ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ORDINANCE
(CHAPTER 499)
SECTION 13

環 境 影 響 評 估 條 例
(第 499章)
第 13條

ENVIRONMENTAL PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE A DESIGNATED PROJECT

建 造 及 營 辦 指 定 工 程 項 目 的 環 境 許 可 證

PART A (MAIN PERMIT)
A部 (許 可 證 主 要 部 分)

Pursuant to Section 13 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, the Director of Environmental Protection (the Director) amends the environmental permit VEP-013/2000/A/EP-046 granted to the Drainage Services Department (the "Permit Holder") on 25 April 2000. This amended Permit is for the constructing and operating the designated project described in Part B subject to the conditions described in or attached to Part C. The Environmental Permit No. VEP-013/2000/A/EP-046 is hereby replaced by this amended Environmental Permit.

The issue of this amended environmental permit is based on the documents, approvals or permissions described below:

根 據 環 境 影 響 評 估 條 例 第 13條 的 規 定 ， 環 境 保 護 署 署 長 (署 長 ) 現 修 訂 於 1999年 12月 29日 批 予 渠 務 署 (許 可 證 持 有 人 ) 的 環 境 許 可 證 編 號 VEP-013/2000/A/EP-046。 許 可 證 持 有 人 可 根 據 本 經 修 訂 的 環 境 許 可 證 建 造 和 營 辦 B部 所 說 明 的 指 定 工 程 項 目 ， 但 須 遵 守 C部 所 說 明 或 附 載 的 條 件 。 環 境 許 可 證 編 號 VEP-013/2000/A/EP-046已 被 本 經 修 訂 的 環 境 許 可 證 所 取 代 。

本 經 修 訂 的 環 境 許 可 證 乃 依 據 下 列 文 件 、 批 准 或 許 可 條 件 而 簽 發 -

PART B (DESCRIPTIONS OF DESIGNATED PROJECT)
B部 (指 定 工 程 項 目 的 說 明)

Hereunder is the description of the designated project mentioned in Part A of this environmental permit :
下 列 為 本 環 境 許 可 證 A部 所 提 述 的 指 定 工 程 項 目 的 說 明 :

PART C (PERMIT CONDITIONS)

1. General Conditions

1.1 The Permit Holder shall ensure full compliance with all conditions of this environmental permit. Any non-compliance may constitute a contravention of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap.499) and shall be definite ground for enforcement action or permit cancellation where applicable.

1.2 This permit shall not remove the responsibility of the permit holder to comply with any legislation currently in force such as the Noise Control Ordinance (Cap.400), Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap.311), Water Pollution control Ordinance (Cap.358), Dumping at Sea Ordinance (Cap.466), the Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap.354), and others.

1.3 The Permit Holder shall make copies of this permit available at all times for inspection by the Director at all the sites covered by this permit.

1.4 The Permit Holder shall give a copy of this permit to the person(s) in charge of the site(s).

1.5 The Permit Holder shall display a copy of this permit on the construction site(s) at all vehicular site entrances/exits or at a convenient location for public information at all times. The Permit Holder shall ensure that the most updated information about the environmental permit, including any amended permit, is displayed at such locations. If the Permit Holder surrenders a part or the whole of the permit, the notice he sends to the Director of Environmental Protection shall also be displayed at the same locations as the original permit.

1.6 The Permit Holder shall construct and operate the Project in accordance with the project descriptions in Part B of this permit.

1.7 The Permit Holder shall ensure that the Project is designed, constructed and operated in accordance with the information and recommendations contained in the EIA Report and the EM&A Manual (Register No. AEIAR-021/1999), unless expressly excluded or impliedly amended in this Permit, or unless otherwise stated in the application documents referred to in Part A of this Permit, or unless otherwise stated in submissions approved by the Director, deposited without comments by the Director, or submissions rectified in accordance with comments by the Director under this Permit.

1.8 All deposited submissions as required under this Permit, shall be rectified in accordance with the comments, if any, made by the Director, within one month of the receipt of the Director's comments or otherwise specified by the Director.

1.9 The Permit Holder shall release all finalized submissions, as required under this Permit, to the public, if requested by the Director, by depositing copies in the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Register Office or any other places or by any other means as specified by the Director for public inspection. For this purpose, the Permit Holder shall provide sufficient copies of the submissions.

1.10 The Permit Holder shall notify the Director 4 weeks prior to the commencement of construction of the Project Works, and 4 weeks prior to commissioning of the Project.

2. Submissions or Measures before Commencement of Construction

2.1 An Environmental Team (ET) shall be established before commencement of construction. The ET shall be supervised by an Independent Environmental Checker (IEC). The ET leader shall be responsible for the implementation of the EM&A programme in accordance with the EM&A requirements as contained in the EM&A Manual.

2.2 The Permit Holder shall employ an IEC before the commencement of construction of the Project. The IEC shall have at least 7 years experience in EM&A or environmental management. The IEC shall be responsible for duties defined in the EM&A Manual, and shall audit the overall EM&A programme including the implementation of all environmental mitigation measures, submissions relating to EM&A, and any other submission required under this Permit. In addition, the IEC shall be responsible for verifying and certifying the environmental acceptability of permanent and temporary works, relevant design plans and submissions under this Permit.

2.3 The Permit Holder shall deposit 3 sets of landscape plan(s), of scale 1 to 1000 or other appropriate scale, with the Director within one month after the commencement of construction of the Project. The submission shall include a schedule of implementation and completion of the landscape works. The submission shall be verified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer as conforming to the information and recommendations contained in the EIA Report. Additional copies may be required by the Director. All measures recommended in the deposited landscape plan(s) shall be fully implemented.

2.4 Any changes to the measures shall be verified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer as conforming to the information and recommendations contained in the EIA Report before implementation. The verified changes shall be documented in the immediately following EM&A report.

3. Submissions or Measures during the Construction Period

3.1 All designs and measures described in the submission deposited under Condition 2.3 shall be fully implemented.

3.2 The Permit Holder shall implement measures described in Appendix A to mitigate environmental impacts from site run-off and drainage during construction.

3.3 The Permit Holder shall implement measures described in Appendix B to mitigate environmental impacts from construction noise.

3.4 The Permit Holder shall implement measures described in Appendix C to mitigate environmental impacts from waste generation and contaminated land during construction.

3.5 Any changes to the measures shall be verified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer as conforming to the information and recommendations contained in the EIA Report before implementation. The verified changes shall be documented in the immediately following EM&A report.

4. Submissions or Measures during Operation of the Project

4.1 Within 4 weeks of the commencement of operation of the sewage treatment facilities of the Project, 3 copies of a report shall be deposited with the Director for approval on the odour treatment performance testing, indicating the optimal dosage of oxygen (or air or nitrate) to achieve 30%/40%/55% odour reduction at the Sha Tin STW under various operation conditions as described in the technical notes in Application VEP-021/2000, and to achieve the 5 OUm-3 (or equivalent H2S concentration determined in the baseline odour monitoring period) criterion at the air sensitive receivers (ASRs) as described in the EM&A Manual.

4.2 During operation of the Stage III Extension, optimal dosage of oxygen/air/nitrate shall be applied as determined in condition 4.1 above, on a continuous basis, at Sha Tin and Ma On Shan Sewage Pumping Stations. The Permit Holder shall make available for inspection at any time at Sha Tin STW a daily record of the dosage applied.

4.3 For the transportation of sludge, the sludge shall be placed in fully enclosed containers similar to those used at the Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works, or be placed in the existing sludge skips with tarpaulin covers.

4.4 Storage of treatment sludge on site shall be as short as possible and sludge shall be transported off-site for disposal on daily basis.

4.5 Records of disposal of screenings, grit and dewater sludge shall be kept on-site for regular inspection.

5. Environmental Monitoring and Auditing Requirements

5.1 The EM&A programme shall be implemented as set out in the EM&A Manual. Any change to the programme shall be justified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer as conforming to the requirements set out in the EM&A Manual before submission to the Director for approval.

5.2 The measures in the landscape plan(s) deposited under Condition 2.3 of this permit shall be audited under the EM&A programme.

5.3 Samples and measurements for odour monitoring and performance verification on water quality shall be taken in accordance with the requirements of the EM&A Manual by:

a) conducting baseline monitoring on odour and water quality at the specified locations and frequencies;

b) conducting impact monitoring on odour and performance verification on water quality, as set out in the EM&A Manual;

c) in cases where specified criteria in the EM&A Manual are exceeded, carrying out remedial actions in accordance with the Event/Action Plan, as set out in the EM&A Manual; and

d) logging and keeping records of the details of (a) to (c) above, within 3 working days of the collection of data or completion of remedial action, for the purposes of preparing and submitting the EM&A Reports and to make available the information for inspection on site.

5.4 5 copies of the Baseline Monitoring Report(s) verified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer shall be submitted to the Director at least four weeks before the flow commissioning. Additional copies of the Baseline Monitoring Report may be required by the Director.

5.5 5 copies of monthly EM&A Report verified by the IEC and approved by the Engineer shall be submitted to the Director within 10 working days from the end of the reporting month. Additional copies of the monthly EM&A Report may be required by the Director. The Director may specify other means of report submission, including electronic means.

5.6 The submitted reports as required in Conditions 5.4 and 5.5 above shall be rectified in accordance with the comments made by the Director within one month of receipt of the Director's comments, or otherwise specified by the Director.

5.7 The actions described in the Event/Action Plans of the EM&A Manual shall be carried out, in accordance with the time frame set out in the Event/Action Plans, or as agreed by the Director.

Notes:

1. This environmental permit consists of three parts, namely, PART A (Main Permit), PART B (Description of Designated Project) and PART C (Permit Conditions).

2. The permit holder may apply under section 13 of the Ordinance to the Director for a variation of the conditions of this environmental permit. The permit holder shall replace the original permit displayed on the construction site by the amended permit.

3. A person who assumes the responsibility for the whole or a part of the designated project may, before he assumes responsibility of the designated project, apply under section 12 of the Ordinance to the Director for a further environmental permit.

4. Under section 14 of the Ordinance, the Director with the consent of the Secretary for the Environment and Food, may suspend, vary or cancel this environmental permit. The permit shall be removed from the display on the construction site.

5. If this permit is cancelled or surrendered during the construction or operation, an environmental permit must be obtained under the Ordinance before the construction or operation of the project could be continued. It is an offence under section 26(1) of the Ordinance to construct or operate a designated project without an environmental permit.

6. All submissions as required under this Permit shall be deposited in the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Register Office on the 27/F of Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Appendix A

Measures to Mitigate Environmental Impacts from Site Run-off and Drainage

To mitigate the environmental impacts from site run-off and drainage, the following shall be implemented:

(a) Surface run-off shall be directed into storm drains via adequately designed sand/silt removal facilities such as sand traps, silt traps and sediment basins.

(b) Silt removal facilities, channels and manholes shall be maintained and the deposited silt and grit shall be removed regularly to ensure the effectiveness of the system.

(c) Temporarily exposed soil surfaces shall be covered e.g. by tarpaulin, and temporary access roads shall be protected by crushed stone or gravel, as excavation proceeds.

(d) Rainwater pumped out from trenches, such as those excavated for pipelaying, shall be discharged into storm drains via silt removal facilities.

(e) Open stockpiles of construction materials (e.g. aggregates and sand) on site shall be covered with tarpaulin or similar fabric during rainstorms.

(f) Groundwater pumped out of wells, etc, for the lowering of ground water level in foundation construction of the Stage III facilities shall be discharged into storm drains after the removal of silt in silt removal facilities.

(g) Wastewater generated from concreting, plastering, internal decoration, cleaning work and other similar activities, shall undergo large object removal by installing bar traps at the drain inlets.

(h) Sewage from toilets, kitchens and similar facilities for the construction workers shall be discharged into a foul sewer or chemical toilets.

(i) All fuel tanks and chemical storage areas should be provided with locks and be sited on sealed areas.

(j) The storage areas should be surrounded by bunds with a capacity equal to 110% of the storage capacity of the largest tank to prevent spilled oil, fuel and chemicals from reaching the receiving waters.

(k) Guidelines and procedures for immediate clean-up actions following any spillages of oil, fuel or chemicals should be provided.

Appendix B

Measures to Mitigate Environmental Impacts from Construction Noise

To mitigate the environmental impacts from construction noise, the following shall be implemented:

(a) The Contractor shall ensure that all plant and equipment to be used on the Site are properly maintained in a good operating condition.

(b) Only well-maintained plant shall be operated on-site and plant shall be serviced regularly.

(c) Machines and plant (such as trucks) that may be in intermittent use shall be shut down between work periods or shall be throttled down to a minimum.

(d) Plant known to emit noise strongly in one direction, shall, where possible, be orientated so that the noise is directed away from noise sensitive receivers (NSRs).

(e) Silencers or mufflers on construction equipment shall be utilised, if found necessary to further reduce noise, and shall be properly maintained during the construction phase.

(f) Mobile plant shall be sited as far away from NSRs as possible.

(g) The plant equipment and sound-reducing measure, if necessary to be used on the site, shall be made available for trial.

Appendix C

Measures to Mitigate Environmental Impacts from Waste Generation and Contaminated Land During Construction

Construction Waste

(a) Construction wastes shall be handled and stored in a manner to ensure that they are held securely without loss or leakage.

(b) Construction wastes shall be removed in a timely manner.

(c) Waste storage areas shall be maintained and cleaned regularly.

(d) Windblown litter and dust during transportation shall be minimised by either covering trucks or transporting wastes in enclosed containers.

(e) Careful design, planning and good site management shall be adopted to minimise over-ordering and generation of waste materials such as concrete, mortars and cement grouts.

(f) The handling and disposal of bentonite slurries shall be undertaken in accordance with Practice Note for Professional Persons - Construction Site Drainage (ProPECC PN 1.94) on construction site drainage.

(g) Chemical waste that is produced, during construction shall be handled in accordance with the Code of Practice in the Packaging, Handling and Storage of Chemical Wastes.

(h) The chemical waste storage area shall also have adequate ventilation; be covered to prevent rainfall entering; and be arranged so that incompatible materials are adequately separated.

(i) General refuse shall be stored in enclosed bins.

(j) Construction/demolition waste should be separated from chemical wastes.

Contaminated Land

(k) Bulk earth moving equipment shall be used to minimise potential contact with site construction workers.

(l) Exposure to any contaminated materials present shall be minimised by wearing appropriate clothing and personal protective gear when interacting directly with contaminated material, providing adequate hygiene and washing facilities, and preventing smoking and eating during such activities.

(m) Rainfall and surface run-off shall be diverted around any areas currently being worked.

(n) The use of clean fill shall be considered to bring the site to finished grade.

(o) Stockpiling of contaminated soils shall be prohibited unless covered.

(p) The Contractor shall obtain an admission ticket from the Facilities Management Group of the Environmental Protection Department for disposal of contaminated soil at Landfills.