Improvements to
San Tin Interchange (Contract No. HY/2004/09)
Monthly
Environmental Monitoring & Audit Report
Report No. 1522
August March 2007
1.1 Works undertaken during the Reporting Period
1.2 Environmental Permit and Licences
1.3 Environmental
Document Submissions to EPD
1.4 Environmental
Monitoring Locations
2 Environmental Measures and Implementation Status
3.3 Landscape and
Visual Resources
3.4 Ad-hoc Air
Quality Monitoring
4.3 Environmental
Non-compliance
4.4 Environmental Complaint and Prosecution
5.1 Key Issues for the Coming Months
5.2 Monitoring Schedules for the Next Month
List of Annexes
Annex A Contractor’s Works Programme
Annex B Mitigation Measures Checklist
Annex C Calibration Certificates
Annex D Noise Monitoring Results
Annex E Water Quality Visual Inspection Reports
Annex F Landscape & Visual Resources Inspection Reports
Annex G Weekly Site Inspection Reports
Annex H Notification
of Environmental Exceedances and Non-Compliance Forms
Annex I Action and Limit Levels
Annex J Cumulative Statistics on Complaints, Notifications of Summons and Successful Prosecutions
List
of Tables
Table 1.1 Details of Permits and Licenses issued in March 2007
Table 1.2 Summary of Environmental Submissions to EPD in March 2007
Table 1.3 Noise Monitoring Stations
Table 3.1 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Normal Working Hours
Table 3.3 Summary of Waste Disposal for March 2007
Table 5.1 Proposed Noise Monitoring Schedule for April 2007
List
of Figures
Figure 1 Site Plan & Locations of Noise and Air Quality Monitoring Stations
Executive Summary
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 21st June 2005. This report is the fourteenth fiftwenty-second monthly EM&A
report for the Project which summarises the monitoring results and audit
findings during the reporting period from 1st March 2007 to 331st
1st AugustMarch
2007.
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 1st3rd,
80th,
15th, 22nd and 29th MarchAugust 2007. The Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)
joined the site inspection on 29th March 2007.
·
Noise
monitoring at three designated monitoring stations was undertaken on 5th1st,
161th,
17th, 2322nd
rdand
30th 28th
August March 2007 during normal working hours; and on 4th,
11th, 18th and 25th 31st AugustMarch
2007 during the restricted hour periods on a weekly basis when there were
construction activities scheduled during those periods. Also, o One ad-hoc monitoring was
undertaken on 12th August 2006 in response to
following
an exceedance of lLimit lLevel recorded on 11th August
2006.
·
Visual
site surveillance for water quality was undertaken three times a week.
·
Site
inspections for landscape and visual resources were undertaken on 168th and 30278th
August March 2007.
Breaches
of Action and Limit Levels
There were totally seven four records of
environmental exceedances during the reporting period, of which six were recorded
during restricted hours noise monitoring on 4th, 11th,
18th and 25th 31st AugustMarch
2007. However, , and one was recorded during normal working hours
noise monitoring on 11th August
2006.
For the
restricted hours noise monitoring,all the
exceedances were proved not to have been 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.
There was
one The environmental
exceedance recorded during and one
non-compliance regarding to the normal working hours noise monitoring was due to
the measured Leq (30min) at on Monitoring Station CM1
was found to exceeding the Limit Level of
75dB(A), which was not in compliance with the requirements mentioned in EIA
Report and EM&A Manual. During the measurement period, concrete breaking
using a breaker was being undertaken at the Slip Road
A works area at side of San Tin Highway. The Contractor was advised to stop the
concrete breaking works in the concerned area immediately to avoid further
exceedances. Following the Event and Action Plan for
construction noise, additional noise measurement was conducted on the following
day (12th August 2006) during which no concrete breaking activity
was being undertaken. The measured Leq (30min) noise level was found to be
67dB(A). Thus, the Contractor was advised to provide mitigation measures as necessary such as and
reminded that movable noise barriers should be provided to avoid exceedances caused
by prior to any further site concrete breaking works in
the concerned area following the recommendations in Section 3.47 and Figure 3.5
of the Project EIA Report. Further to discussion with the Contractor, no
further concrete breaking activities will be required in the concerned area.
Following the Event and Action Plan for construction noise, additional noise
measurement was conducted on the following day (12th August
2006) in which no concrete breaking activity was being undertaken. The measured
Leq (30min) noise level was found to be 67dB(A).
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;
· Installation of parapet walls;
· Installation of noise barriers; and
· Road
paving.
1.1
Works undertaken during the Reporting
Period
The
major construction activities undertaken during this reporting period are
summarised below:
·
Bored piling;
· Laying of drainage pipes;
· Road widening works;
· Trench works;
· Installation of parapet walls;
· Road paving; and
· Installation of railings.
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.
Seven Six Construction Noise
Permits (CNP) were issued in March 2007. Details of
the CNPs are summarised in Table
1.1. One
CNP (Permit No. PP-RN0026-06)
for carrying out percussive piling works from 15th August 2006 to 13th November 2006 was issued on 31st July 2006 and
received by the Contractor in August 2006.
Table 1.1 Details of Permits and Licenses issued in August March 2007
Permit
/ License |
Reference No. |
Issue Date |
Expiry Date |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0090-07 |
13th
March 2007 |
3rd
July 2007 |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0091-07 |
13th
March 2007 |
3rd
July 2007 |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0140-07 |
30th
March 2007 |
3rd
July 2007 |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0141-07 |
30th
March 2007 |
3rd
July 2007 |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0142-07 |
30th
March 2007 |
31st
July 2007 |
CNP for general construction work |
GW-RN0149-07 |
30th
March 2007 |
3rd
July 2007 |
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1.3
Environmental
Document Submissions to EPD
A
summary of the status of the submissions to EPD as provided during the month of
August
March 2007
is presented in Table 1.2.
Table 1.2 Summary of Environmental Submissions to EPD in August March 2007
Item No. |
Document
Title |
Date of Submission |
1 |
Monthly
EM&A Report No. 21 for February 2007 |
7th March 2007 |
2 |
Quarterly
EM&A Report No. 7 (December 2006 - February 2007) |
15th March 2007 |
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 |
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.
3.1.1 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 Leq(30
minutes) noise level for normal daytime hours was undertaken. Three consecutive A-weighted Leq(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 August March 2007 during the normal working hours and
restricted hours (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 and Table 3.2,3 respectively.
There were no construction activities during restricted hours from 1900 to 2300
hours on normal working days and 2300 to 0700 hours of the next day within this
reporting period.
There was were no environmental exceedances of the Actione and Limit Levels for environmental exceedance of
the Action and Limit Levels for noise monitoring recorded during
the normal daytime hours within the reporting period and but six four notifications of
exceedances were reported during the rrestricted
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 Leq(30 minutes) dB(A) |
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CM1 |
CM2 |
CM3 |
|
5th March 2007 |
67 |
71 |
71 |
16th March 2007 |
66 |
71 |
68 |
22nd March 2007 |
67 |
71 |
65 |
28th March 2007 |
67 |
72 |
67 |
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.
Table
3.2 Summary of Noise
Monitoring Results during Restricted Hours –
General holidays (including Sundays) during the day-time and evening (0700-2300
hours)
Date of Monitoring |
Restricted
Hours Noise Monitoring Results Leq(15 minutes) dB(A) |
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CM1 |
CM2 |
CM3 |
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4th
March 2007 |
64 |
70 |
62 |
11th
March 2007 |
64 |
68 |
62 |
18th March 2007 |
64 |
70 |
54 |
25th
March 2007 |
62 |
69 |
55 |
(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 an
exceedance of the Limit Level of 65dB(A).
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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.
(1)
Underlined figure indicates exceedance of the Limit
Level of 50dB(A).
(1)
Time of
measurement at CM3 started after 23:59 hours (midnight) of Tthe “Date of
Monitoring” stated in the table. Therefore, the “Date of Monitoring” for CM3 refers to 18th and 1st September 2006,
respectively refers to the date of which nighttime noise
monitoring started.
Visual site
surveillances for water quality were undertaken three times a week. Based on the visual inspection results,
the Contractor has generally followed necessary site practices for the
maintenance of the site drainage system, including removal of settled sediment
and spoil inside drainage drain to maintain free water flow, rremoval
of stagnant water pools, proper stacking of sandbags barrier to divert site
runoff to site drainage system, and placing unused sedimentation tank
up-side-down to prevent stagnant water from accumulation.
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 August March 2007.
During the first inspection, several trees in the transplantation nursery in N2 Division area were observed to have been slanted. The Contractor was reminded to straighten up the slanted trees for proper growth. Weeds were found overgrown inside the transplantation nurseries in N1 Division area and N2 Division area. The Contractor was reminded to remove weeds inside the transplantation nurseries regularly as proper maintenance. Rubbish was found to have been placed inside the transplantation nursery in N1 Division area. The Contractor was reminded to clear up the rubbish and provide receptacles for proper general refuse collection on site.
During the second inspection, overgrown weeds in the transplantation nurseries in N1 and N2
Division areas were still observed. The Contractor was reminded again to remove
the weeds. The slanted trees in the
transplantation nursery in N2 Division were found to have
been straightened up.
Sandbags barrier encircling
the transplantation nursery in the N1 Division area was seen to have been
damaged. Some construction materials were seen to have accumulated on top of
the soil surface inside the nursery. The Contractor was reminded to clear up
the construction materials and place them in an appropriate storage area.
Damaged sandbags should be replaced by new ones to contain the soil
inside the nursery and prevent soil erosion.
Several trees inside the transplantation nursery in
the N2 Division aArea were
found to have fallen down during the inspection on 15th September 2006 due to the
typhoon event in early August 2006 and mid-September 2006. The
Contractor was reminded to replant these trees in the nursery to ensure their
survival. The fallen
trees were observed to have been
replanted during inspection on 27th September 2006.
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.
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 3.3Table 3.4Table 3.4Table 3.3.
Table 3.3443 Summary of Waste Disposal for MarchAugust 2007
Waste Type |
Destination |
No.
of Trips |
Quantity |
C&D Waste |
NENT Landfill |
26 |
130 m3 |
C&D Waste |
WENT Landfill |
2 |
10 m3 |
C&D Waste |
SENT Landfill |
1 |
5 m3 |
Building debris |
CEDD’s Tuen Mun
Area 38 Fill Bank |
48 |
240 m3 |
Chemical Waste |
Collected by
Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Ltd. |
1 |
800 L |
Chemical Toilet
Waste |
Collected by
Proenvironmental Services Ltd. |
11 |
- |
Sewage Holding
Tank Waste |
Collected by
Waylung Waste Services Ltd. |
11 |
- |
Site inspections were undertaken
on 1st3rd, 80th,
15th, 22nd 5th,24th MarchAugust
2007, and jointly with the IEC on 29th MarchAugust 2007. Specific locations within the site were identified during the
inspection for improvements in proper implementation of the environmental
mitigation measures. These include:
· Removal and disposal of settled sediments and spoil inside drainage ditch to maintain free water flow.
· Prompt removal of stagnant water pools to prevent mosquito breeding.
· Provision of sandbags barrier to properly control and divert the site runoff to the site drainage system.
· Provision of cover for opened cement bags to prevent dust emissions.
· Regular collection of C&D waste and general refuse to keep good site tidiness.
· Locking up of chemical storage area.
· Replacement of broken sandbags barrier and fencing at transplantation nursery to prevent soil from being washed down and protect the nursery area.
· Removal of fuel oil stained soil and subsequent disposal as chemical waste.
The
record of the weekly site inspection findings is provided in Annex G.
4.2
Environmental Exceedances
During the reporting
period, there were totally seven four records of exceedance of the
Limit Level. Six of which were noise exceedances of the lLimit lLevel
during restricted hours noise monitoring at CM1, CM2 and CM3 on 4th,
11th, 18th and 25th 31st AugustMarch
2007.
Further to investigation and discussion with ER, the project-related works being undertaken during the
measurement period were located at a distance away (at least 200m) from the monitoring
stations. The exceedances were due to 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 worksthe Contractor, no further concrete breaking
activities will be required in the Slip Road A works area. Nonetheless, the Contractor was advised
to implement necessary noise mitigation measures such as and reminded that movable noise barriers (as recommended in the
Project EIA Report) of 3 to 5m high with skid
footing should be provided to avoid further exceedances that would be caused
by potential noisy prior to any further site
works in the concerned area following the
recommendations in Section 3.47 and Figure 3.5 of the Project EIA Report.
Further to discussion with the Contractor, no further concrete breaking
activities will be required in the concerned area.
Records
of the notification of environmental exceedances and the non-compliance forms 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.
5.1
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;
· Installation of parapet walls;
· Installation of noise barriers; and
· Road paving.
5.2
Monitoring Schedules for the Next
Month
The
proposed schedule for noise monitoring in September April 2007 is provided in Table 5.1 below:
Table 5.1 Proposed Noise Monitoring Schedule for September
April 2007
Date |
Noise
Monitoring Station |
3rd
|
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
13th
April 2007 (Friday) |
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
19th
April 2007
(Thursday) |
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
|
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
There
was no environmental non-compliance attributable to the Project works during
reporting period.
There
were six
four records
of exceedances of the noise Limit Level during the reporting period. However,
none of these are attributable to project works.
There was one exceedance
non-compliance
of the Limit Level recorded during the normal hours
noise monitoring due to concrete breaking activities in project works area
during the reporting period.
No
environmental complaints, prosecutions or summons was received during the
reporting period.