Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ordinance, Cap.499
Application for Permission to Apply Directly for Environmental Permit
(Application No.: DIR-059/2001)

Project Title: Dredging to Seabed at Castle Peak Beach

Date of the Director's Permission: 30 October 2001

Conditions Imposed under Section 5(12) of the EIA Ordinance
for Permission to Apply Directly for Environmental Permit

1. All measures described in the Project Profile submitted by the Applicant on 17 September 2001 shall be fully implemented.

2. The project shall not be implemented during bathing season as announced by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

3. The dredging operation of the project shall be carried out within the shaded area as shown in Figure 1.

4. No more than two dredgers including a closed grab dredger and a derrick lighter shall be employed for the dredging operation.

5. Closed grab should be used for dredging to avoid spillage of sediments while being lifted and the dredging rate per day per dredger shall not exceed 300 cubic metre at all time throughout the dredging operation.

6. The dredging operation of the project shall be carried out between 0900 to 1900 hours and be prohibited during public holidays.

7. Silt curtain should be employed at all time throughout the dredging operation to minimize the water quality impact. The silt curtain should be fabricated from permeable, durable, abrasion resistant membrane like geotextiles and be mounted on a floating boom structure surrounding the grab and should extend to the sea bottom. Detailed design of the silt curtain shall be submitted to the Director of Environmental Protection for agreement at least two weeks prior to project commencement.

8. On-site stock piling of dredged material should be prohibited to avoid possible odour problem. Dredged sediments should be transported via sea route to minimize the odour problem.

9. Barges for transportation of dredged material and grab dredgers for dredging operation shall be fitted with tight-fitting seals to their bottom openings to prevent leakage of material.

10. Splashing of dredged material into the surrounding waters is prohibited during loading of barges and grabs. No overflowing of dredged material causing water pollution is allowed during loading or transportation.

11. Water quality monitoring shall be carried out throughout the project implementation and shall be extended for a period of one month after project completion. The water quality monitoring shall also cover baseline monitoring data collected before commencement of the project. The water quality monitoring plan shall be submitted to Director of Environmental Protection for approval at least four weeks prior to project commencement.

12. For the existing seafood stalls and restaurants located at the Sham Shing Street who are at present using seawater obtained from the Castle Peak Beach to keep live seafood, temporary alternative seawater supply drawing from a point located outside the embayment of the Castle Peak Beach (shaded area shown in Figure 2) shall be provided throughout the implementation of the project. Before the project commence, the Applicant shall notify the affected seafood stalls and restaurants on the arrangement of the temporary alternative seawater supply and advise them not to obtain seawater from the embayment of the Castle Peak Beach for keeping live seafood during the project implementation.

13. Measures to advise public not to draw water from the embayment of the Castle Peak Beach (shaded area shown in Figure 2) shall be provided throughout the project implementation. The measures shall include patrolling the area by watchmen between 0800 and 2400 and putting warning signs along the area.

14. The arrangement for temporary alternative seawater supply, provision of patrolling and warning signs described in the above conditions 12 and 13 shall be continued until after the Director of Environmental Protection is satisfied that the respective level of suspended solids, E. coli, copper and zinc in the water at the Castle Peak Beach is less than or equal to that before the commencement of the project.

Note
Under Section 17 of the EIA Ordinance, the Applicant may appeal to the Appeal Board against any of the above conditions within 30 days of the receipt of this notice of the Director's decision.



Environmental Protection Department
October 2001