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). Subsequent applications for variation
of environmental permits (VEP), EP-354/2009/B
and EP-354/2009/C, were granted
on 28 January 2014 and 10 December 2014, respectively.
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 Fourteenth
Monthly EM&A report presenting the EM&A works carried out during the
period from 1 to 31 December 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.
Land-based Works
¡P
Land
Bored Piling Works at Works Area - Portion N-A;
¡P
Surcharge
set up at Works Area - Portion N-C;
¡P
Formwork
and Metal Scaffolding works at North Launching Shaft at Works Area ¡V Portion
N-A and,
¡P
Set
up of Slurry Treatment Plant at Works Area ¡V Portion N-C.
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 13
sessions
Impact Dolphin Monitoring 2
sessions
Joint Environmental Site Inspection 5 sessions
Implementation
of Marine Mammal Exclusion Zone
There was no
dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling works in open waters during this
reporting period. Thus, Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) and the
day-time monitoring of Dolphin Exclusion Zone (DEZ) by dolphin observers were
not in effect during the reporting period.
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.
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.
No
environmental complaint was received in this reporting period.
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 January 2015 include the following:
Land-based Works
¡P
Land
Bored Piling Works at Works Area - Portion N-A;
¡P
Surcharge
set up at Works Area - Portion N-C;
¡P
Formwork
and Metal Scaffolding at North Launching Shaft at Works Area ¡V Portion N-A and,
¡P
Set
up of Slurry Treatment Plant at Works Area ¡V Portion N-C.
Marine-based Works
¡P
Rock
bund deposition for marine sheet pile remedial works at Marine 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 January 2015 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.
Subsequent applications for variation of environmental permits (VEPs), EP-354/2009/B and EP-354/2009/C, were
granted on 28 January 2014 and 10 December 2014, respectively.
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; and |
Land-based Works |
¡P
Land
Bored Piling Works at Reclamation Works Area ¡V Portion N-A; ¡P
Surcharge
set up at Works Area - Portion N-C; ¡P
Formwork
and Metal Scaffolding works at North Launching Shaft at Works Area ¡V Portion
N-A; and ¡P
Set
up of Slurry Treatment Plant at Works Area ¡V Portion N-C. |
Figure
1.2 Locations
of Construction Activities ¡VDecember 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 December 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 December 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 December 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 |
216 |
73 ¡V 329 |
331 |
500 |
ASR5 |
207 |
95 ¡V 346 |
340 |
500 |
AQMS1 |
152 |
84 ¡V 348 |
335 |
500 |
ASR6 |
132 |
66 ¡V 309 |
338 |
500 |
ASR10 |
108 |
58 ¡V 245 |
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 |
118 |
82 ¡V 147 |
213 |
260 |
ASR5 |
116 |
93 ¡V 151 |
238 |
260 |
AQMS1 |
103 |
71 ¡V 155 |
213 |
260 |
ASR6 |
97 |
76 ¡V 125 |
238 |
260 |
ASR10 |
78 |
59 ¡V 106 |
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 December 2014 is provided in Appendix F. The water quality monitoring on 26 December 2014
was postponed to 29 December 2014 since no marine works was conducted between
25 and 26 December 2014.
During this reporting period, major
marine works included reclamation filling at Portion N-C. Reclamation filling was undertaken
inside the fully enclosed seawall (+2.5mPD) using filling materials specified
in the EP. 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 8 December 2014, all reclamation
filling has been completed in Phase-I.
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
thirteen 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
2, 9, 15 and 23 December 2014. The
dolphin monitoring schedule for the reporting month is shown in Appendix F.
A total of 299.10 km of survey effort
was collected, with 100% of the total survey effort being conducted under favourable weather conditions (ie
Beaufort Sea State 3 or below with good visibility) in December 2014. Amongst the two areas, 115.70 km and
183.40 km of survey effort were collected from NEL and NWL survey areas,
respectively. The total survey
effort conducted on primary and secondary lines were 217.18 km and 81.92 km,
respectively. The survey efforts
are summarized in Appendix J.
A total of 3 groups of 5 Chinese White Dolphin sightings were recorded during the two sets of surveys in December 2014. All sighting were made in NWL during the
two sets of surveys in December 2014, while no dolphin was sighted in NEL. All three sightings were 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 December 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: December 2nd/9th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
||
Set 2: December 15th/23rd |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
|||
NWL |
Set 1: December 2nd/9th |
2.8 |
5.6 |
|
||
Set 2: December 15th/23rd |
1.4 |
1.4 |
||||
Note: Dolphin Encounter Rates
are deduced from the Two Sets of Surveys (Two Surveys in Each Set) in December
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 |
2.1 |
1.6 |
3.5 |
2.7 |
Note:
Overall dolphin encounter rates (sightings per 100 km of survey effort) from
all four surveys are conducted in December 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 December 2014 was 1.67 individuals per group. All three dolphin groups were composed
of 1-3 animals.
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.
There was no dredging, reclamation or marine sheet piling works
in open waters during this reporting period. Thus, Passive Acoustic
Monitoring (PAM) and the day-time monitoring of Dolphin Exclusion Zone (DEZ) by
dolphin observers were not in effect during the reporting period.
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, five (5) site
inspections were carried out on 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 December 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 |
3
December 2014 |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-B Accumulated general
refuse was observed. Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C Drip tray should be
cleaned more frequently. |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-B The Contractor was
reminded to clear the accumulated general refuse. Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C The Contractor was
reminded to clear oily water in the drip tray. |
10 December 2014 |
Works
Area - Portion N6 Drip tray should be cleaned more
frequently. |
Works
Area - Portion N6 The Contractor was reminded to clear the
oily water in the drip tray. |
17
December 2014 |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C Stockpile of fill
material was observed near the seawall. |
Reclamation Works Area - Portion N-C The Contractor was
reminded to remove the fill material close to the seawall. |
24 December 2014 |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A Chemical container was observed without drip tray. |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A The Contractor was reminded to remove the chemical
container. |
31 December 2014 |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A Excess muddy water was observed. Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-B Accumulated general
refuse was observed. |
Reclamation
Works Area - Portion N-A The Contractor was reminded to clear the excess muddy
water. Reclamation
Works Area ¡V Portion N-B The Contractor was
reminded to clear the accumulated 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) and imported
fill. 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) |
|||||||
December 2014 |
10,151 |
108,279 |
0 |
49 |
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 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/C |
28 January
2014 |
Throughout
the Contract |
HyD |
Application
for VEP on 10 December 2014 to replace EP-354/2009/B |
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-RW0970-14 |
17 December
2014 |
14 May 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 |
Construction
Noise Permit |
GW-RW0785-14 |
15 October
2014 |
31 December
2014 |
DBJV |
For TM Area
38 barging Point |
Marine
Dumping Permit |
EP/MD/15-142 |
7 November
2014 |
31 January
2015 |
DBJV |
For Type 1
(Open Sea Disposal) |
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 2 December 2014 and 17 December 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.
Cumulative statistics are provided in Appendix L.
The Environmental Complaint Handling
Procedure is provided in Figure 2.5.
No environmental complaint was
received in the reporting period.
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 January 2015 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
Surcharge
set up at Works Area - Portion N-C; ¡P
Formwork
and Metal Scaffolding works at North Launching Shaft at Works Area ¡V Portion
N-A and, ¡P
Set
up of Slurry Treatment Plant at Works Area ¡V Portion N-C.
|
Potential
environmental impacts arising from the above upcoming construction activities
in the next reporting month of January 2015 are mainly associated with dust,
marine water quality, marine ecology and waste management issues.
The tentative schedule for
environmental monitoring in January 2015 is provided in Appendix F.
This
Fourteenth Monthly EM&A Report presents the findings of the EM&A
activities undertaken during the period from 1 to 31 December 2014, in
accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual and the requirements of
EP-354/2009/C.
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.
A total of three (3) groups of five (5) Chinese White Dolphin sightings were recorded during the two sets of surveys in December 2014. All sighting were made in NWL during the
two sets of surveys in December 2014, while no dolphin was sighted in NEL. All three sightings were made on primary
lines during on-effort search, and none of the dolphin groups was associated
with operating fishing vessel. 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 five (5) times in December 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.
No
environmental complaint was received during the reporting period.
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.