table
of Contents
1.1 Background
1.2 Scope
of Report
1.3 Organization
Structure
1.4 Summary
of Construction Works
2.1 Air
quality
2.2 Water
Quality Monitoring
2.3 Dolphin
Monitoring
2.4 Post-translocation
coral monitoring
2.5 EM&A
Site Inspection
2.6 Waste
Management Status
2.7 Environmental
Licenses and Permits
2.8 Implementation
Status of Environmental Mitigation Measures
2.9 Summary
of Exceedances of the Environmental Quality Performance Limit
2.10 Summary
of Complaints, Notification of Summons and Successful Prosecutions
3.1 Construction
Activities for the Coming Month
3.2 Key
Issues for the Coming Month
3.3 Monitoring
Schedule for the Coming Month
4 Conclusions
and recommendations
4.1 Conclusions
Appendix
A |
|
Appendix
B |
|
Appendix
C |
Environmental Mitigation
And Enhancement Measure Implementation Schedules (EMIS) |
Appendix
D |
|
Appendix
E |
|
Appendix
F |
|
Appendix
G |
|
Appendix
H |
|
Appendix
I |
|
Appendix
J |
|
Appendix
K |
|
Appendix
L |
|
Appendix
M |
Under Contract No. HY/2012/08,
Dragages ¡V Bouygues Joint Venture (DBJV) is
commissioned by the Highways Department (HyD) to
undertake the design and construction of the Northern Connection Sub-sea Tunnel
Section of the Tuen Mun ¡V 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) in accordance with Environmental
Permit No. EP-354/2009/A. ENVIRON Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by HyD as the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) and
Environmental Project Office (ENPO).
Another application for variation of environmental
permit (VEP) (EP-354/2009/B) was
granted on 28 January 2014.
The
construction phase of the Project commenced on 1 November 2013 and will
tentatively be completed by the end of 2018. The impact monitoring of the EM&A programme, including air quality, water quality, marine
ecological monitoring and environmental site inspections, were commenced on 1
November 2013.
This
is the Thirteenth Monthly EM&A report presenting the EM&A works carried
out during the period from 1 to 30 November 2014 for the Contract No. HY/2012/08 Northern
Connection Sub-sea Tunnel Section (the ¡§Project¡¨) in
accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual of the TM-CLK
Link Project. As informed by the
Contractor, major activities in the reporting period included:
Marine-based
Works
¡P
Reclamation filling at Portion N-C;
¡P
Construction of Vertical Seawall and Sloping Seawall
at Portion N-C; and
¡P
Marine Sheet Piling for Box Culvert extension at
Portion N-A.
Land-based
Works
¡P
Excavation for North Launching Shaft ¡V Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-A
¡P
Land Bored Piling Works at Reclamation Works Area -
Portion N-A;
¡P
Surcharge set up at Reclamation Works Area ¡V Portion
N-C;
¡P
Construction of temporary access at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A; and,
¡P
Diaphragm Wall Construction at Reclamation Works Area
¡V Portion N-A.
A summary of
monitoring and audit activities conducted in the reporting period is listed
below:
24-hour TSP Monitoring 10
sessions
1-hour TSP Monitoring 10
sessions
Impact Water
Quality Monitoring 12
sessions
Impact Dolphin
Monitoring 2
sessions
Joint
Environmental Site Inspection 4
sessions
Implementation of Marine Mammal Exclusion Zone
Daily
marine mammal exclusion zone was in effect during the period of dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling
works in open waters under
this Contract. Passive Acoustic
Monitoring (PAM) was also implemented for the detection of marine mammal when dredging,
reclamation or marine
sheet piling works were
carried out outside the daylight hours under this Contract. No sighting of the Indo-Pacific humpback
dolphin Sousa chinensis
(i.e. Chinese White Dolphin) was recorded in November 2014 during the exclusion
zone monitoring.
On 10
November 2014, night time marine works was completed. On 20 November 2014, seawall (+2.5mPD) at Northern Landfall
has been fully enclosed and marine sheet pile has also been completed.
There would be no dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling works in open
waters at this stage. Thus, PAM and the day-time monitoring of Dolphin
Exclusion Zone (DEZ) by dolphin observers were discontinued from 10 November
2014 and 20 November 2014 respectively.
Post Translocation Coral Monitoring
The First to Fourth Quarterly Post-Translocation
Coral Monitoring has been completed and the results were detailed in the First to Fourth Quarterly Post-Translocation Coral Monitoring Report.
Summary of
Breaches of Action/Limit Levels
Breaches of Action and Limit Levels for Air Quality
Two Action
Level exceedances for 1-hr TSP were recorded from the air quality monitoring in
this reporting period. No Limit
Level exceedances for 1-hr TSP were recorded. No Action or Limit Level exceedances for
24-hr TSP were record. The
exceedances were considered to be due to the sporadic events from cumulative
anthropogenic activities in this area of Hong Kong upon further investigation.
Breaches of Action and Limit Levels for Water Quality
No Action Level
or Limit Level of water quality exceedances were recorded in the water quality
monitoring of this reporting month.
Dolphin Monitoring
Whilst two
Action Level exceedances and no Limit Level exceedances were observed for the
quarterly dolphin monitoring data between September and November 2014, no
unacceptable impact from the construction activities of the TM-CLKL Northern
Connection Sub-sea Tunnel Section on Chinese White Dolphins was noticeable from
general observations during the dolphin monitoring in this reporting month. Due
to monthly variation in dolphin occurrence within the study area, it would be
more appropriate to draw conclusion on whether any unacceptable impacts on dolphins have been detected
related to the construction activities of the TM-CLKL Northern Connection
Sub-sea Section in the quarterly EM&A reports, where comparison on
distribution, group size and encounter rates of dolphins between the quarterly
impact monitoring period and baseline monitoring period will be made.
Environmental
Complaints, Non-compliance & Summons
No
non-compliance with EIA recommendations, EP conditions and other requirements associated with
the construction of this Contract was recorded in this reporting period.
Two
potential environmental complaint cases regarding to the dust emission by works
area nearby the River Trade Terminal was referred by EPD on 12 November
2014. The interim report was
submitted to EPD on 21 November 2014.
The investigation findings showed that the cases were considered not
related to the works under this Contract and is thus invalid.
No
environmental summons was received in this reporting period.
Reporting
Change
There was no
reporting change required in the reporting period.
Upcoming Works for the Next Reporting Month
Works to be
undertaken in the next monitoring period of December 2014 include the
following:
Land-based
Works
¡P
Land Bored Piling Works at Reclamation Works Area -
Portion N-A;
¡P
Construction of temporary access at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A;
¡P
Surcharge set up at Reclamation Works Area - Portion
N-C;
¡P
Box Culvert Foundation at Reclamation Works Area -
Portion N-A;
¡P
Bored Piling Works at Works Area ¡V N6;
¡P
Diaphragm Wall Construction at Reclamation Works Area
¡V Portion N-A; and,
¡P
Excavation for North Launching Shaft at Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-A.
Future Key
Issues
Potential
environmental impacts arising from the above upcoming construction activities
in the next reporting month of December 2014 are expected to be mainly
associated with dust, marine water quality, marine ecology and waste management.
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 ¡V
Zhuhai ¡V Macao Bridge (HZMB). In
order to cope with the anticipated traffic demand, two new road sections
between NWNT and North Lantau ¡V Tuen Mun ¡V 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 (VEP) (EP-354/2009A) was
issued on 8 December 2010. Another
application for VEP (EP-354/2009/B) was granted on 28 January 2014.
Under
Contract No. HY/2012/08,
Dragages ¡V Bouygues Joint Venture (DBJV) is
commissioned by the Highways Department (HyD) to
undertake the design and construction of the Northern Connection Sub-sea Tunnel
Section of TM-CLKL 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). ENVIRON
Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by HyD as the Independent
Environmental Checker (IEC) and Environmental Project Office (ENPO).
Layout of the
Contract components is presented in Figure 1.1.
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 |
Highways
Department |
Engr
16/HZMB |
Kenneth Lee |
2762
4996 |
3188
6614 |
SOR (AECOM Asia
Company Limited) |
Chief
Resident Engineer |
Edwin
Ching Andrew
Westmoreland |
2293
6388 2293
6360 |
2293
6300 2293
6300 |
ENPO / IEC (ENVIRON
Hong Kong Ltd.) |
ENPO Leader |
Y.H. Hui |
3465 2888 |
3465 2899 |
IEC |
Dr. F.C. Tsang |
3465 2828 |
3465 2899 |
|
Contractor (Dragages ¡V
Bouygues Joint Venture) |
Environmental
Manager |
C.F. Kwong |
2293
7322 |
2670
2798 |
Environmental
Officer 24-hour
complaint hotline |
Bryan Lee Rachel Lam |
2293
7323 2293
7342 |
2670
2798 |
|
ET (ERM-HK) |
ET Leader |
Jovy Tam |
2271 3113 |
2723 5660 |
Table 1.2 Summary
of Construction Activities Undertaken during the Reporting Period
Construction Activities Undertaken |
Marine-based Works |
¡P
Reclamation filling at Portion N-C; |
¡P
Construction of Vertical Seawall and Sloping Seawall
at Portion N-C; and |
¡P
Marine Sheet Piling for Box Culvert extension at
Portion N-A; |
Land-based Works |
¡P
Excavation for North Launching Shaft at Portion N-A; ¡P
Land Bored Piling Works at Reclamation Works Area ¡V
Portion N-A; ¡P
Surcharge set up at Reclamation Works Area ¡V Portion
N-C; ¡P
Construction of temporary access at Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-A; and, ¡P
Diaphragm Wall Construction at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A. |
Figure 1.2 Locations
of Construction Activities ¡VNovember 2014
|
The EM&A programme required environmental monitoring for air quality,
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
In accordance
with the Updated EM&A Manual and the Enhanced TSP Monitoring Plan, impact
1-hour TSP monitoring was conducted three (3) times every six (6) days and impact
24-hour TSP monitoring was carried out once every six (6) days when the highest
dust impact was expected. 1-hr and
24-hr TSP monitoring frequency was increased to three times per day every three
days and daily every three days, respectively, as excavation works for
launching shaft commenced on 24 October 2014.
High volume
samplers (HVSs) were used to carry out the 1-hour and 24-hour TSP monitoring on
2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26 and 29 November 2014 at the five (5) air
quality monitoring stations in accordance with the requirements stipulated in
the Updated EM&A Manual (Figure 2.1; Table 2.1).
Wind meter was installed at the
rooftop of ASR5 for logging wind speed and wind direction. Details of the equipment deployed are provided
in Table 2.2. Copies of the calibration certificates
for the equipment are presented in Appendix E.
Table 2.1 Locations
of Impact Air Quality Monitoring Stations and Monitoring Dates in this
Reporting Period
Monitoring
Station |
Monitoring
Dates |
Location |
Description |
Parameters & Frequency |
ASR1 |
2,
5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26 and 29 November 2014 |
Tuen Mun Fireboat Station |
Office |
TSP monitoring
1-hour Total Suspended Particulates (1-hour
TSP, µg/m3), 3 times in every 6 days
24-hour Total Suspended Particulates
(24-hour TSP, µg/m3), daily for 24-hour in every 6 days Enhanced TSP monitoring (commenced on 24
October 2014)
1-hour Total Suspended Particulates (1-hour
TSP, µg/m3), 3 times in every 3 days
24-hour Total Suspended Particulates
(24-hour TSP, µg/m3), daily for 24-hour in every 3 days |
ASR5 |
|
Pillar
Point Fire Station |
Office |
|
AQMS1 |
|
Previous
River Trade Golf |
Bare
ground |
|
ASR6 |
|
Butterfly
Beach Laundry |
Office |
|
ASR10 |
|
Butterfly
Beach Park |
Recreational
uses |
Table 2.2 Air
Quality Monitoring Equipment
Equipment |
Brand and Model |
High Volume Sampler |
Tisch Environmental Mass Flow Controlled Total Suspended Particulate (TSP)
High Volume Sampler (Model No. TE-5170) |
Wind Meter |
Davis (Model: Weather Wizard III (S/N: WE90911A30) |
Wind Anemometer for calibration |
Lutron (Model No. AM-4201) |
The Action and
Limit Levels of the air quality monitoring is provided in Appendix D. The Event and Action plan is presented
in Appendix K.
The schedule
for air quality monitoring in November 2014 is provided in Appendix F.
The monitoring
results for 1-hour TSP and 24-hour TSP are summarized in Tables 2.3 and 2.4,
respectively. Detailed impact air
quality monitoring results and graphical presentations are presented in Appendix G.
Table 2.3 Summary
of 1-hour TSP Monitoring Results in this Reporting Period
Station |
Average (µg/m3) |
Range (µg/m3) |
Action Level (µg/m3) |
Limit Level (µg/m3) |
ASR1 |
196 |
87
- 404 |
331 |
500 |
ASR5 |
180 |
89
- 324 |
340 |
500 |
AQMS1 |
154 |
83
- 240 |
335 |
500 |
ASR6 |
145 |
63
- 243 |
338 |
500 |
ASR10 |
108 |
60
- 206 |
337 |
500 |
Table 2.4 Summary
of 24-hour TSP Monitoring Results in this Reporting Period
Station |
Average (µg/m3) |
Range (µg/m3) |
Action Level (µg/m3) |
Limit Level (µg/m3) |
ASR1 |
91 |
69
- 117 |
213 |
260 |
ASR5 |
94 |
74
- 110 |
238 |
260 |
AQMS1 |
91 |
72
- 112 |
213 |
260 |
ASR6 |
79 |
60
- 97 |
238 |
260 |
ASR10 |
72 |
60
- 92 |
214 |
260 |
The weather
condition during the monitoring period varied from sunny to cloudy. The major dust sources in the reporting
period include construction activities under the Contract as well as nearby
traffic emissions.
A total of ten
monitoring events were undertaken in which two Action Level exceedances of 1-hr
TSP were recorded in this reporting month.
No Limit Level exceedances for 1-hr TSP were recorded. No Action or Limit Level exceedances for
24-hr TSP were record.
Meteorological
information collected at the ASR5, including wind speed and wind direction, is provided
in Appendix H.
In accordance
with the Updated EM&A Manual, impact water quality monitoring was carried
out three days per week during the construction period at nine (9) water
quality monitoring stations (Figure 2.2; Table 2.5).
Table 2.5 Locations
of Water Quality Monitoring Stations and the Corresponding Monitoring
Requirements
Station ID |
Type |
Coordinates |
*Parameters, unit |
Depth |
Frequency |
|
|
|
Easting |
Northing |
|
|
|
IS12 |
Impact
Station |
813218 |
823681 |
Temperature(¢XC)
pH(pH unit)
Turbidity (NTU)
Water depth (m)
Salinity (ppt)
DO (mg/L and % of saturation) ¡P
SS (mg/L) |
3 water depths: 1m below sea surface, mid-depth and 1m above sea bed. If the water depth is less than 3m,
mid-depth sampling only. If water
depth less than 6m, mid-depth may be omitted. |
Impact monitoring: 3 days per week, at mid-flood
and mid-ebb tides during the construction period of the Contract. |
IS13 |
Impact Station |
813667 |
824325 |
|||
IS14 |
Impact Station |
812592 |
824172 |
|||
IS15 |
Impact Station |
813356 |
825008 |
|||
CS4 |
Control / Far Field Station |
810025 |
824004 |
|||
CS6 |
Control / Far Field Station |
817028 |
823992 |
|||
SR8 |
Sensitive
receiver (Gazettal beaches in Tuen Mun) |
816306 |
825715 |
|||
SR9 |
Sensitive
receiver |
813601 |
825858 |
|||
SR10A |
Sensitive
receiver |
823741 |
823495 |
|||
*Notes: In addition to the parameters presented monitoring location/position,
time, water depth, sampling depth, tidal stages, weather conditions and any
special phenomena or works underway nearby were also recorded. |
Table 2.6 summarizes the equipment used in the impact water
quality monitoring programme. Copies
of the calibration certificates are attached in Appendix E.
Table 2.6 Water
Quality Monitoring Equipment
Equipment |
Model |
Water Sampler |
Kahlsico Water-Bottle Model 135DW 150 |
Dissolved Oxygen Meter |
YSI Pro 2030 |
pH Meter |
HANNA HI 8314 |
Turbidity Meter |
HACH 2100Q |
Monitoring Position Equipment |
¡§Magellan¡¨ Handheld GPS Model explorist GC |
DGPS Koden KGP913MK2 (1) |
The Action and Limit levels of water quality impact
monitoring are shown in Appendix D. The Event and Action plan is presented
in Appendix K.
The schedule
for water quality monitoring in November 2014 is provided in Appendix F.
During this
reporting period, major marine works included reclamation filling at Portion
N-C. Reclamation filling was
undertaken between the 200 m of leading seawalls using filling materials specified
in the EP and the approved EIA Report with a single layer silt curtain being
deployed as a precautionary measure to reduce dispersion of suspended solids. It is useful to note that heavy marine
traffic (not associated with the Project) was commonly observed nearby the
Project site and its vicinity. On 20 November 2014, seawall (+2.5mPD) at Northern Landfall has been fully
enclosed and marine sheet pile has also been completed. There will be no
dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling works in open waters at this
stage.
Impact water
quality monitoring was conducted at all designated monitoring stations in the
reporting month. Results and
graphical presentations of impact water quality monitoring are presented in Appendix I.
In this
reporting period, a total of twelve monitoring events were undertaken in which no
Action Level or Limit Levels of exceedances for impact water quality monitoring
was recorded.
Impact dolphin
monitoring is required to be conducted by a qualified dolphin specialist team
to evaluate whether there have been any effects on the dolphins. 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/2011/03 Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Hong
Kong Link Road - Section between Scenic Hill and Hong Kong Boundary Crossing
Facilities on the monthly basis is adopted to avoid duplicates of survey
effort.
Table 2.7 summarises the equipment
used for the impact dolphin monitoring.
Table 2.7 Dolphin
Monitoring Equipment
Equipment |
Model |
Global Positioning
System (GPS) |
Garmin 18X-PC Geo One Phottix |
Camera |
Nikon D90 300m 2.8D fixed focus Nikon D90 20-300m zoom lens |
Laser Binocular |
Infinitor LRF 1000 |
Marine Binocular |
Bushell 7 x 50 marine binocular with compass and
reticules |
Vessel for Monitoring |
65 foot single
engine motor vessel with viewing platform 4.5m above water level |
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.
The impact
dolphin monitoring was carried out in the NEL and NWL along the line transect
as depicted in Figure 2.3. The co-ordinates of all transect lines
are shown in Table 2.8 below.
Table 2.8 Impact
Dolphin Monitoring Line Transect Co-ordinates
Line No. |
Easting |
Northing |
Line No. |
Easting |
Northing |
||
1 |
Start Point |
804671 |
814577 |
13 |
Start Point |
816506 |
819480 |
1 |
End Point |
804671 |
831404 |
13 |
End Point |
816506 |
824859 |
2 |
Start Point |
805475 |
815457 |
14 |
Start Point |
817537 |
820220 |
2 |
End Point |
805477 |
826654 |
14 |
End Point |
817537 |
824613 |
3 |
Start Point |
806464 |
819435 |
15 |
Start Point |
818568 |
820735 |
3 |
End Point |
806464 |
822911 |
15 |
End Point |
818568 |
824433 |
4 |
Start Point |
807518 |
819771 |
16 |
Start Point |
819532 |
821420 |
4 |
End Point |
807518 |
829230 |
16 |
End Point |
819532 |
824209 |
5 |
Start Point |
808504 |
820220 |
17 |
Start Point |
820451 |
822125 |
5 |
End Point |
808504 |
828602 |
17 |
End Point |
820451 |
823671 |
6 |
Start Point |
809490 |
820466 |
18 |
Start Point |
821504 |
822371 |
6 |
End Point |
809490 |
825352 |
18 |
End Point |
821504 |
823761 |
7 |
Start Point |
810499 |
820690 |
19 |
Start Point |
822513 |
823268 |
7 |
End Point |
810499 |
824613 |
19 |
End Point |
822513 |
824321 |
8 |
Start Point |
811508 |
820847 |
20 |
Start Point |
823477 |
823402 |
8 |
End Point |
811508 |
824254 |
20 |
End Point |
823477 |
824613 |
9 |
Start Point |
812516 |
820892 |
21 |
Start Point |
805476 |
827081 |
9 |
End Point |
812516 |
824254 |
21 |
End Point |
805476 |
830562 |
10 |
Start Point |
813525 |
820872 |
22 |
Start Point |
806464 |
824033 |
10 |
End Point |
813525 |
824657 |
22 |
End Point |
806464 |
829598 |
11 |
Start Point |
814556 |
818449 |
23 |
Start Point |
814559 |
821739 |
11 |
End Point |
814556 |
820992 |
23 |
End Point |
814559 |
824768 |
12 |
Start Point |
815542 |
818807 |
|
|
|
|
12 |
End Point |
815542 |
824882 |
|
|
|
|
The Action and
Limit levels of impact dolphin monitoring are shown in Appendix D. The Event and Action plan is presented
in Appendix K.
Dolphin
monitoring was carried out on 4, 10, 12 and 18 November 2014. The dolphin monitoring schedule for the
reporting month is shown in Appendix F.
A total of 296.14
km of survey effort was collected, with 95.5% of the total survey effort being
conducted under favourable weather conditions (ie Beaufort Sea State 3 or below with good visibility) in November
2014. Amongst the two areas, 112.81
km and 183.33 km of survey effort were collected from NEL and NWL survey areas,
respectively. The total survey
effort conducted on primary and secondary lines were 217.82 km and 78.32 km,
respectively. The survey efforts are
summarized in Appendix J.
A total of 6 groups of 29 Chinese
White Dolphin sightings were recorded
during the two sets
of surveys in November 2014. All sighting were made in NWL during the
two sets of surveys in November 2014, while no dolphin was sighted in NEL. All except one sighting was made on
primary lines during on-effort search, and none of the dolphin groups was
associated with operating fishing vessel.
None of the sightings was made in the vicinity of
the TM-CLKL Northern Connection Sub-sea Tunnel Section. The distribution of
dolphin sightings during the reporting month is shown in Figure 2.4.
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 with good visibility) in November 2014 with the
results present in Tables 2.9 and 2.10.
Table 2.9 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: November 4th/10th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Set
2: November 12th/18th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
NWL |
Set
1: November 4th/10th |
4.6 |
24.5 |
Set
2: November 12th/18th |
2.8 |
8.5 |
Note:
Dolphin Encounter Rates
are deduced from the Two Sets of Surveys (Two Surveys in Each Set) in November 2014
in Northeast (NEL) and Northwest Lantau (NWL)
Table 2.10 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 |
3.7 |
2.9 |
16.2 |
12.8 |
Note: Overall dolphin encounter rates (sightings per
100 km of survey effort) from all four surveys are conducted in November 2014 on
primary lines only as well as both primary lines and secondary lines in
Northeast and Northwest Lantau.
The average
group size of Chinese White Dolphins in November 2014 was 4.8 individuals per
group. Four of the 6 dolphin groups
were composed of 1-4 animals, while
two larger dolphin groups with 7 and 13 animals were sighted.
Whilst two
Action Level exceedances (one Action Level exceedance for Northeast Lantau
social cluster; one Action Level exceedance for Northwest Lantau social
cluster) and no Limit Level exceedances were observed for the quarterly dolphin
monitoring data between September and November 2014, no unacceptable impact
from the construction activities of the TM-CLKL Northern Connection Sub-sea
Tunnel Section on Chinese White Dolphins was noticeable from general
observations during the dolphin monitoring in this reporting month.
Due to monthly
variation in dolphin occurrence within the survey area, it would be more
appropriate to draw conclusion on whether any unacceptable impacts on dolphins have
been detected related to the construction activities of this Project in the
quarterly EM&A reports, where comparison on distribution, group size and
encounter rates of dolphins between the quarterly impact monitoring period and
baseline monitoring period will be made.
Daily
marine mammal exclusion zone was in effect during the period of dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling
works in open waters under
this Contract. Passive Acoustic
Monitoring (PAM) was also implemented for the detection of marine mammal when dredging,
reclamation or marine
sheet piling works were
carried out outside the daylight hours under this Contract. No sighting of the Indo-Pacific humpback
dolphin Sousa chinensis
(i.e. Chinese White Dolphin) was recorded in November 2014 during the exclusion
zone monitoring.
On 10
November 2014, night time marine works was completed. On 20 November 2014, seawall (+2.5mPD) at Northern Landfall
has been fully enclosed and marine sheet pile has also been completed.
There would be no dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling works in open
waters at this stage. Thus, PAM and the day-time monitoring of Dolphin
Exclusion Zone (DEZ) by dolphin observers were discontinued from 10 November
2014 and 20 November 2014, respectively.
The First
to Fourth Quarterly Post-Translocation Coral Monitoring have been completed and
the results were detailed in the First to
Fourth Quarterly Post-Translocation Coral Monitoring Report. The findings indicated that the Action
or Limit Levels for coral monitoring were not exceeded as increase in
percentage of partial mortality was not detected for both the tagged translocated and natural coral colonies when comparing to
the pre-translocation dataset.
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 5, 12, 19 and 26 November 2014.
Key
observations and recommendations during the site inspections in this reporting
period are summarized in Table 2.11.
Table 2.11 Specific
Observations and Recommendations during the Weekly Site Inspection in this
Reporting Month
Inspection Date |
Observations |
Recommendations/ Remarks |
5 November
2014 |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A Accumulated
general refuse was observed. Oil
drum without chemical labels was observed. Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-C Inappropriate
chemical container for oil was observed. |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A The
Contractor was reminded to clear general refuse regularly. The
Contractor was reminded to provide chemical labels to the oil drum. Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-C The
Contractor was reminded to provide proper chemical containers. |
12
November 2014 |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C
Excess muddy water was observed. |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C
The Contractor was reminded to remove the excess muddy water. |
19 November
2014 |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-C Chemical
containers without drip tray were observed. Chemical
containers should be placed inside the drip tray. |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-C The
Contractor was reminded to provide drip tray for the chemical containers. The
Contractor was reminded to place the Chemical container inside the drip tray. |
26
November 2014 |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A General
refuse was observed near the seawall. |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A The
Contractor was reminded to clear the general refuse. |
The Contractor
has rectified all of the observations as identified during environmental site
inspections in the reporting month.
The Contractor
had 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), imported fill and marine sediments (Category L). Reference has been made to the waste
flow table prepared by the Contractor (Appendix M). The quantities of different types of
wastes are summarized in Table 2.12.
Table 2.12 Quantities
of Different Waste Generated in the Reporting Month
Month/Year |
Inert Construction Waste (a)
(tonnes) |
Imported Fill (tonnes) |
Inert Construction Waste
Re-used (tonnes) |
Non-inert Construction Waste (b)
(tonnes) |
Recyclable Materials (c) (kg) |
Chemical Wastes (kg) |
Marine Sediment (m3) |
|
Category L |
Category M (Mp
& Mf) |
|||||||
November 2014 |
595 |
240,167 |
0 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
2,320 |
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 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.
The status of
environmental licensing and permit is summarized in Table 2.13 below.
Table 2.13 Summary
of Environmental Licensing and Permit Status
License/
Permit |
License
or Permit No. |
Date
of Issue |
Date
of Expiry |
License/
Permit Holder |
Remarks |
Environmental Permit |
EP-354/2009/B |
28 January 2014 |
Throughout the Contract |
HyD |
Application for VEP on 20 January 2014 to replace EP-354/2009/A |
Construction Dust Notification |
363510 |
19 August 2013 |
Throughout the Contract |
DBJV |
- |
Chemical Waste Registration |
5213-422-D2516-01 |
10 September 2013 |
Throughout the Contract |
DBJV |
- |
Construction Waste Disposal Account |
7018108 |
19 August 2013 |
Throughout the Contract |
DBJV |
Waste disposal in Contract No. HY/2012/08 |
Waste Water Discharge License |
WT00017707-2013 |
18 November 2013 |
30 November 2018 |
DBJV |
For site WA18 |
Waste Water Discharge License |
WT00018433-2014 |
5 June 2014 |
30 June 2019 |
DBJV |
For site Portion N6 and Reclamation Area E |
Construction Noise Permit |
GW-RS0362-14 |
11 May 2014 |
10 May 2015 |
DBJV |
For site WA23 |
Construction Noise Permit |
GW-RW0706-14 |
29 September 2014 |
28 March 2015 |
DBJV |
For Portion N6 |
Construction Noise Permit |
GW-RW0550-14 |
25 July 2014 |
24 January 2015 |
DBJV |
For Dredging and Reclamation Works |
Construction Noise Permit |
GW-RW0674-14 |
18 September 2014 |
17 March 2015 |
DBJV |
For GI Works at Southern Landfall |
Marine Dumping Permit |
EP/MD/15-100 |
20 October 2014 |
19 November 2015 |
DBJV |
For Type 1 (Dedicated site) and Type
2 (Confined Marine Disposal) |
Notes: |
|||||
HyD = Highways
Department DBJV = Dragages ¡V
Bouygues Joint Venture VEP = Variation of Environmental Permit |
In response to
the site audit findings, the Contractors carried out all corrective actions.
A summary of
the Implementation Schedule of Environmental Mitigation Measures (EMIS) is
presented in Appendix C. The necessary mitigation measures relevant
to this Contract were implemented properly.
Two Action
level exceedances of 1-hr TSP was recorded on 14 November 2014. No Limit Level exceedances for 1-hr TSP
were recorded. No Action or Limit
Level exceedances for 24-hr TSP were record. Further to the investigation, the
recorded exceedance for air quality monitoring was considered to be sporadic
event from the cumulative anthropogenic activities (eg
traffic emissions from River Trade Terminal) in this area of Hong Kong. The investigation findings are detailed
in Appendix L.
No Action Level
or Limit Level exceedances were recorded in the water quality monitoring of
this reporting month.
Two Action
Level exceedances and no Limit Level exceedances were recorded for the
quarterly dolphin monitoring data between September 2014 and November 2014. The observed exceedances will be further
investigated in the Fourth Quarterly
EM&A Report for September 2014 to November 2014.
Cumulative
statistics are provided in Appendix L.
The
Environmental Complaint Handling Procedure is provided in Figure 2.5.
Two
potential environmental complaint cases regarding to the dust emission by works
area nearby the River Trade Terminal was referred by EPD on 12 November
2014. The interim report was
submitted to EPD on 21 November 2014.
The interim findings showed that the cases were considered not related
to the works under this Contract and is thus invalid. The complete
investigation findings are provided in Appendix L ([1]).
No
notification of summons and prosecution were received in the reporting period.
Statistics on
complaints, notifications of summons and successful prosecutions are summarized
in Appendix L.
As informed by
the Contractor, the major works for the Project in December 2014 are summarized
in Table 3.1.
Table
3.1 Construction
Works to Be Undertaken in the Coming Month
Works to be undertaken |
Land-based Works |
¡P
Land Bored Piling Works at Reclamation Works Area ¡V
Portion N-A; ¡P
Construction of temporary access at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A; ¡P
Surcharge set up at Reclamation Works Area ¡V Portion
N-C; ¡P
Box Culvert Foundation Works at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A; ¡P
Bored Piling Works at Works Area ¡V N6; ¡P
Diaphragm Wall Construction at Reclamation Works
Area ¡V Portion N-A; and, ¡P
Excavation for North Launching Shaft at Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-A. |
Potential
environmental impacts arising from the above upcoming construction activities in
the next reporting month of December 2014 are mainly associated with dust,
marine water quality, marine ecology and waste management issues.
The tentative
schedule for environmental monitoring in December 2014 is provided in Appendix F.
This Thirteenth
Monthly EM&A Report presents the findings of the EM&A activities
undertaken during the period from 1 to 30 November 2014, in accordance with the
Updated EM&A Manual and the requirements of EP-354/2009/B.
Air quality
(including 1-hour TSP and 24-hour TSP), water quality and dolphin monitoring were
carried out in this reporting month. No Action Level or Limit Level exceedances
were recorded in the water quality monitoring of this reporting month. Two (2) Action Level exceedances of 1-hr
TSP was record, whilst no Limit Level exceedances for 1-hr TSP were recorded in
this reporting month. No
Action or Limit Level exceedances for 24-hr TSP were record. Investigation findings suggested that
the observed exceedances for air quality monitoring were considered to be
sporadic event from the cumulative anthropogenic activities (eg traffic emissions from River Trade Terminal) in this
area of Hong Kong.
Nevertheless, the Contractor was reminded to ensure all dust mitigation
measures are implemented at the construction site and the proper deployment of
silt curtains during the period of marine works under this Contract.
A total of six
(6) groups of twenty-nine
(29) Chinese White Dolphin sightings were recorded
during the two sets
of surveys in November 2014. All sighting were made in NWL during the
two sets of surveys in November 2014, while no dolphin was sighted in NEL. All except one sighting was made on
primary lines during on-effort search, and none of the dolphin groups was
associated with operating fishing vessel. Whilst two Action Level
exceedances (one Action Level exceedance for Northeast Lantau social cluster;
one Action Level exceedance for Northwest Lantau social cluster) and no Limit
Level exceedances were observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data
between September and November 2014, no unacceptable impact from the construction
activities of the TM-CLKL Northern Connection Sub-sea Tunnel Section on Chinese
White Dolphins was noticeable from general observations during the dolphin
monitoring in this reporting month.
Environmental
site inspection was carried out four (4) times in November 2014. Recommendations on remedial actions recommended
for the deficiencies identified during the site audits were properly
implemented by the Contractor.
No
non-compliance event was recorded during the reporting period.
Two
potential environmental complaint cases were referred by EPD on 12 November
2014. The investigation findings
showed that the case was considered not related to the works under this Contract
and is thus invalid.
No summons/
prosecution was received during the reporting period.
The ET will
keep track on the construction works to confirm compliance of environmental
requirements and the proper implementation of all necessary mitigation measures.
([1]) One
potential environmental complaint case regarding to the noise generated by
derrick light nearby Melody Garden was referred by EPD on 29 October 2014 and
reported in the Twelfth EM&A Monthly
Report. The complete
investigation findings are provided in Appendix L in this EM&A Monthly Report.