MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti) – Black snow covered the ground in a city in Siberia Sunday, raising concerns among local residents, Russia's environmental watchdog said.
This is not the first time that oddly-colored snow has fallen in the West Siberian city of Omsk.
Black snow appeared in the region last winter twice in December and was likely caused by a local thermal power station, TPP-5, that was working at overload capacity, Rosprirodnadzor said.
“Work is underway. According to preliminary reports, this is again TPP-5 that has dumped ash. By Monday, the samples will be examined,” a spokesman for the watchdog said.
The plant earlier said it would replace a filter for one of its tubes at an estimated cost of 150 million rubles ($4.3 million).
Omsk was covered in a white powder in August 2012 that turned out to be aluminosilicate dust from a Gazpromneft oil refinery. Experts said that it presented no threat to the population.
In 2007, Omsk residents were left wondering about yellow snow, which got its color reportedly because of dust storms in Asia.
