Snow cover ecological state assessment of the territory adjacent to Sakmarskaya CHP plant in Orenburg

An integrated assessment of the degree of the snow cover pollution, as an indicator of the state of the atmospheric air, and a subsequent ranking of the areas adjacent to Sakmarskaya CHP plant (Orenburg) are presented. Priority pollutant masses and their toxicity are analyzed. A degree of the enterprise’s danger level is calculated. Selected samples of the snow cover were investigated for the content of harmful substances using titrimetric, photocolorimetric, and gravimetric methods. The ecological quality of the areas adjacent to stationary sources of pollution was evaluated. The assessment was calculated by the ratio of pollutant concentration, by the level of chemical pollution in precipitations, by the environmental load of contaminants, and by the total load of all impurities released by the sediment detachment into the atmospheric air in focus. According to these indicators, the ranking of studied territories in the zones of ecological challenge was conducted based on the existing evaluation criteria. In the course of our research it was established that all investigated pollutants were dispersed over considerable distances from Sakmarskaya CHP plant and crossed the sanitary-protective zone of the enterprise. Therefore, the health of the people residing in the western direction from the plant’s location could be seriously affected. The area of contamination covers the territory of 1200 m from the source of emission.