Western Balkans Environment Programe

Reps Tailing - The site is located near Reps settlement, situated in the Northern Mirdita District, Lezhe Region. The site is located near the Motorway Merdare Morine. The complete mine tailing surface is 52,503 m2. It is located about 300 m above the sea level.

Rreshen tailing - The site is located near the Municipality of Rreshen, situated in the Northern Mirdita District, Lezhe Region. The site is located near the Motorway Merdare Morine and close to Fani River. The complete mine tailing surface is 25,451 m2. It is located about 130 m above the sea level.

The decommissioned tailings facilities at Reps and Rreshen were subject to a rapid assessment in 2008 by UNEP/Grid Arendal and UNDP Albania which found them to be in poor condition in relation to Tailings Facility Management (TMF). The main risks being the continuing loss of tailings materials into the watershed and the continued degradation of the tailings dam structures which threaten to eventually cause complete failure of the main dam wall which would result in the mass loss of mine tailings materials downstream and to a significant pollution of the Small Fani river. Emergency works to replace the failed water diversion structures to cease losses of tailings materials and leachate to the river and protect the structural integrity of the Reps and Rreshen mine tailings facilities is of great environmental importance and is therefore the subject of the works proposed in this project.