Atkins China Limited (ACL) has been appointed by Chun Wo Construction & Engineering Co., Ltd. to implement the Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) programme for the construction works under Contract No. HY/2004/09 Improvements to San Tin Interchange (hereinafter, the Project).

The construction of the Project commenced since 21^st June 2005. This report is the eighteenth monthly EM&A report for the Project which summarises the monitoring results and audit findings during the reporting period from 1^st November 2006 to 30^th November 2006.

Environmental Monitoring and Audit Progress

The monthly EM&A programme was undertaken in accordance with the EM&A Manual. A summary of the monitoring activities in this reporting period is listed below:

· Weekly site inspections were undertaken jointly with the Contractor and Engineer’s Representative (ER) on 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th November 2006. The Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) joined the site inspection on 30^th November 2006.

· Noise monitoring at three designated monitoring stations was undertaken on 9^th, 14^th, 20^th and 30^thNovember 2006 during normal working hours; and on 5^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 19^th and 26^th November 2006 during the restricted hour periods on a weekly basis when there were construction activities scheduled during those periods.

· Visual site surveillance for water quality was undertaken three times a week.

· Site inspections for landscape and visual resources were undertaken on 15^th and 28^th November 2006.

Breaches of Action and Limit Levels

There were five records of environmental exceedances during restricted hours noise monitoring on 5^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 19^th and 26^th November 2006. However, all the exceedances were not caused by the site activities of the Contractor and were attributable to the high ambient traffic noise from San Tin Highway.

Environmental Non-Compliance

No environmental non-compliances were received during this reporting period.

Complaint Log

No environmental complaints were received during this reporting period.

Notifications of Summons and Prosecutions

There were no notifications of summons or prosecutions received during this reporting period.

Reporting Changes

This report has been developed in compliance with the reporting requirements for the subsequent monthly EM&A reports as required by the Project EM&A Manual.

Future Key Issues

The key issues with respect to the works in the forthcoming 2 months include:

· Laying of drainage pipes;

· Road widening works;

· Trench works;

· Storage and preparation of precast viaduct segments;

· Erection of precast viaduct segments;

· Installation of parapet walls; and

· Installation of noise barrier.

The CAR / RAP (Sites A and E) has been revised and submitted to EPD in November 2006 for EPD’s approval.

1 Environmental Status

1.1 Works undertaken during the Reporting Period

The major construction activities undertaken during this reporting period are summarised below:

· Laying of drainage pipes;

· Road widening works;

· Trench works;

· Storage and preparation of precast viaduct segments;

· Erection of precast viaduct segments and

· Installation of parapet walls.

The site plan of the Project is shown in Figure 1. The Contractor’s works programme is provided in Annex A.

1.2 Environmental Permit and Licences

There were no changes or clarification to the Environmental Permit (EP-190/2004) during the reporting period.

Five Construction Noise Permits (CNP) were issued in November 2006. Details of the CNP are summarised in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Details of Permits and Licenses issued in November 2006

Permit / License	Reference No.	Issue Date	Expiry Date
Construction Noise Permit for general construction work	GW-RN0552-06	8^th November 2006	23^rd November 2006
Construction Noise Permit for general construction work	GW-RN0553-06	8^th November 2006	12^th December 2006
Construction Noise Permit for general construction work	GW-RN0562-06	20^th November 2006	31^st January 2007
Construction Noise Permit for general construction work	GW-RN0563-06	20^th November 2006	31^st January 2007
Construction Noise Permit for general construction work	GW-RN0577-06	27^th November 2006	23^rd December 2006

1.3 Environmental Document Submissions to EPD

A summary of the status of the submissions to EPD as provided during the month of November 2006 is presented in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 Summary of Environmental Submissions to EPD in November 2006

Item No.	Document Title	Date of Submission
1	Monthly EM&A Report No. 17 for October 2006	15^th November 2006
2	Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and Remediation Action Plan (RAP) for Sites A and E	17^th November 2006

1.4 Environmental Monitoring Locations

Noise monitoring was undertaken at three monitoring stations CM1, CM2 and CM3. The locations are shown on Figure 1. Description of these monitoring stations is provided in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3 Noise Monitoring Stations

Monitoring Station ID	Description	Easting	Northing
CM1	Village house near San Tin Highway	826133	839839
CM2	Village house near San Tin Highway	826291	839918
CM3	Village house near Kwu Tung Road	826605	840076

2 Environmental Measures and Implementation Status

The mitigation measures listed in the Project EIA Report, EM&A Manual and Environmental Permit and the implementation status are provided in Annex B.

Based on site inspection findings, the Contractor has implemented the required mitigation measures during construction works to date in general.

3 Monitoring Results

3.1 Noise Monitoring

3.1.1 Noise Monitoring Equipment

Details of the noise monitoring equipment are listed below and the calibration certificates are presented in Annex C:

· Sound level meter ONO-SOKKI LA-5110

· Acoustical calibrator ONO-SOKKI SC-2110

· Hand-held anemometer

3.1.2 Noise Monitoring Methodology

The sound level meter was calibrated with an acoustical calibrator prior to each measurement. It was set on a tripod at 1.2 m above local ground level at the monitoring station. Measurement of the A-weighted L_{eq(30
minutes)} noise level for normal daytime hours was undertaken. Three consecutive A-weighted L_{eq(5
minutes)} noise levels were measured for restricted hours monitoring. Wind speed was checked during the monitoring period using the hand-held anemometer to ensure steady wind speed did not exceed 5 m/s, or gusts did not exceed 10 m/s. After the noise measurement the sound level meter was re-calibrated using the acoustical calibrator.

3.1.3 Noise Monitoring Results

Noise monitoring was undertaken on a weekly basis when noise generating activities were underway. The noise monitoring results obtained in November 2006, during the normal working hours; restricted hours from 1900 to 2300 hours on normal working days and from 0700 to 1900 hours on general holidays; and restricted hours from 2300 to 0700 hours of next day are summarised in Table 3.1, Table 3.2 and Table 3.3, respectively.

There were no environmental exceedances of the Action and Limit Levels for noise monitoring recorded during the normal daytime hours within the reporting period but five notifications of exceedances were reported during the restricted hours. Details of the monitoring time period and weather condition during the monitoring period and the graphical presentation of the noise monitoring results are provided in Annex D.

Table 3.1 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Normal Working Hours

Date of Monitoring	Normal Hours. Noise Monitoring Results L_{eq(30 minutes)} dB(A)
Date of Monitoring	CM1	CM2	CM3
09^th November 2006	67	71	63
14^th November 2006	67	73	62
20^th November 2006	67	71	62
30^th November 2006	67	73	64

Remarks:

(1) CM2 is a non-façade measurement location. A positive correction of 3dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise level at CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.

Date of Monitoring	Restricted Hours Noise Monitoring Results L_{eq(15 minutes)} dB(A)
Date of Monitoring	CM1	CM2	CM3
5^th November 2006	64	70	59
12^th November 2006	63	69	59
13^th November 2006	63	70	59
19^th November 2006	65	70	60
26^th November 2006	63	69	60

Remark:

(1) CM2 is a non-façade measurement location. A positive correction of 3dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise level at CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.

(2) Underlined figure indicates exceedance of the Limit Level of 65dB(A).

Table 3.3 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Restricted Hours – All days during the night-time (2300 to 0700 hours)

Date of Monitoring	Restricted Hours Noise Monitoring Results L_{eq(15 minutes)} dB(A)
Date of Monitoring	CM1	CM2	CM3
13^th November 2006	63	69	-
14^th November 2006	-	-	55

Remark:

(1) CM2 is a non-façade measurement location. A positive correction of 3dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise level at CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.

(2) Underlined figure indicates exceedance of the Limit Level of 50dB(A).

3.2 Water Quality Monitoring

Visual site surveillances for water quality were undertaken three times a week. Based on the visual inspection results, the Contractor has followed all necessary site practices for the maintenance of the site drainage system.

The details of the water quality visual inspection reports are provided in Annex E.

3.3 Landscape and Visual Resources

Two site inspections on the landscape and visual resources were undertaken in November 2006.

During the first inspection, soil in the transplantation nurseries behind the site office in the N1 Division area was found to be in drought condition. The Contractor was reminded to water the soil surface in nurseries regularly, especially during the dry seasons. Some construction materials (e.g. wood lath) were found to be placed inside the transplantation nursery behind the site office in the N1 Division area during the inspection. The Contractor was reminded to remove the construction materials and store them in an appropriate storage area outside the nurseries. Insufficient sandbags barrier, as identified in the previous reporting month, was still observed in the transplantation nursery behind the site office in the N1 Division area. The Contractor was reminded again to provide sufficient sandbags to prevent soil from washing down. Several trees inside transplantation nursery in N1 Division area were found to have been cut down. The Contractor reported that those trees were found dead and were removed under the instruction of the Engineer’s Landscape Architect.

During the second inspection, issues identified in the first inspection such as insufficient sandbags barriers in the transplantation nursery in the N1 Division area, and drought condition of soil in the transplantation nurseries behind the site office in the N1 Division area and N2 Division area were still observed. The Contractor was reminded again to provide sufficient sandbags and to water the nurseries regularly.

The details of the landscape and visual resources inspection reports are provided in Annex F.

3.4 Ad-hoc Air Quality Monitoring

No ad-hoc air quality monitoring was required during the reporting period.

3.5 Waste Management

The Contractor has adopted a trip ticket system for the disposal of construction wastes. According to the records provided by the Contractor, the disposal of construction waste within the reporting period is summarised in Table 3.4.

Table 3.4 Summary of Waste Disposal for November 2006

Waste Type	Destination	No. of Trips	Quantity
C&D Waste	NENT Landfill	21	105 m³
C&D Waste	WENT Landfill	Nil	Nil
Building debris	CEDD’s Tuen Mun Area 38 Fill Bank	10	50 m³
	CEDD’s Tuen Mun Area 38 C&D Materials Recycling Facility	Nil	Nil
Chemical Waste	Collected by Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Ltd.	Nil	Nil
Chemical Toilet Waste	Collected by Proenvironmental Services Ltd.	17	-
Sewage Holding Tank Waste	Collected by Waylung Waste Services Ltd.	14	-

4 Environmental Audits

4.1 Site Inspection and Audit

Site inspections were undertaken on 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th November 2006, and jointly with the IEC on 30^th November 2006. Specific locations within the site were identified during the inspection for improvements in proper implementation of the environmental mitigation measures. These include:

· Regular removal of C&D waste to keep good site tidiness.

· Replacement of damaged tarpaulin sheet covering slope surface at the South Abutment works area in N1 Division.

The record of the weekly site inspection findings is provided in Annex G.

4.2 Environmental E xceedances

During the reporting period, there were five records of exceedances of Limit Level during restricted hours noise monitoring at CM1, CM2 and CM3 on 5^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 19^th and 26^th November 2006.

Further to the investigation and discussion with ER, the project-related works being undertaken during the measurement period were located at a distance away (at least 70m) from the monitoring stations. The dominant noise source during the noise measurements was the high ambient background noise caused by road traffic on San Tin Highway. Thus, the noise exceedances recorded were found not to be attributable to the project works.

Records of the notification of environmental exceedances are provided in Annex H. The Action and Limit Levels for impact monitoring are provided in Annex I.

4.3 Environmental Non-compliance

During the reporting period, no environmental non-compliance was recorded.

4.4 Environmental Complaint and Prosecution

During the reporting period, no environmental complaints, prosecutions or summons were received. Cumulative statistics on complaints, notifications of summons and successful prosecutions for the Project are provided in Annex J.

5 Forecast and S chedule

5.1 Key Issues for the Coming Months

The key issues with respect to the works in the forthcoming 2 months include:

· Laying of drainage pipes;

· Road widening works;

· Trench works;

· Storage and preparation of precast viaduct segments;

· Erection of precast viaduct segments;

· Installation of parapet walls; and

· Installation of noise barrier.

The CAR / RAP (Sites A and E) has been revised and submitted to EPD in November 2006 for EPD’s approval.

5.2 Monitoring Schedules for the Next Month

The proposed schedule for noise monitoring in December 2006 is provided in Table 5.1 below:

Table 5.1 Proposed Noise Monitoring Schedule for December 2006

Date	Noise Monitoring Station
06^th December 2006 (Wednesday)	CM1, CM2 and CM3
12^th December 2006 (Tuesday)	CM1, CM2 and CM3
18^th December 2006 (Monday)	CM1, CM2 and CM3
27^th December 2006 (Wednesday)	CM1, CM2 and CM3

6 Conclusion

There was no environmental non-compliance attributable to the Project works during reporting period.

There were five records of exceedances of the noise Limit Level during the reporting period. However, none of these are attributable to project works.

No environmental complaints, prosecutions or summons was received during the reporting period.

*Client :* Chun Wo Construction & Engineering Co., Ltd.				*Contract No.:*
*Project Title :* Improvements to San Tin Interchange (Contract No. HY/2004/09)				*Project No.:* 3878
*Document No.:* 3878-OR026-00/elt17075				*Controlled Copy No.:*
*Document Title:* Monthly Environmental Monitoring & Audit Report No. 18
*Covering Letter / Transmittal Ref. No.:* 3878/elt17076/OG202/SB/WW/hn				*Date of Issue:* 13^th December 2006
_{Revision, Review and Approval Records}




00	Monthly EM&A Report No. 18 – November 2006	Various/ 06^th December 2006	Henry Ng/ 06^th December 2006		Susana Bezy/ 07^th December 2006
Revision	Description	Prepared by / date	Reviewed by / date		Approved by / date

Controlled Copy No.	Issued to
01 – 04	EPD
05 – 06	Maunsell
07	Chun Wo
08	ERM
09	ACL