FSUE "Federal Environmental Operator" (FEO), subordinate to the State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom", was tasked with eliminating the accumulated environmental damage at three facilities that threaten the ecosystem of Lake Baikal: the "Babkhinsky", "Solzansky" landfills and the treatment facilities workshop of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill.
At the first meeting in 2026 of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on global environmental problems, technologies for cleaning and remediating the "Solzansky" landfill were discussed. Scientists proposed seven scenarios, from "zero" - maintaining self-growth of sludge storage ponds, to radical - complete discharge of supernatant water and extraction of lignin for external processing.
According to FEO, in 2021–2022, a reduction in the level of supernatant water at the landfill by 62 cm was already carried out and 70 thousand m³ of liquid were cleaned, which prevented the threat of contaminated water entering Baikal. Design work has been underway since 2023, and the completion of the remediation of "Babkhinsky" and treatment facilities is planned for 2027.
The area of the "Solzansky" landfill is 102.9 hectares, the volume of waste is more than 4.2 million m³, the distance to Baikal is 350 meters. RAS experts emphasize that each pond requires an individual approach, taking into account the composition of the waste, combining environmental safety and economic efficiency.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Maxim Korolkov noted that at present the landfill does not affect the lake and the city of Baikalsk, however, prolonged self-growth carries risks during operation and possible mudflows. He suggested starting pilot industrial tests on two ponds with different waste compositions in order to develop technologies and prepare a feasibility study.