TIMESPAN - Permanent

SITE'S RADIATION LEVEL - Above 5 MicroSieverts per hours

SCALAR EFFECT - Local Ecosystem​

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TOXIC GARDENING

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The act of gardening is simultaneously a form of destruction and creation. 'Toxic Gardening' encases highly radioactive ecosystems, eradicating it in the most extreme manor to protect the surrounding environment. Hotspots range from the size of a small structure to an entire forest, this is a consequence of the radiations dispersal via wind and water, as well as a lack of recording during the Soviet’s decontamination process.

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CONTAINMENT

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The Hotspot is bulldozed and compacted. Then, using the same principles of other Near-Surface Nuclear Disposal Facilities, the radiation is contained using a series of protective layers; including intrusion barriers, membranes and clay linings. The designs resists erosion, which would risk exposing the geology.

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Burying the waste above ground height creates a permanent change to the landscape's topography; creating a signal for future generation to the location of the radiation. 

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LONG-TERM ADVANTAGES - PROTECTION/CREATION

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To compensate for the loss of the cooling pond's ecosystem, the top surface of the mound will be used to create a shallow wetland. Using water pumped from the river and drains back in when the water reaches above 50cms. A mixture of local submergent, emergent and floating vegetation will be introduced to encourage a rich biodiversity.