Radioactive water was released into many small lakes and the Techa river which flowed into the Ob River by the Mayak Plant in the early years of the operation .
In the 1960s through 1980s , a gigantic project was contemplated by Soviet engineers and administrators to divert some of the waters of Ob and Irtysh to Kazakhstan and Soviet Central Asian republics , replenishing the Aral Sea as well .
Ob River