Table of Contents
Executive Summary
1.1 Background
1.2 Scope of Report
1.3 Organization Structure
2.1 Dolphin Monitoring
2.2 Environmental Licenses and Permits
2.3 Summary of Exceedances of the Environmental Quality Performance Limit
2.4 Summary of Complaints, Notification of Summons and Successful Prosecutions
3.1 Monitoring Schedule for the Coming Month
4 Conclusions and recommendations
4.1 Conclusions
Under Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP), ERM-Hong Kong, Limited (ERM) has been appointed as the Environmental Team (ET) by the Highways Department (HyD) to undertaken the implementation of post-construction monitoring for the Chinese White Dolphin (CWD) in accordance with Environmental Permit No. EP-354/2009/D for the Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link Project (TM-CLK Link Project). AECOM Asia Company Limited was appointed by HyD as the Supervising Officer while Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by HyD as the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) and Environmental Project Office (ENPO).
The post-construction monitoring for the CWD commenced on June 2020 and completed in May 2022.
This is the Ninth Monthly EM&A report ([1]) presenting the monitoring works carried out during the period from 1 to 31 May 2022 for the Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP) Post-Construction Monitoring of Chinese White Dolphin (Line-transect Vessel Surveys) for Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link in Northeast and Northwest Lantau Survey Area – Investigation (the “Contract”) in accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual of the TM-CLK Link Contract.
In order to fulfil the EP’s and EM&A Manual’s requirements for TM-CLKL Project, Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP) took over the responsibility for implementation of operational phase dolphin monitoring from Contract No. HY/2012/08 from 1 September 2021 to 31 May 2022.
A summary of monitoring and audit activities conducted in the reporting period is listed below:
Operational Phase Dolphin Monitoring 2 sessions
Summary of Breaches of Action/Limit Levels
One (1) Limit Level exceedance was observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data between March and May 2022.
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 in the reporting period.
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 (VEP) (EP-354/2009/A) was issued on 8 December 2010. Subsequent applications for variation of environmental permits (VEPs), 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.
Under Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP), ERM-Hong Kong, Limited (ERM) has been appointed as the Environmental Team (ET) by the Highways Department (HyD) to undertaken the implementation of post-construction monitoring for the Chinese White Dolphin (CWD) in accordance with Environmental Permit No. EP-354/2009/D for the Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link Project (TM-CLK Link Project). AECOM Asia Company Limited was appointed by HyD as the Supervising Officer while Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd. was employed by HyD as the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) and Environmental Project Office (ENPO).
The post-construction monitoring for the CWD commenced on June 2020 and completed in May 2022.
In order to fulfil the EP’s and EM&A Manual’s requirements for TM-CLKL Project, Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP) took over the responsibility for implementation of operational phase dolphin monitoring from Contract No. HY/2012/08 from 1 September 2021 to 31 May 2022.
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 24/SD |
Ken T.M. Cheng |
2762 4062 |
3188 6614 |
SOR (AECOM Asia Company Limited)
|
Senior Resident Engineer |
K P Wong
|
2293 6403
|
2293 6300
|
ENPO / IEC (Ramboll Hong Kong Ltd.) |
ENPO Leader
|
Y.H. Hui |
3465 2850 |
3465 2899 |
IEC
|
Mr. Adi Lee (1) |
9700 6767 |
3465 2899 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ET (ERM-HK) |
ET Leader |
Jasmine Ng |
2271 3311 |
2723 5660 |
|
|
|
|
|
Note: (1) The role and responsibility as the IEC of the Contract has been taken up by Mr. Adi Lee instead of Mr. Brian Tam since 3 May 2021. |
The EM&A programme required environmental monitoring for marine ecology. The EM&A requirements and related findings for the component are summarized in the following sections
Operational Phase dolphin monitoring is required to be conducted by a qualified dolphin specialist team to evaluate whether there have been any effects on the dolphins. According to the EM&A Manual, Operational Phase Monitoring on dolphin monitoring shall be undertaken based upon the frequency of forty-eight, one-day survey events at a frequency of 2 per month over a period of 24 months following cessation of the construction.
In order to fulfil the EM&A requirements and make good use of available resources, Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP) has taken over the responsibility for implementation of dolphin monitoring from HZMB HKLR Contract No. HY/2011/03 since October 2019 and Contract No. HY/2012/08 since September 2021.
Table 2.1 summarises the equipment used for the operational phase dolphin monitoring.
Table 2.1 Dolphin Monitoring Equipment
Equipment |
Model |
Global Positioning System (GPS)
|
Garmin eTrex Legend |
Camera |
Canon EOS 7D model
|
Laser Binocular |
Infinitor LRF 1000
|
Marine Binocular |
7 x 50 Fuijnon marine binoculars
|
Vessel for Monitoring |
15-m inboard vessel with an open upper deck (about 4.5 m above water surface) |
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 and operational phase. 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 and operational phase dolphin monitoring.
The operational phase 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.
Table 2.2 Operational Phase 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* |
Dolphin monitoring was carried out on 3, 5, 17 and 19 May 2022. The dolphin monitoring schedule for the reporting month is shown in Appendix B.
No Chinese White Dolphin was sighted in the two sets of surveys in May 2022.
No dolphin sighting was made in the proximity of the TM-CLKL alignment.
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 May 2022 with the results present in Tables 2.3 and 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: May 3rd / 5th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Set 2: May 17th / 19th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
NWL |
Set 1: May 3rd / 5th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Set 2: May 17th / 19th |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Note: Dolphin Encounter Rates are deduced from the Two Sets of Surveys (Two Surveys in Each Set ) in May 2022 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 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Note: Overall dolphin encounter rates (sightings per 100 km of survey effort) from all four surveys are conducted in May 2022 on primary lines only as well as both primary lines and secondary lines in Northeast and Northwest Lantau.
One (1) Limit Level exceedance was observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data between March and May 2022.
The status of environmental licensing and permit is summarized in Table 2.5 below.
Table 2.5 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/DF |
13 March 2015 |
Throughout the Contract |
HyD |
Application for VEP on 3 March 2015 to supersede EP-354/2009/C |
Notes: |
|||||
HyD = Highways Department VEP = Variation of Environmental Permit
|
One (1) Limit Level exceedance was observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data between March and May 2022.
Cumulative statistics are provided in Appendix D.
No environmental complaint was received in this reporting period.
No environmental summons was received in this reporting period.
Statistics on complaints, notifications of summons and successful prosecutions are summarized in Appendix D.
The post-construction monitoring for the CWD commenced on June 2020 and completed in May 2022.
This Ninth EM&A Report presents the findings of the monitoring works undertaken during the period from 1 to 31 May 2022, in accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual and the requirements of EP-354/2009/D.
Operational phase dolphin monitoring was carried out in this reporting month.
One (1) Limit Level exceedance was observed for the quarterly dolphin monitoring data between March and May 2022.
No Chinese White Dolphin was sighted in the two sets of surveys in May 2022.
No environmental complaint was received in this reporting period.
No environmental summons was received in this reporting period.
In order to fulfil the EP’s and EM&A Manual’s requirements for TM-CLKL Project, Agreement No. HMWSD 1/2021 (EP) took over the responsibility for implementation of operational phase dolphin monitoring from Contract No. HY/2012/08 from 1 September 2021 to 31 May 2022.
The post-construction monitoring for the CWD commenced on June 2020 and completed in May 2022.