Flooded Abandoned Kali Mine in Volkenroda - Flooding besets the deserted Kali mine in Volkenroda
Abandoned Potash Mine in Volkenroda, Thuringia, to Be Permanently Sealed by 2026
The Lausitzer and Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (LMBV) has announced that the flooding of the defunct potash mine in Volkenroda, which ceased operations at the start of the 1990s, is scheduled for completion next year. The organization is tasked with the safe sealing of part of the former potash mining areas in Thuringia.
The two disused potash mines, Bischofferode (Eichsfeld district) and Volkenroda (Unstrut-Hainich district), are being submerged with saturated salt solution, thus permanently sealing them. The saline wastewater generated during the extraction of potash salts is being employed for this purpose.
Volkenroda, operational until 1991, is considered Thuringia's northernmost potash mine with a shaft reaching approximately 1,000 meters. Bischofferode was shut down despite strong miner resistance and a weeks-long hunger strike in 1993.
The underground cavities in Volkenroda/Pöthen have been slowly flooded with on-site tailings water for years, and in 2024, around 88,000 cubic meters of tailings water were introduced. Preparations for the 2026 completion of the flooding and the subsequent observation phase have prompted thorough renovation and safety work on the Urbach and Pöthen drill holes, the five-kilometer-long flooding pipeline, and the collection basin in Menteroda.
The LMBV Kali, Spat, Erz region remains active in Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, with tasks consisting of mining law responsibility for numerous projects, involving planned and implemented sealing and rehabilitation work, as well as the ongoing aftercare phase, which includes seismic and geotechnical monitoring for a significant portion of the projects.
- Potash
- 1990s
- Mining
- LMBV
- Flooding
- Thuringia
- North Thuringia
- German Press Agency
In Thuringia, the LMBV is responsible for the safe sealing of former potash mining areas, as seen with the defunct mine in Volkenroda, which ceased operations in the 1990s. The flooding of the mine, a traditional practice in the region, will be completed by 2026, using the saline wastewater generated during potash salt extraction. This is part of an ongoing effort by the LMBV Kali, Spat, Erz region in Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, which includes various mining projects involving flooding, sealing, rehabilitation work, and environmental monitoring in the field of science and industry.
