumps were left without an owner.

What is there now

Today, huge waste dumps with leftover ore are visible on the site of the former processing plants. Rainwater draining into the basins of the tailings storage turns turquoise and azure — it is this contrast between the bright lakes and the bare industrial wasteland that draws visitors interested in abandoned places. At the same time, the water and sand in the dumps are saturated with harmful substances left over from ore processing. Residents of Fabrichny complain that in dry, windy weather the wind lifts toxic dust from the tailings storage and carries it over the settlement.

Getting there

The tailings storage is located next to the settlement of Fabrichny in the Kavalerovsky municipal district of Primorsky Krai. The approach is along a dirt road. A car trip from Vladivostok takes about 6 hours.

Good to know

Visiting the tailings storage is not recommended in dry, windy weather: at such times toxic dust rises above the dumps and is easy to breathe in. The water in the turquoise lakes and the sand on their shores also contain harmful substances, so swimming and direct contact are best avoided.