Under Contract No. HY/2012/07, Gammon Construction Limited (GCL) is commissioned by the Highways Department (HyD) to undertake the design and construction of the Southern Connection Viaduct Section of the Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link Project (TM-CLK Link Project) while AECOM Asia Company Limited was appointed by HyD as the Supervising Officer. For implementation of the environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A) programme under the Contract, ERM-Hong Kong, Limited (ERM) has been appointed as the Environmental Team (ET). Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by the HyD as the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) and Environmental Project Office (ENPO) in accordance with Environmental Permit No. EP-354/2009/A. Further applications for variation of environmental permit (VEP), EP-354/2009/B, EP-354/2009/C and EP-354/2009/D, were granted on 28 January 2014, 10 December 2014 and 13 March 2015, respectively.

The southern landfall of TM-CLK Link lies alongside the Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF) where a reclamation area is constructed by Contract No. HY/2010/02 under Environmental Permit No. EP-353/2009/K and EP-354/2009/D. Upon the agreement and confirmation between the Supervising Officer Representatives and Contractors of HY/2010/02 and HY/2012/07 in September 2015, part of the reclamation area for southern landfall under EP-353/2009/K and EP-354/2009/D was handed-over to Contract No. HY/2012/07. Another part of the southern landfall area under EP-354/2009/D was handed-over to Contract No. HY/2012/07 after completion of reclamation works by Contract No. HY/2010/02 in June 2016.

The construction phase of the Contract commenced on 31 October 2013. The impact monitoring of the EM&A programme, including air quality, noise, water quality and marine ecological monitoring as well as environmental site inspections, commenced on 31 October 2013.

This is the seventy-sixth Monthly EM&A report presenting the EM&A works carried out during the period from 1 to 29 February 2020 for the Southern Connection Viaduct Section in accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual of the TM-CLK Link Project. As informed by the Contractor, there are no major works to be undertaken in the monitoring period of February 2020.

A summary of monitoring and audit activities conducted in the reporting period is listed below:

Impact Dolphin Monitoring 2 sessions

Joint Environmental Site Inspection 4 sessions

Breaches of Action and Limit Levels for Air Quality

No air quality monitoring was scheduled for the reporting month as construction works was substantially completed on 31 July 2019. Notification of temporary suspension of air quality monitoring has been approved by EPD on 28 August 2019.

Breaches of Action and Limit Levels for Noise

No noise monitoring was scheduled for the reporting month as construction works was substantially completed on 31 July 2019. Notification of temporary suspension of noise monitoring has been approved by EPD on 28 August 2019.

Impact Dolphin Monitoring

One (1) Limit Level exceedance was observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data between December 2019 to February 2020, whilst no unacceptable impact from the construction activities of the TM-CLKL Southern Connection Viaduct Section on Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis (i.e. Chinese White Dolphin) was noticeable from general observations. Due to monthly variation in dolphin occurrence within the Study Area, it would be more appropriate to draw conclusion on whether any impacts on dolphins have been detected related to the construction activities of the TM-CLKL Southern Connection Viaduct Section in the quarterly EM&A reports, in which comparison on distribution, group size and encounter rates of dolphins between the quarterly impact monitoring period and baseline monitoring period will be made.

No marine works were undertaken during the reporting period, therefore, daily 250 m marine mammal exclusion zone monitoring was not undertaken during the reporting period.

Environmental Complaints, Non-compliance & Summons

No environmental complaints, notification of summons or successful prosecution recorded in the reporting period.

Reporting Change

There was no reporting change in the reporting period.

Upcoming Works for the Next Reporting Period

There are no major works to be undertaken in the next monitoring period of March 2020.

Future Key Issues

Potential environmental impacts arising from the above upcoming construction activities in the next reporting month of March 2020 is mainly associated with waste management issues.

1 Introduction

1.1 Background

According to the findings of the Northwest New Territories (NWNT) Traffic and Infrastructure Review conducted by the Transport Department, Tuen Mun Road, Ting Kau Bridge, Lantau Link and North Lantau Highway would be operating beyond capacity after 2016. This forecast has been based on the estimated increase in cross boundary traffic, developments in the Northwest New Territories (NWNT), and possible developments in North Lantau, including the Airport developments, the Lantau Logistics Park (LLP) and the Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge (HZMB). In order to cope with the anticipated traffic demand, two new road sections between NWNT and North Lantau – Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL) and Tuen Mun Western Bypass (TMWB) are proposed.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of TM-CLKL (the Project) was prepared in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-175/2007) and the Technical Memorandum of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM). The EIA Report was submitted under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) in August 2009. Subsequent to the approval of the EIA Report (EIAO Register Number AEIAR-146/2009), an Environmental Permit (EP-354/2009) for TM-CLKL was granted by the Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) on 4 November 2009, and EP variation (EP-354/2009/A) was issued on 8 December 2010.

Under Contract No. HY/2012/07, Gammon Construction Limited (GCL) is commissioned by the Highways Department (HyD) to undertake the design and construction of the Southern Connection Viaduct Section of TM-CLKL (“the Contract”) while AECOM Asia Company Limited was appointed by HyD as the Supervising Officer. For implementation of the environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A) programme under the Contract, ERM-Hong Kong, Limited (ERM) has been appointed as the Environmental Team (ET). Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by HyD as the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) and Environmental Project Office (ENPO) in accordance with Environmental Permit No. EP-354/2009/A. Further applications for variation of environmental permit (VEP), EP-354/2009/B, EP-354/2009/C and EP-354/2009/D, were granted on 28 January 2014, 10 December 2014 and 13 March 2015, respectively.

The construction phase of the Contract commenced on 31 October 2013. The impact monitoring phase of the EM&A programme, including air quality, noise, water quality and marine ecological monitoring as well environmental site inspections, commenced on 31 October 2013.

The general layout plan of the Contract components is presented in Figures 1.1 & 1.2a to l.

1.2 Scope of Report

This is the seventy-sixth Monthly EM&A Report under the Contract No. HY/2012/07 Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link – Southern Connection Viaduct Section. This report presents a summary of the environmental monitoring and audit works in February 2020.

1.3 Organization Structure

The organization structure of the Contract is shown in Appendix A. The key personnel contact names and contact details are summarized in Table 1.1 below.

Table 1.1 Contact Information of Key Personnel

Party	Position	Name	Telephone	Fax
HyD (Highways Department)	Project Coordinator	Stanley Chan	2762 3406	3188 6614
	Senior Engineer	Steven Shum	2762 4133	3188 6614
SOR (AECOM Asia Company Limited)	Chief Resident Engineer	Daniel Ip	3553 3800	2492 2057
	Resident Engineer	Chan Wah Fu	2293 6434	3691 2899
ENPO / IEC (Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd.)	ENPO Leader	Y.H. Hui	3465 2850	3465 2899
ENPO / IEC (Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd.)	IEC	Dr. F.C. Tsang	3465 2851	3465 2899
Contractor (Gammon Construction Limited)
Contractor (Gammon Construction Limited)	Environmental Officer	Roy Leung	3520 0387	3520 0486
	24-hour Complaint Hotline		9738 4332
ET (ERM-HK)	ET Leader	Dr. Jasmine Ng	2271 3311	2723 5660

1.4 Summary of Construction Works

The construction phase of the Contract commenced on 31 October 2013. The three-month rolling construction programme is shown in Appendix B. The jetty removal works and reinstatement was hand over to Contract No.: HY/2012/08 TMCLKL Northern Connection Sub-Sea Tunnel Section.

As informed by the Contractor, no major works were carried out in the reporting month.

The Environmental Sensitive Receivers in the vicinity of the Project are shown in Figure 1.3.

The environmental mitigation measures implementation schedule is presented in Appendix C.

2 EM&A Results

The EM&A programme required environmental monitoring for air quality, noise, water quality and marine ecology as well as environmental site inspections for air quality, noise, water quality, waste management, marine ecology and landscape and visual impacts. The EM&A requirements and related findings for each component are summarized in the following sections.

2.1 Air Quality

2.2 Noise Monitoring

2.3 Water Quality Monitoring

Post-construction water quality monitoring was completed on 23 December 2019.

2.4 Dolphin Monitoring

2.4.1 Monitoring Requirements

Impact dolphin monitoring is required to be conducted by a qualified dolphin specialist team to evaluate whether there have been any effects on the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis (i.e. Chinese White Dolphin) from the Contract. In order to fulfil the EM&A requirements and make good use of available resources, the on-going impact line transect dolphin monitoring data collected by HyD’s Contract No. HY/2012/08 TMCLKL Northern Connection Sub-Sea Tunnel Section on the monthly basis is adopted to avoid duplicates of survey effort.

2.4.2 Monitoring Equipment

Table 2.1 summarizes the equipment used for the impact dolphin monitoring.

Table 2.1 Dolphin Monitoring Equipment

Equipment	Model
Global Positioning System (GPS) Camera Laser Binoculars Marine Binocular Vessel for Monitoring	Garmin 18X-PC Geo One Phottix Nikon D90 300m 2.8D fixed focus Nikon D90 20-300m zoom lens Infinitor LRF 1000 Bushell 7 x 50 marine binocular with compass and reticules 65 foot single engine motor vessel with viewing platform 4.5m above water level

2.4.3 Monitoring Parameter, Frequencies and Duration

Dolphin monitoring should cover all transect lines in Northeast Lantau (NEL) and the Northwest Lantau (NWL) survey areas twice per month throughout the entire construction period. The monitoring data should be compatible with, and should be made available for, long-term studies of small cetacean ecology in Hong Kong. In order to provide a suitable long-term dataset for comparison, identical methodology and line transects employed in baseline dolphin monitoring was followed in the impact dolphin monitoring.

2.4.4 Monitoring Location

The impact dolphin monitoring was carried out in the NEL and NWL along the line transect as depicted in Figure 2.1. The co-ordinates of all transect lines are shown in Table 2.2 below ([1]).

Table 2.2 Impact Dolphin Monitoring Line Transect Co-ordinates

Line No.		Easting	Northing	Line No.		Easting	Northing
1	Start Point	804671	815456	13	Start Point	816506	819480
1	End Point	804671	831404	13	End Point	816506	824859
2	Start Point	805476	820800	14	Start Point	817537	820220
2	End Point	805476	826654	14	End Point	817537	824613
3	Start Point	806464	821150	15	Start Point	818568	820735
3	End Point	806464	822911	15	End Point	818568	824433
4	Start Point	807518	821500	16	Start Point	819532	821420
4	End Point	807518	829230	16	End Point	819532	824209
5	Start Point	808504	821850	17	Start Point	820451	822125
5	End Point	808504	828602	17	End Point	820451	823671
6	Start Point	809490	822150	18	Start Point	821504	822371
6	End Point	809490	825352	18	End Point	821504	823761
7	Start Point	810499	822000*	19	Start Point	822513	823268
7	End Point	810499	824613	19	End Point	822513	824321
8	Start Point	811508	821123	20	Start Point	823477	823402
8	End Point	811508	824254	20	End Point	823477	824613
9	Start Point	812516	821303	21	Start Point	805476	827081
9	End Point	812516	824254	21	End Point	805476	830562
10	Start Point	813525	821176	22	Start Point	806464	824033
10	End Point	813525	824657	22	End Point	806464	829598
11	Start Point	814556	818853	23	Start Point	814559	821739
11	End Point	814556	820992	23	End Point	814559	824768
12	Start Point	815542	818807	24	Start Point	805476	815900
12	End Point	815542	824882	24	End Point	805476	819100

2.4.5 Action & Limit Levels

The Action and Limit levels of dolphin impact monitoring are shown in Appendix D. The Event and Action plan is presented in Appendix G.

2.4.6 Monitoring Schedule for the Reporting Month

Dolphin monitoring was carried out on 10, 18, 20 and 24 February 2020 (Appendix E).

2.4.7 Results and Observations

A total of 258.86 km of survey effort was collected, with 100.0% of the total survey effort being conducted under favourable weather conditions (i.e. Beaufort Sea State 3 or below with good visibility) during the surveys in February 2020. Among the two areas, 94.50 km and 164.36 km of survey effort were collected from NEL and NWL survey areas, respectively. The total survey effort conducted on primary and secondary lines were 189.74 km and 69.12 km, respectively. The survey efforts are summarized in Appendix F.

Four (4) groups of sixteen (16) Chinese White Dolphin was sighted during the two sets of monitoring surveys in February 2020. The dolphin sighting was made in NWL. During the surveys in February 2020, all dolphin sightings were made during on-effort search and were sighted on the primary line. The dolphin was not associated with operating fishing vessel and was not sighted in the proximity of the Project’s alignment. The distribution of dolphin sighting during the reporting month is shown in Figure 2.2.

The southern end of transect line no. 8 was not travelled on 18 and 24 February 2020 during the dolphin monitoring due to the presence of construction boats along the transect line. Part of the transect line was not travelled due to safety concerns.

Encounter rates of Chinese White Dolphins are deduced from the survey effort and on-effort sighting data made under favourable conditions (Beaufort 3 or below) in February 2020 are shown in Tables 2.3 & 2.4.

Table 2.3 Individual Survey Event Encounter Rates

		Encounter rate (STG) (no. of on-effort dolphin sightings per 100 km of survey effort)	Encounter rate (ANI) (no. of dolphins from all on-effort sightings per 100 km of survey effort)
		Primary Lines Only	Primary Lines Only
NEL	Set 1: February 10^th / 18^th	0.0	0.0
NEL	Set 2: February 20^th /24^th	0.0	0.0
NWL	Set 1: February 10^th / 18^th	3.4	5.0
NWL	Set 2: February 20^th /24^th	3.4	22.1
Note: Dolphin Encounter Rates are deduced from the two sets of surveys ( two surveys in each set) in February 2020 in Northeast (NEL) and Northwest Lantau (NWL)

Table 2.4 Monthly Average Encounter Rates

	Encounter rate (STG) (no. of on-effort dolphin sightings per 100 km of survey effort)		Encounter rate (ANI) (no. of dolphins from all on-effort sightings per 100 km of survey effort)
	Primary Lines Only	Both Primary and Secondary Lines	Primary Lines Only	Both Primary and Secondary Lines
Northeast Lantau	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Northwest Lantau	3.4	2.4	13.5	9.7

Note: Overall dolphin encounter rates (sightings per 100 km of survey effort) from all four surveys are conducted in February 2020 on primary lines only as well as both primary lines and secondary lines in Northeast and Northwest Lantau

2.4.8 Marine Mammal Exclusion Zone Monitoring

No marine works were undertaken during the reporting period, therefore, daily 250 m marine mammal exclusion zone monitoring was not undertaken during the reporting period.

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) had been decommissioned as no marine piling works was carried out outside the daylight hours since September 2015.

2.5 EM&A Site Inspection

Site inspections were carried out on a weekly basis to monitor the implementation of proper environmental pollution control and mitigation measures under the Contract. In the reporting month, four (4) site inspections were carried out on 6, 13, 19 and 27 February 2020.

Key observations during the site inspections are summarized in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5 Specific Observations Identified during the Weekly Site Inspections in this Reporting Month

Inspection Date	Environmental Observations	Recommendations/ Remarks
6 February 2020	Viaduct C Ÿ Nil.	Viaduct C Ÿ Nil.
13 February 2020	Pak Mong Ÿ Nil.	Pak Mong Ÿ Nil.
19 February 2020	Viaduct C Ÿ Nil. WA1 Ÿ Nil.	Viaduct C Ÿ Nil. WA1 Ÿ Nil.
27 February 2020	Southern Landfall Ÿ Nil.	Southern Landfall Ÿ Nil.

Inspection Date

Environmental Observations

Recommendations/ Remarks

6 February 2020

Viaduct C

Ÿ Nil.

Viaduct C

Ÿ Nil.

13 February 2020

Pak Mong

Ÿ Nil.

Pak Mong

Ÿ Nil.

19 February 2020

Viaduct C

Ÿ Nil.

WA1

Ÿ Nil.

Viaduct C

Ÿ Nil.

WA1

Ÿ Nil.

27 February 2020

Southern Landfall

Ÿ Nil.

Southern Landfall

Ÿ Nil.

No particular observations were identified during environmental site inspections in the reporting month.

2.6 Waste Management Status

The Contractor has submitted application form for registration as chemical waste producer under the Contract. Sufficient numbers of receptacles were available for general refuse collection and sorting.

Wastes generated during this reporting period include mainly construction wastes (inert and non-inert) and recyclable materials. Reference has been made to the waste flow table prepared by the Contractor (Appendix H). The quantities of different types of wastes are summarized in Table 2.6.

Table 2.6 Quantities of Different Waste Generated in the Reporting Period

Month/ Year	Inert C&D Materials ^(a) (m³)	Imported Fill (m³)	Inert Construction Waste Re-used (m³)	Non-inert Construction Waste ^(b) (kg)	Recyclable Materials ^(c) (kg)	Chemical Wastes (kg)	Marine Sediment (m³)
							Category L	Category M (M_p & M_f)	Category H
February 2020	48	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Notes:
(a) Inert construction wastes include hard rock and large broken concrete, and materials disposed as public fill. (b) Non-inert construction wastes include general refuse disposed at landfill. (c) Recyclable materials include metals, paper, cardboard, plastics, timber, felled trees and others.

The Contractor was advised to properly maintain on site C&D materials and waste collection, sorting and recording system, dispose of C&D materials and wastes at designated ground and maximize reuse/ recycle of C&D materials and wastes. The Contractor was also reminded to properly maintain the site tidiness and dispose of the wastes accumulated on site regularly and properly.

For chemical waste containers, the Contractor was reminded to treat properly and store temporarily in designated chemical waste storage area on site in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes.

2.7 Environmental Licenses and Permits

The status of environmental licensing and permit is summarized in Table 2.7 below.

License/ Permit	License or Permit No.	Date of Issue	Date of Expiry	License/ Permit Holder	Remarks
Environmental Permit	EP-354/2009/D	13 Mar 2015	N/A	HyD	Tuen Mun- Chek Lap Kok Link
Environmental Permit	EP-353/2009/K	11 Apr 2016	N/A	HyD	Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities
Construction Dust Notification	361571	5 Jul 2013	N/A	GCL
Construction Dust Notification	362093	17 Jul 2013	N/A	GCL	For Area 23
Chemical Waste Registration	5213-961-G2380-13	10 Oct 2013	N/A	GCL	Chemical waste produced in Contract No. HY/2012/07 (Area 1 adjacent to Cheng Tung Road, Siu Ho Wan)
Chemical Waste Registration	5213-961-G2380-14	10 Oct 2013	N/A	GCL	Chemical waste produced in Contract No. HY/2012/07 (Area 2 adjacent to Cheung Tung Road, Pak Mong Village)
Chemical Waste Registration	5213-974-G2588-03	4 Nov 2013	N/A	GCL	Chemical waste produced in Contract No. HY/2012/07 (WA5 adjacent to Cheung Tung Road, Yam O)
Chemical Waste Registration	5213-951-G2380-17	12 Jun 2014	N/A	GCL	Viaducts A, B, C, D & E
Construction Waste Disposal Account	7017735	10 Jul 2013	N/A	GCL	-
Construction Waste Disposal Account	7019470	3 Mar 2014	N/A	GCL	Vessel CHIT Account
Construction Noise Permit for night works and works in general holidays	GW-RS1108-19	12 December 2019	11 June 2020	GCL	Broad Permit for Whole Site Areas
Construction Noise Permit for night works and works in general holidays	GW-RW0592-19	18 December 2019	13 June 2020	GCL	General works at WA5
Construction Noise Permit for night works and works in general holidays	GW-RS1214-19	16 January 2020	14 February 2020	GCL	Defect Repairing at under-bridge of Viaduct B and C

([1]) Proposal on the changes of transect lines for dolphin monitoring was approved by EPD on

28 July 2017 (Reference number: (19) in EP2/G/A/129 Pt. 8).