1.1.1
Fill Bank at Tuen Mun Area 38.
Background
1.2.1
The local construction industry generates
large quantity of Construction and Demolition Material (C&D Material) from
activities including civil engineering works, road works, new building
construction, demolition activities and building renovation. Excavated earth, asphalt, building debris,
broken rock and concrete form a major portion of the C&D Material. These materials are inert material and
are collectively referred to as “public fill”.
1.2.2
It is the government policy to make
beneficial use of public fill generated by the construction industry. The beneficial use of public fill in
reclamation and earth filling projects reduce the demand on general fill and
help to conserve natural resources by reducing the demand on earth borrowing
activities and marine sand extraction.
Relevant Technical Circulars (TC), including WBTC No. 4/98 Use of
Public Fill in Reclamation and Earth Filling Projects, WBTC No. 5/99 Trip-ticket
System for Disposal of Construction and Demolition Material and ETWB
TC(W) No. 33/2002 Management of Construction and Demolition Material Including
Rock, have been issued to promulgate the policy, as measures to maximise
the reuse of public fill and minimise the incidences of illegal dumping.
1.2.3
In 2001, the local construction
industry generated about 7.9 million cubic metres of C&D Material. Out of which, 6.6 million cubic metres
were reused in public filling areas. The reuse of public fill relies on programmes of
reclamation and earth filling projects.
It is identified not practicable to perfectly match programmes of
reclamation and earth filling works with public fill generation of the
construction industry. The
consultancy study “Review of the Public Filling Strategy and Programme”
commissioned by Civil Engineering Department (CED) completed in 1998
recommended the establishment of fill banks in the territory for temporary
storage of public fill when the demand on public fill is low to optimise their
beneficial reuse in reclamation and earth filling projects when the demand is
high.
Urgent Demand on
Public Filling Facilities
1.2.4
The public filling capacity provided
by the recent Category A reclamation projects, including the reclamation works
at Tseung Kwan O Area 137, Pak Shek Kok, Tung Chung Development Phase 3A,
Jordan Road Reclamation Phase III were exhausted. Tuen Mun Area 38 Stage 2 reclamation is the only reclamation
project in the territories that is still receiving public fill. CED identified that even with the
public fill receiving capacity provided by the new reclamation projects
including Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 2, North Tsing Yi Reclamation and
Reclamation for Yam O Public Transport Interchange, and Central Reclamation
Phase III, etc., there will still be a significant shortfall in public filling
capacity from late 2002 to 2005.
Table 1-1 presents a forecast on public fill generation, public filling
capacity, and shortfall in public fill receiving capacity from 2002 through
2005.
Table 1-1 Forecast
on Public Fill Generation, Public Filling Capacity, and Shortfall in Public
Fill Receiving Capacity
|
Year
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
|
Forecast on Public Fill generation (Mm3)
|
6.2
|
6.5
|
6.8
|
7.6
|
|
Forecast on Public Filling Capacity (Mm3)
|
4.4
|
1.6
|
2.0
|
7.1
|
|
Forecast on Shortfall in Public Fill Receiving
Capacity (Mm3)
|
1.8
|
4.9
|
4.8
|
0.5
|
|
Total Shortfall in Public Fill Receiving Capacity
from 2002 to 2005 (Mm3)
|
12
|
1.2.5
In April 2001, the Government put forward
the proposal of establishing temporary fill banks for storage of public fill
and committed to take all practical steps to ensure the reclamation projects
starting before 2005 will proceed under the planned programmes.
1.2.6
From a review of the location of the
planned reclamation sites commencing from 2003 through 2005, location-wise, it
was identified appropriate to set up a fill bank in both the Eastern and
Western regions of the territory for temporary storage of public fill. The candidate sites for the
establishing the fill banks must be:
·
Of sufficient areas to accommodate the public fill that
cannot be immediately reused in reclamation (or earth filling) projects
generated from October 2002 to 2005;
·
Strategically located to facilitate and encourage
access by the public fill delivery truck drivers. The possible uses of both
land-based and marine-based access routes are preferable to allow the
truckloads be shared among the road carriageways leading to the fill banks and
the public filling barging points.
Selecting a coastal site is also preferable to make possible the
effective delivery of stockpiled public fill to reclamation sites by barges
without the need of double handling by trucks during the decommissioning of the
fill banks;
·
Sufficient buffer shall be provided between the fill
bank sites and the nearby sensitive receivers as far as practicable to avoid
direct environmental impact due to dust and noise emissions and visual
intrusion from the material stockpiling;
·
The site must be available for a sufficient time period
to allow public fill intake and subsequent removal.
1.2.7
Area 38 on the outskirts of Tuen Mun
was identified to be the only available site for the establishment of the fill
bank in the western side of the territory after a site search process. On the eastern side of the territory,
the available site was identified to be Area 137 in Tseung Kwan O (TKO). This
fill bank has commenced operation since October 2002.
1.2.8
It is expected that from 2003 onwards,
there will begin a number of reclamation projects, as well as other measures
such as recycling and export that are being investigated and implemented that
would be able to make use of the public fill temporarily stored at the fill
banks. For example, as part of the
overall C&D material management plan, a C&D Material Recycling Facility
(hereafter referred to as C&DMRF) has recently been established which is
also located in Tuen Mun Area 38 (to the north-west of the proposed fill
bank). The availability of a piece
of 35 hectare land in Tuen Mun Area 38 for the operation of the temporary fill
bank will facilitate the transportation of the stored C&D material to this
C&DMRF during the initial stage of the decommissioning phase of the fill
bank when the C&DMRF is still in operation.
1.2.9
By virtue of C.11 in Section C Reclamation,
Hydraulic and Marine Facilities, Dredging and Dumping in Schedule 2, Part I
of the EIA Ordinance which specifies that a public dumping area of not less
than 2 hectare in size is a designated project (DP), the proposed fill bank at
Tuen Mun Area 38 is classified as a DP.
1.2.10
An environmental permit was granted by
the Authority for the operation of the fill bank at TKO Area 137. This Project Profile is prepared to
enable the Authority to determine whether the project proponent can proceed
directly to apply for an environmental permit for the proposed fill bank at
Tuen Mun Area 38.
Do-Nothing Scenario
1.2.11
Without the proposed fill bank at Tuen
Mun Area 38, there will be a significant shortfall in public fill receiving
capacities in the coming few years.
As a result, a large quantity of reusable public fill generated by the
construction industry may need to be disposed of to landfills. The landfill spaces are expensive and
designed for disposal of municipal waste and have been used up far more rapidly
than originally planned for.
Disposal of reusable public fill at the landfills should therefore be avoided
as far as practicable.
1.2.12
The proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun
Area 38 is planned to serve construction sites located mainly in the western
part of the territory. In the
absence of the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38, truck flow at Lung Mun
Road may still increase since it is also the major route to WENT landfill if
delivery of C&D material to landfills becomes inevitable.
Public Consultation
1.2.13
A meeting was held between the Project
Proponent and Tuen Mun District Council (TMDC) on 5 November 2002. The TMDC members do not have
in-principle objection to the setting up and operation of the proposed fill
bank and associated sorting facilities at Tuen Mun Area 38. Their views, which could be summarised
as follows, have been taken into full account in the preparation of this
project profile:
·
The
project should be of a temporary nature;
·
The
project should not operate beyond the time limit of which the temporary
Government land allocation (TGLA) permits;
·
The
Government should adhere to the time schedule of end 2004/ early 2005 when the
fill bank will stop receiving construction & demolition materials; and
·
The
Government should make all possible efforts to bring about early removal of the
stockpiled construction & demolition materials from Tuen Mun Area 38.
1.2.14
The members also raised concerns on
the environmental issues including air pollution and noise aspects which are
addressed in this paper, and effective environmental mitigation measures have
been identified accordingly for implementation.
1.3.1
Civil Engineering Department (CED)
Port Works
Division
5/F., Civil
Engineering Building
101,
Princess Margaret Road
Homantin,
Kowloon
Hong Kong
1.4.1
Figure 1 shows the location and layout
of the proposed fill bank which will occupy a site area of approximately 35
hectares in Tuen Mun Area 38. The
site is a reclaimed land.
Reclamation activities are still ongoing in the south eastern part of
the site under CED’s contract CV/2000/01 Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage
II which is planned for completion in mid-2003. The reclamation site has reserved as a public filling area
since the Stage I reclamation in 1995.
1.4.2
The proposed fill bank will
accommodate approximately 4.9 million cubic metres (Mm3) of public
fill. Subject to the public fill
intake rate, the fill bank is planned to commence operation from April 2003 up
to February 2005 for subsequent decommissioning. To accommodate 4.9 Mm3 of public fill,
preliminary engineering design consideration revealed that public fill received
at the fill bank will need to be filled up to a maximum height of approximately
30m above ground (i.e. approximately +35mPD). The lateral pressure induced from the stockpiling process
and slope stability and other engineering factors have been considered in the
preliminary design and will be closely monitored by CED during the operation of
the fill bank. Public fill
received at the fill bank will be stockpiled with compaction and application of
appropriate load on the surfaces as appropriate. Figure 2 presents a sectional view of the fill bank.
1.5.1
There is only one designated project
covered in this Project Profile.
1.5.2
The proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area
38 is a designated project by virtue of C.11 in Section C Reclamation,
Hydraulic and Marine Facilities, Dredging and Dumping in Schedule 2, Part I
of the EIA Ordinance which specifies that a public dumping area of not less
than 2 hectare in size is a designated project.
|
Name
|
Designation
|
Telephone
No.
|
Fax No.
|
|
CHENG Nim-tai, Raymond
|
SE/P1, Port Works Division, CED
|
2762 5521
|
2714 0113
|
|
CHAN Lit-wai
|
E/P2, Port Works Division, CED
|
2762 5547
|
2714 0113
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.1.1
The proposed fill bank is under
planning and design by in-house staff of CED. A contractor will be commissioned to establish, operate and
decommission the fill bank under the supervision of CED. The key activities associated with the
establishment, operation and decommissioning phases of the development are
described below.
Establishment Phase
2.1.2
The site has been in operation as a
public filling area as part of the reclamation under the supervision of
CED. Given the similar nature of
the activities and the required facilities and environmental protection
measures, it is not anticipated that the establishment phase of the fill bank
will require any major civil engineering works of long duration. The key activities during the
establishment phase will involve site clearance, setting up of machinery and
temporary structures at the barge handling area for loading/unloading of public
fill to/from barges, construction of drainage facilities including trapezoidal
surface drainage channels, modification of existing wheel washing facilities,
installation of weighbridges and construction of site offices.
Operational Phase
2.1.3
The daily operation of the fill bank
will involve the handling of public fill delivered to the site by trucks and
barges. It is planned to open the
fill bank from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily except during the Chinese New Year
holidays to provide a stable outlet for public fill to serve the construction
industry. The planned operating
hours of the fill bank are the same as WENT landfill to encourage the use of
the fill bank and thus minimise the disposal of reusable fill material to the
landfill to which the main access also go via Lung Mun Road.
2.1.4
In the past 12 months from October
2001 to September 2002, the daily average truck volume using the public filling
area at Tuen Mun Area 38 was about 600-700 vehicles per day. With the opening of the fill bank at
TKO Area 137 and the barging point at Kai Tak, and through operation of the
trip-ticket system to assign the tipping location for trucks in Government and
Public Corporations’ contracts, it was estimated that about 600 vehicles per
day will be using the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38. Taking into account exceptional
circumstances arising from, for example, expedition of certain site formation
works after visiting of typhoons, it was estimated that the land-based truck
volume using Lung Mun Road to the fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38 would unlikely
be more than 1,200 vehicles per day i.e., the truck traffic generated from the
operation of the proposed fill bank will be more or less the same as currently
encountered in the operation of the public filling area in Tuen Mun Area 38.
2.1.5
Similar to the existing public filling
area in Tuen Mun Area 38, the proposed fill bank in Tuen Mun Area 38 will
continue to receive fill material delivered by barges from the two public
filling barging points on the Hong Kong Island. Based on the existing data, it was estimated that an average
of about 700 truckloads per day would be delivered by the marine route to the
fill bank. It is equivalent to
about 7 - 8 barges per day. With
account of the possible variation on some days, the maximum quantity delivered
by a marine route to the fill bank was estimated to be 1,050 truckloads per
day, which is equivalent to about 12 barges per day.
Decommissioning Phase
2.1.6
Decommissioning of the fill bank will
involve the removal of stockpiled public fill. Public fill will be transported offsite mainly by barges
(more than 90% of the stockpiled material) to allow direct transportation and
placement of the fill material in reclamation activities. A temporary Public Fill Sorting
Facility with barging facilities for Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 2 (hereafter
referred to as PBR2 Sorting Facility) planned on a 3.2 hectare site located to
the immediate south-east of the fill bank site will receive public fill from
the fill bank once it commences operation in July 2003. Another barging point
will also be set up to send unsorted public fill to other reclamation
projects. Some of the material
will be transported offsite by trucks for reuse in nearby work sites and it is
expected that a small portion will also be diverted to the existing C&DMRF
located in Tuen Mun Area 38 for aggregates production.
Key Activities
Summary
2.1.7
The key activities during the establishment,
operation and decommissioning phases of the fill bank described above are
summarised in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1 Key
Activities during the Establishment, Operation and Decommissioning of the Proposed
Fill Bank at Tuen Mun Area 38
|
Development
Phase
|
Activities
|
|
Establishment
|
§
Site clearance
§
Construction of temporary storm water system
§ Setting up of C&D material
loading/ unloading facilities
§ Setting up/ refurnishing site facilities
such as fence wall, access road, site entrance, entrance office, site office,
weighbridges and wheel washing facilities
§ Implementation
of environmental mitigation measures
|
|
Operation
|
§ Stockpiling
of a maximum of 4.9 million cubic metres (Mm³) public fill delivered by
trucks or by barges
§ Implementation
of environmental mitigation measures
|
|
Decommissioning
|
§ Removal of stockpiled public fill
mainly by barges for use in reclamation projects with some of the material
transported offsite by land for use in nearby work sites
§ Recycling of a small portion of
the stockpiled public fill at the C&D Material Recycling Facility (C&DMRF) located in Tuen Mun Area 38
§ Implementation
of environmental mitigation measures
|
2.2.1
Figure 3 presents a preliminary
programme for the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill
bank. Establishment works are
planned to commence in March 2003 to prepare for intake of public fill commencing
from April 2003 and full decommissioning in February 2008.
2.2.2
Subject to the public fill intake
rate, it is anticipated that the fill bank capacity would be exhausted by
February 2005. The fill bank will
not receive further quantity of public fill for temporary storage starting from
March 2005.
2.2.3
Decommissioning of the fill bank
(i.e., removal of stockpiled public fill) would commence as early as July 2003
with the commissioning of the PBR2 Sorting Facility. The PBR2 Sorting Facility will receive fill material delivered
directly to the site by trucks and barges, and if necessary, additional supply
from removal of stockpiled fill material.
The fill material received will be sorted at the PBR2 Sorting Facility
to produce fill material of specified quality and size for use in the
reclamation works in Penny’s Bay. During the operation-decommissioning
overlapping period (i.e. from approximately July 2003 to February 2005), public
fill removed from the fill bank will only be transported offsite by barges
through delivery of the fill material to the barging points at the PBR2 Sorting
Facility. In the subsequent years
of public fill removal, barges will continue to be the major means for
transportation of stored public fill from barging points at the PBR2 Sorting
Facility and the fill bank to reclamation sites in order to avoid double
handling of fill material. It is
expected that more than 90% of stockpiled material will be transported offsite
by barges.
2.3.1
There are a number of related or
concurrent short term and longer term projects in Tuen Mun Area 38. These projects include the existing
C&DMRF situated to the north-west of the site, the temporary PBR2 Sorting Facility,
and a temporary C&D material sorting facility (hereafter referred to as
C&DMSF) which are as shown in Figure 1, and other longer term planned
developments including a recovery park, waste management facilities,
longer-term C&D material recycling facility, Permanent Aviation Fuel
Facility and Petrochemical Plant which are illustrated in Figure 4. The exact location and site
requirements of the planned/ potential land uses as shown in Figure 4 are
subject to further studies and advice from the relevant Government Bureaux and
Departments. These related or concurrent projects in the vicinity of the
proposed fill bank are further described below.
Projects related to
the Operation Programme of the Fill Bank
Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation Stage 2
2.3.2
Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation Stage 2
is ongoing in the south-eastern portion of the site. The reclamation works are planned for completion in mid
2003. Before the completion of the
reclamation activities, operation of the fill bank from April 2003 onwards will
begin with the reclaimed land to the north of the reclamation work area.
Construction and Demolition Material Recycling Facility (C&DMRF)
2.3.3
Abutting the north-western boundary of
the fill bank is the existing temporary Construction and Demolition Material Recycling
Facility (C&DMRF). The
C&DMRF occupies a site area of about 3.7 hectares. The C&DMRF receives oversized
concrete and rock pieces and produces aggregates for concrete production or as
sub-base material. The facility
has a design maximum processing capacity of 2,400 tonnes per day. The C&DMRF will receive C&D
Material delivered by trucks and will share the same main entrance and main
site access road lying along the northern boundary of the site. During the early stage of the
decommissioning phase of the fill bank, the C&DMRF will still be
operational and may make use a small portion of the stored public fill for
processing to reusable aggregates.
The temporary C&DMRF was planned to be in operation until October
2004.
Penny’s Bay Reclamation Stage 2 Public Fill Sorting Facility (PBR2
Sorting Facility)
2.3.4
An area of approximately 3.2 hectares
located to south-east of the fill bank is allocated for the provision of the
temporary PBR2 Sorting Facility.
The PBR2 Sorting Facility has a design maximum output capacity of 9,000
tonnes per day. The temporary PBR2 Sorting Facility was planned to be in
operation from July 2003 to June 2008.
2.3.5
The PBR2 Sorting Facility will receive
public fill via the fill bank site.
Suitable public fill delivered by incoming trucks/ barges to the fill
bank will be diverted to the PBR2 Sorting Facility directly. When additional supply of public fill
is required for PBR2, stockpiled material at the fill bank will also be
excavated for feeding the PBR2 Sorting Facility. Direct vehicular access from Lung Mun Road to the PBR2
Sorting Facility (along the eastern boundary of the site) is not planned to
minimise the potential cumulative dust impact due to truck movement on the air
sensitive land uses within the nearby River Trade Terminal.
Construction and Demolition Material Sorting Facility (C&DMSF)
2.3.6
An area of approximately 1.5 hectares
abutting the eastern boundary of the PBR2 Sorting Facility is allocated for the
establishment for the temporary C&DMSF. This facility will receive mixed
C&D material for sorting to separate reusable public fill and C&D
waste. The sorted public fill will
be transported to the fill bank for storage, while the separated C&D waste
will be transported to landfill for proper disposal. The C&DMSF is planned to commence operation in mid 2003,
and will have a design processing capacity of about 600 tonnes per day.
2.3.7
The temporary C&DMSF will receive
C&D material delivered by trucks.
A separate entrance will be provided for the C&DMSF to ensure that
the C&D material delivery trucks are diverted away from the public fill
delivery trucks. A haul road will
be provided along the eastern boundary of the fill bank to allow the
transportation of C&D material to the C&DMSF. The haul road provided along the eastern boundary of the
fill bank will be solely used for access to the C&DMSF only to minimise
dust generation from truck movement near the River Trade Terminal. The temporary C&DMSF was planned to
be in operation from July 2003 to June 2008.
Projects related to
the Decommissioning Programme of the Fill Bank
Recovery Park and Other Waste Management Facilities
2.3.8
A Recovery Park would be established
in Tuen Mun Area 38 as the land use of the site in the longer term. A Project Profile was prepared for the
proposed Recovery Park which has been made reference to in the preparation of
this document. According to DEP,
the park will consist of two phases each occupying an area of approximately 10
hectares. Phase II of the park
planned in 2006 shares the same site area (about 10 hectares) that will be
temporarily occupied by the fill bank. The decommissioning of the fill bank
will take into account the programme of the Recovery Park Phase II development
to ensure that the required site land is cleared for the future development.
2.3.9
In addition to the Recovery Park Phase
II, the decommissioning programme of the temporary fill bank will also allow 6
hectares of land in the south-eastern side of the fill bank site to be cleared
and made available in mid-2006 for the establishment of planned waste
management facilities (a centralised incineration facility and a chemical waste
bulking facility).
2.3.10
A site area of about 10 hectare
occupied by the south-eastern side of the temporary fill bank, the temporary
PBR2 Sorting Facility and C&DMSF would be developed into a longer-term
C&D material recycling facility.
Other Concurrent
Projects
2.3.11
Recovery Park Phase I occupying an
area of about 10 hectares to the west of the fill bank is planned for
construction to commence in mid-2004.
Further west, the Airport Authority has planned to construct a Permanent
Aviation Fuel Facility (PAFF), which will occupy a site area of 6 hectares in
Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage 1.
According to the preliminary development programme as presented in the
approved EIA report, the PAFF would take 4 years for planning, design and
construction, and would commence its operation at the end of 2005. Adjacent to the PAFF site, an area of
1.4 hectares is retained for planning of a petrochemical plant.
3.1.1
The proposed fill bank is situated on
the outskirts of Tuen Mun in an undeveloped newly reclaimed land with some
nearby industrial premises. The
nearest residential developments are village houses at Lung Kwu Tan at more
than 2 km to the west of the site, and Melody Garden is also situated at more
than 2 km to the east of the site.
3.1.2
The site is bounded by Lung Mun Road
to the north. To the south-east of
the site is the existing River Trade Terminal. To the west of the site is the reclaimed land formed under
the Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage I. Further north-west at more than 400 m from the fill bank
site boundary is Shiu Wing Steel Mill.
On the opposite side of Lung Mun Road there is an existing container
storage area on the hillside north of Siu Lang Shui Road. To the south of the
fill bank site is coastal water of North Western Water Control Zone.
3.1.3
According to the latest Tuen Mun
Outline Zoning Plan (S/TM/16), the site and its surrounding areas lying to the
south of Lung Mun Road are zoned as “Other Specified Uses” (OU) annotated
“Special Industrial Area”. Figure
5 shows an Extract of the latest Outline Zoning Plan.
3.1.4
Longer term uses on Tuen Mun Area 38
that are currently under planning include a recovery park, permanent aviation
fuel facility, waste management facilities (centralised incineration facility
and chemical waste bulking facility), and longer-term C&D material
recycling facility. As described
in the preceding section, the development programme of the recovery park and
waste management facilities have been taken into account in the planning of the
decommissioning programme of the temporary fill bank.
3.2.1
The restored Siu Lang Shui landfill is
located to the north of the site on the other side of Lung Mun Road. An area of approximately 3 hectares at
the northern concern of the site is situated within the 250 m consultation zone
of the restored Siu Lang Shui landfill (see Figure 6).
4.1.1
The programme and key activities
during the establishment, operation and decommissioning phases of the fill bank
are as described in Section 2.1.
Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the layout and sectional view of the fill
bank. The activities associated
with the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank are
further evaluated below with respect to each of the relevant environmental
aspects.
4.2.1
The proposed fill bank is situated in
an undeveloped newly reclaimed land at Tuen Mun Area 38 with some nearby
industrial premises. To the north
of Lung Mun Road are undeveloped areas.
4.2.2
Establishment of the fill bank will
not require substantial construction activities. Site clearance, installation of temporary drainage systems,
setting up of temporary facilities at the barge handling area will unlikely
involve any major earthmoving and excavation activities. It is not expected that the
construction activities at the fill bank will generate any significant air
quality impact. Any potential dust
emission impact will be readily mitigated by watering and other standard dust
control measures.
4.2.3
During the operation/ decommissioning
phases, handling, loading, unloading, breaking down of oversized public fill
and stockpiling activities at the fill bank may result in much higher levels of
dust emissions than the construction phase. The activities onsite in the handling of public fill could
pose some air quality impact on the existing and planned factories situated in
the vicinity of the fill bank, if unmitigated. The existing Air Sensitive Receivers (ASRs) of interest
include the River Trade Terminal abutting the eastern boundary of the fill
bank, and Shiu Wing Steel Mill situated at about 420m to the west of the fill
bank site boundary. The
planned ASR includes air sensitive land uses within the Recovery Park Phase I,
Recovery Park Phase II and Permanent Aviation Fuel Facility (PAFF) after their
operation.
4.2.4
The potential dust impact during the
operation and decommissioning phases of the fill bank has been assessed
quantitatively. The models
revealed that the major source of potential dust impact is associated with dust
generation from truck movement. The approach, methodology, and findings of the
assessment are presented in Annex I for reference.
4.2.5
Dust control measures have been
recommended based on the requirements in the Regulation (see Attachment I for
details). These measures are
standard measures that are proven to be effective in controlling fugitive dust
emissions. The dust control measures include the designation of an area of 100m
x 100m as shown in Figure 7 in the north-eastern corner of the stockpiling area
as a “truckload control zone”.
Number of trucks travelling to the control zone shall be limited to a
maximum of 64 vehicles per hour and a daily maximum of 633 vehicles per day.
The assessment findings and the predicted Total Suspended Particulate (TSP)
concentrations at the representative assessment points demonstrated that with
the implementation of the proposed dust control measures (see Attachment I for
details), the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank
will unlikely pose any unacceptable air quality impact on the nearby ASRs. The air quality modelling results
demonstrated that with the implementation of standard dust control measures, it
is practicable to control the TSP levels at the nearby ASRs to within
acceptable levels meeting the air quality criteria specified in the EIAO-TM.
4.2.6
Tuen Mun Area 38 has been operated as
a public filling area. TSP
monitoring is carried out routinely on every 6-calendar days as part of an
Environmental Monitoring and Audit Programme. The air monitoring station (DM1)
is located near the site entrance where dust is generated from truck movement
as shown in Figure 8. The
average 1-hr and 24-hr TSP concentrations monitored from September 01 to August
02 was 215 mg/m3 and 122 mg/m3, which are well below the 1-hr and 24-hr TSP limit
levels. Even the 95th
percentiles of the 1-hr and 24-hr TSP monitoring results were well within the
TSP limit levels. The air quality
modelling revealed that truck movement contributed significantly to the overall
dust emissions. Therefore, these existing monitoring results obtained in the
operation of the site as a public filling area further support that the
potential dust impact would be controlled to acceptable levels through
application of standard dust control measures.
4.2.7
It is recommended to check for the
implementation, effectiveness and adequacy of the dust control measures applied
by the contractor in the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the
fill bank through an Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) programme.
4.3.1
The establishment, operation and
decommissioning activities at the fill bank will involve the use of Powered
Mechanical Equipment during the daytime and evening periods. All construction
works at the fill bank will be carried out during the non-restricted hours
(i.e. 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays other than general holidays). During the operation/ decommissioning
phase, the fill bank will not be in operation during night time from 8:00p.m.
to 8:00a.m. the next day.
4.3.2
In the establishment, operation and/or
decommissioning of the fill bank, there would be some other concurrent
activities offsite that may generate some noise from construction works or
industrial operation. Nevertheless, the nearest Noise Sensitive Receivers
(NSRs) are village houses in Lung Kwu Tan located at more than 2 km from the
site. Melody Garden and Bufferfly
Estate are also located at more than 2 km from the site. Given the vast distance separation
between the NSRs and the site, it is not anticipated that the fill bank will
pose any noise impact on the surrounding NSRs. Notwithstanding this, noise management measures
are recommended to be implemented by the contractor as good site practices in
the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank.
4.3.3
The operation of the fill bank will
generate some traffic on the nearby road networks. In the past 12 months, the daily average truck volume using
the public filling area at Tuen Mun Area 38 was about 600-700 vehicles per
day. With the opening of the fill
bank at TKO Area 137 and the barging point at Kai Tak and through operation of
the trip-ticket system to assign the tipping location for trucks in Government
and Public Corporations’ contracts, it was estimated that about 600 vehicles
per day will be using the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38. Taking into account exceptional
circumstances arising from, for example, expedition of certain site formation
works after visiting of typhoons, it was estimated that the land-based truck
volume using Lung Mun Road to the fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38 will unlikely
be more than 1,200 vehicles per day. The truckload records indicated that the
peak truckload arrival time occurred at about 11:00 to 12:00, which accounted
for approximately 13% of the total daily truckload. Therefore, together with the C&DMRF and PBR2 Sorting
Facility, the fill bank will serve approximately 156 public fill delivery
trucks (i.e., 1200 veh/day x 13%) going to Tuen Mun Area 38 during the peak
hour. The hourly average public
fill delivery truck volume was calculated to be 109 vehicles per day (i.e.,
1200 veh/day ¸ 11 hrs).
4.3.4
In addition to the land-based access,
a marine access will be provided at the fill bank for delivery of public fill
by barges to the site from the existing public filling barging points at Sai
Ying Pun and Quarry Bay on the Hong Kong Island. This will provide a convenient
means for access to the public filling facilities for construction sites
located on the Hong Kong island and thus minimise the public fill delivery
trucks travelling distance and cross-district traffic.
4.3.5
Since the commissioning of Lung Fu
Road in March 2002, the traffic noise impact arising from the existing Lung Mun
Road on the nearby residential developments have been reduced by diversion of
vehicles to use Lung Fu Road. Lung
Fu Road provides a direct route to the south western part of Tun Mun. Lung Fu Road is provided with traffic
noise mitigation measures, including proper alignment to maximise setback
distance from NSRs (e.g. setback from Melody Garden is more than 300m),
provision of low noise road surfacing and noise barriers in the proximity of
the NSRs. Wong Chu Road connected
with Lung Fu Road is also provided with noise enclosures and noise barriers to
control the traffic noise impact generated from the vehicles using these
roads. Figure 9 illustrates the
traffic noise mitigation measures incorporated into the design of Lung Fu Road
and Wong Chu Road.
4.3.6
The existing operation of Tuen Mun Area
38 as a public filling facility demonstrated that traffic impact is unlikely a
concern.
4.3.7
With the provision of the new Lung Fu
Road and the associated traffic noise mitigation measures, it is considered
that the future operation of Tuen Area 38 as a fill bank will unlikely generate
any traffic related environmental impacts attributable to the operation of the
fill bank.
4.4.1
The site is situated within the North
Western Water Control Zone (WCZ).
Given the nature of the project, water quality criteria and baseline
water quality related to suspended particulate are of relevance.
4.4.2
The water quality in the North Western
WCZ is influenced by the massive Pearl River flows and discharges from sewage
outfalls. There are three major
sewage outfalls in this WCZ, including Northwest New Territories, Pillar Point
and Siu Ho Wan sewage outfalls.
The Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) applicable to the North Western WCZ
are given in Annex II. The WQOs
specified that for suspended solids, human activity should neither cause the
natural ambient level to be raised by more than 30% nor give rise to
accumulation of suspended solids which may adversely affect aquatic
communities.
4.4.3
EPD carries out routine water quality
monitoring at 6 stations within the North Western WCZ. Among these stations, NM3 at Pillar
Point is located nearest to the site.
Table 4-1 presents a summary of the water quality monitoring data
obtained in 1998 through 2000 at NM3.
Table 4-1 Water
Quality Monitoring Data obtained at NM3
|
Water Quality Parameter
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
|
Temperature (°C)
|
23.9
(18.4 – 27.0)
|
23.7
(17.4 – 27.3)
|
23.4
(17.4 – 28.0)
|
|
Suspended Solids (mg/L)
|
12.2
(3.5 – 32.3)
|
7.5
(2.8 – 14.6)
|
10.3
(1.9 – 20.3)
|
|
Turbidity (NTU)
|
9.0
(5.3 – 19.5)
|
9.9
(3.5 – 14.8)
|
11.9
(1.8 – 29.8)
|
|
Salinity (psu)
|
27.6
(19.3 – 31.6)
|
29.2
(22.5 – 33.2)
|
29.5
(26.7 – 32.7)
|
|
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)
|
5.6
(3.8 – 8.4)
|
5.9
(3.3 – 8.0)
|
5.9
(3.5 – 8.1)
|
|
PH
|
7.6
(6.5 – 8.2)
|
8.0
(7.8 – 8.3)
|
7.9
(7.7 – 8.3)
|
|
5-day BOD (mg/L)
|
0.8
(0.3 – 1.5)
|
0.6
(0.2 – 0.9)
|
0.6
(0.1 – 1.7)
|
|
Total Inorganic Nitrogen
(mg/L)
|
0.61
(0.30 – 0.86)
|
0.35
(0.14 – 0.75)
|
0.35
(0.16 – 0.59)
|
|
Unionised Ammonia (mg/L)
|
0.005
(0.002 – 0.011)
|
0.003
(<0.001 – 0.007)
|
0.004
(0.002 – 0.010)
|
|
E. coli (cfu/100mL)
|
2300
(260 – 85000)
|
680
(88 – 6300)
|
320
(75 – 1300)
|
4.4.4
The nearest Water Sensitive Receivers (WSRs)
in the vicinity of the project site are two seawater intake points at Castle
Peak Power Station which are located at about 1.4km and 1.5km from the southern
boundary of the subject site.
Other WSRs such as gazetted beaches are located at further distance away
from the site. North
western WCZ also represents an area where the eastern rang of the Pearl River
dolphin population would inhabit, including Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa
chinesis) which are frequently observed within the WCZ.
4.4.5
Activities during the establishment,
operation and decommissioning phases of the fill bank will be land-based. Before there will be public fill intake
at the site, the activities such as establishment of site offices, installation
of drainage channels, wheel washing facilities at site exists, erection of site
hoarding, setting up of the temporary facilities at barge handling area will
only involve minor earthmoving or excavation activities. The setting up of the temporary
facilities at barge handling area will not require dredging as this will be
erected on the existing seawall.
The small quantity of excavated material not required for backfilling
will be stockpiled at the fill bank at sufficient buffer distance from the
seashore. It is considered that the
activities during the establishment phase will unlikely generate surface runoff
containing any significant quantity of suspended solid.
4.4.6
Operation of the fill bank will
involve handling, transfer and stockpiling of fill material at the fill
bank. Potential water quality
impact could arise from erosion of stockpiled material leading to discharge of
polluted stormwater, and accidental dropping of material during the transfer of
fill material to the site from barges.
4.4.7
Discharge of surface runoff containing
large quantity of suspended solid is a possible concern especially during the
rainy season if appropriate environmental control measures are not provided and
maintained onsite. Fill material
delivered by trucks will be dumped to the stockpiling area direct situated away
from the seafront. Based on the
dumping licence conditions, the fill bank will only accept earth, building
debris as well as broken rock and concrete. Mixed materials such as those containing marine mud, pond
mud, household refuse, plastic, metal, industrial and chemical waste, animal
and vegetable matter and other material considered not suitable by the Filling
Supervisor would not be accepted at the fill bank. Over-sized material will be broken down into smaller pieces
by use of excavators onsite, and small quantity of C&D waste, if
identified, will also be removed from the public fill before they are
stockpiled.
4.4.8
Public fill delivered to the site by
barges will be uploaded to trucks from the berthing barge during the
operational phase. Appropriate
design and provision of the public fill handling equipment and other measures
will be required to minimise the chance of accidental dropping of public fill
to the coastal water which may otherwise lead to potential water quality
impact, though this would be of localised nature.
4.4.9
During the decommissioning of the fill
bank, tipping activities at the barging point have the potential of accidental
losses of public fill during placement of public fill into the barges. Appropriate design and control of the
tipping operation are required to minimise the risk of water pollution from
accidental losses of public fill.
4.4.10
The implementation of the fill bank
will not involve any marine based activities. It is considered that with application of the best management
practices (BMPs) to control the land-based pollution sources including polluted
stormwater runoff and use of specified design and transfer methods such that
the path of material delivery will not be directly on top of the water surface,
the activities during the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the
fill bank would not result in any significant water quality impact. The implementation of sufficient water
pollution control measures shall be checked with an EM&A programme.
4.4.11
The ongoing reclamation activities
under CED’s contract “CV/2000/01 – Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage II”
are planned for completion in mid 2003.
The contractor carrying out the reclamation is required to provide water
pollution control measures, which are checked by an ongoing EM&A
programme. In the presence of the
water pollution control measures for the land-based activities at the fill bank
and the marine-based activities in the reclamation, and in view of the limited
duration when the two operations would take place concurrently, it is not
anticipated that there would be any significant cumulative water quality impact
on the water sensitive receivers.
Details of the planned environmental protection measures are presented
in Attachment I.
4.5.1
An area of about 3 hectares in the
northern corner of the fill bank site is situated within the 250m consultation
zone of the restored Siu Lang Shui landfill (see Figure 6). The shortest distance between the waste
boundary of the landfill and the project site boundary is about 160m.
4.5.2
The restored Siu Lang Shui landfill
occupies an area of about 8.3 hectares. It received a total of 2.1 million
tonnes of waste. The landfill site
ceased to accept further waste since 1983. Restoration works were completed in
2000 and landfill gas and leachate control measures were installed. Contractor has been recruited to
provide maintenance of the landfill gas/ leachate control measures. Landfill gas migration monitoring
results obtained monthly at six monitoring wells installed along Siu Lang Shui
Road at the southern boundary of the landfill revealed that except for one
measurement result at one monitoring well, the methane concentrations were at
or below 1% v/v at all monitoring stations for 14 months from May 01 to June
02. Annex III presents the
methane monitoring locations and monitoring results.
4.5.3
The portion of site situated within
the consultation zone of the restored landfill will be occupied by existing
main access road, wheel washing bay, weighbridges, pubic fill stockpiling area
and surface drainage channel. The
sensitivity of these uses to landfill gas migration is considered to be low. At
the site entrance/ exit, container offices would be provided. Appropriate design of the container
offices such as by supporting the containers above a hollow platform would
avoid accumulation of landfill gas.
4.5.4
The nature of the project will not
require any significant excavation activities. The reclaimed site is topographically flat and the chance of
encountering leachate seepage within the site is considered minimal.
4.6.1
The project site occupies a reclaimed
land without existing trees onsite.
The existing site area located to the south of Lung Mun Road is
dominated by industrial elements with low landscape quality and sensitivity to
change. Potential impact on the
existing landscape value of the site is not identified to be a concern.
4.6.2
The nearest high-rise residential
buildings at Melody Garden and Butterfly Estate are situated at more than 2km to
the east of the site and view angle to the site is limited by foothills present
between the site and these developments.
Given the vast distance separation, limited view angle and the limited
height of the fill bank, it is not anticipated that the establishment,
operation and decommissioning of the fill bank will give rise to any
significant visual impact on these Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs).
4.6.3
Workers in the nearby factories, G/IC
and road users at Lung Mun Road could be affected visually from the increased
amount of fill being stored on the site due to the effects on the lower level
views from these sites surrounding the fill bank. However, the project is of a temporary nature, and the
height of the stockpile would only build up gradually (from April 2003 to
February 2005) and up to a maximum height of 30m above ground. The build up of the stockpiling height
will also be controlled by the early commencement of the decommissioning of the
fill bank in July 2003 upon operation of the PBR2 Sorting Facility. The fill
bank would not receive further fill material from March 2005 onwards and the
fill bank height would be reduced during the decommissioning phase of the
project. The buffer provided
between the nearby VSRs and the fill bank will also be optimised by the
platform-by-platform approach in the build up of the fill bank, with the higher
platforms located at further distance away from the VSRs. The magnitude of change arising from
the project is considered to be small.
4.6.4
Views from the industrial buildings
located to the east of the site will be partially blocked by containers and
huge machineries. The fill bank is set back from the existing industrial
buildings located to the west of the site. A buffer area will be provided between the fill bank stockpiling
area and Lung Mun Road where low-rise site facilities, site office and the main
access road will be located.
Drivers and passengers of vehicles using Lung Mun Road are in transit
and the number of persons is relatively small. Pedestrians using Lung Mun Road are identified to be very
limited. Views of the drivers,
passengers and pedestrians to the site are also partially blocked by the
existing roadside planting and the site hoarding provided along the northern
perimeter of the site. The sensitivity
to change of these VSRs is considered to be low and the degree of unmitigated
visual impact on these VSRs is considered slight.
4.6.5
Notwithstanding these, it is planned
to apply additional landscape/ visual control measures in form of applying
hydroseeding or coloured geo-textile matting (dark green/brown) to the final
slope surfaces as they are formed on the eastern, northern and western sides of
the fill bank. Along the northern
perimeter of the site where space permits, a buffer tree planting strip is also
planned to further soften the landscape.
4.6.6
The design, colour and finish of
structures at the fill bank should be such that they are visually
recessive. Reflectivity should be
reduced through selection of material or surface treatment. The surface colour
selected should be of an earthy tone with strong natural qualities (e.g. green/
grey/ brown). Use of bold colour
schemes should be avoided. CED has
planned to apply similar chromatic treatment for the offsite temporary PBR2
Sorting Facility and the C&DMSF.
4.6.7
The fill bank will be in operation
from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Several spotlights would be used for illumination for works at the fill
bank and the nearby PBR2 Sorting Facility, C&DMSF and C&DMRF during the
evening time works. In view of the
operating hours of the fill bank and the nearby facilities, long distance
separation between the fill bank and the high-rise residential buildings, and
the limited view angle from the VSRs, the visual impact from night-time glare
during the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank would
be negligible.
4.7.1
Establishment of the fill bank will
not require any substantial work activities. Limited quantity of non-inert waste generated will be
disposed of properly by delivery to landfill. Excavated material not required for backfilling generated
from the construction of the surface drainage channels will be stored within
the public fill storage area such that offsite disposal will not be
required.
4.7.2
The fill bank is designed for temporary
storage of inert public fill and will not accept municipal and chemical waste
material. This is implemented
through the dumping licence conditions which require that materials delivered
to public filling facilities are free from household refuse, plastic, animal
and vegetable matter, etc. In the
handling of the public fill delivered to the site such as laying and compaction
of fill material, the filling supervisor will require the C&D waste to be
separated and collected as far as possible for disposal to landfill.
4.8.1
The proposed fill bank will occupy a
newly reclaimed site. The site is
bound by Lung Mun Road. To the
east and west of the site are existing and planned industrial landuses. Given the disturbed nature of the site and
its immediate surrounding environment, existing ecological resources are
lacking. It is therefore
considered that the implementation of the fill bank will unlikely pose any
ecological impact of concern.
5.1.1
As noted from the evaluation in the
previous section, environmental protection measures with respect to fugitive
dust emission, water quality, landfill gas, landscape and visual aspects are
planned to be incorporated into the design of the project. These planned environmental protection
measures are described in detail in Attachment I and the environmental
implications after the implementation of these measures are evaluated below.
Fugitive Dust Control
Measures
5.1.2
Any works that involve the stockpiling
of dusty materials are regulated under the Air Pollution Control
(Construction Dust) Regulation as regulatory work. The dust control measures required
under the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation should be
implemented during the establishment, operation and decommissioning phases of
the fill bank.
5.1.3
The fill bank is planned on a site
that is situated away from most air sensitive receivers including all
residential developments and active recreational uses. Dust control measures have been
recommended based on the requirements in the Regulation. These measures are standard measures
that are proven to be effective in controlling fugitive dust emissions. The
dust control measures include the designation of an area of 100m x 100m in the
north-eastern corner of the stockpiling area as a “truckload control
zone”. Quantitative assessment
with the use of numerical air quality modelling has demonstrated that with the
application of these dust control measures, the potential fugitive dust
emission impact can be controlled to acceptable levels. Details of the dust control measures
planned for mitigating the potential dust impact on the nearby existing and
planned factories are presented in Attachment I. The implementation of the dust control measures will be
checked by an EM&A programme.
5.1.4
An Environmental Team (ET) shall be
appointed to carry out the recommended EM&A. An Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) shall also be
appointed to carry out independent environmental audit of the project. The ET
shall follow a sampling frequency of at least one in every six days in carrying
out 24-hr TSP monitoring. For 1-hr TSP monitoring, a sampling frequency of at
least three times per day in every six days should be undertaken during the
hours when the highest dust impact is predicted to occur (i.e. when the truck
flows are relatively high during a day).
As the fill bank peak operating hour is expected to occur at
approximately 11:00a.m. to 12:00 hour, that hour should be covered in the
1-hour TSP monitoring.
5.1.5
Figure 10 shows the indicative
locations recommended for setting up the dust monitoring stations (A1 and
A2). A1 was selected to monitor
the TSP levels at River Trade Terminal and A2 selected to measure the TSP
levels at the nearest existing/ planned Air Sensitive Receivers to the western
boundary of the site. The location
for A2 will be subject to the alignment of the western boundary of the fill bank
and will be set back towards the east when the Recovery Park Phase II occupies
part of the fill bank site. The ET
may like to propose alternative monitoring locations taking into consideration
of the latest status, availability and/or accessibility of the various possible
monitoring locations. The
alternative monitoring locations proposed by the ET shall be approved by the
Engineer’s Representative and agreed by the Independent Environmental Checker
(IEC).
5.1.6
Baseline monitoring shall be carried
out by the ET in at least one of the recommended monitoring stations for at
least 14 consecutive days to obtain daily 24-hr TSP samples. 1-hr sampling shall also be done at
least 3 times per day during daytime when the highest dust impact would be
anticipated during the operational phase of the fill bank (i.e. when the truck
flows are high). One of the three
1-hour TSP monitoring shall cover the fill bank operational peak predicted at
11:00a.m. to 12:00 hour.
5.1.7
The baseline monitoring of 1-hr and
24-hr TSP concentrations shall form the basis for determining the action/ limit
levels for the impact monitoring as illustrated in Table 5-1. The ET shall compare the impact
monitoring results with the action/ limit levels. The limit levels for 24-hr
TSP and 1-hr TSP monitoring shall be 260 and 500mg/m3,
respectively. In case
of non-compliance with the action or limit level, actions shall be triggered
under the EM&A programme to ensure that measures are taken to ameliorate
any identified dust impact to within acceptable levels.
Table 5-1 Establishment
of Action and Limit Levels for TSP Monitoring
|
Parameters
|
Action
|
Limit
|
|
24 Hour TSP Level in mg/m³
|
For baseline level £ 200 mg/m³,
Action level = (Baseline level x 1.3 + Limit level) /2;
For baseline level > 200 mg/m³,
Action level = Limit level;
|
260 mg/m³
|
|
1 Hour TSP Level in mg/m³
|
For baseline level £ 384 mg/m³,
Action level = (Baseline level x 1.3 + Limit level) /2;
For baseline level > 384 mg/m³,
Action level = Limit level;
|
500mg/m³
|
Noise Management
5.1.8
It was evaluated that noise generated
from the use of Powered Mechanical Equipment during the establishment,
operation and decommissioning of the fill bank will unlikely pose any significant
noise impact on the surrounding NSRs due to the vast distance separation. Notwithstanding this, as good site
practices, noise management measures are recommended to be implemented by the
contractor during the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill
bank. The recommended noise
management control measures are presented in Attachment I.
Water Quality Control
Measures
5.1.9
Potential water quality impact during
the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank shall be controlled
with the following as design principles:
·
Prevent
or minimise the likelihood of the identified pollutants being in contact with
rainfall or runoff; and
·
Measures
to abate pollutants in the stormwater runoff.
5.1.10
These shall be achieved by
implementation of practicable measures to control point and non-point sources
of discharges as Best Management Practices (BMPs). Given the similar nature of the activities during the
establishment, operation and decommissioning phases of the fill bank, the
guidelines for handling and disposal of construction site discharges as
detailed in EPD ProPECC Note PN1/94 “Construction Site Drainage” shall be
followed. The water pollution
control measures to be incorporated into the design of the fill bank are as
described in Attachment I.
5.1.11
All activities associated with the
establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank are
land-based. With the
implementation of the planned water pollution control measures, it is expected
that the potential water quality impact can be controlled to within acceptable
levels. The implementation of the water quality pollution control measures will
be checked by an EM&A programme.
5.1.12
CED is currently implementing a
comprehensive water quality monitoring programme as part of the Contract
CV/2000/01 – Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage 2. Water quality monitoring shall continue after the
termination of the existing EM&A programme carried out for Tuen Mun Area 38
Reclamation, Stage 2. The ET shall
monitor the water quality parameters including turbidity (in NTU), dissolved
oxygen (in mg/l) and suspended solids (in mg/l) such that any deterioration in
water quality attributable to the operation at the fill bank can be identified
and actions are taken timely to rectify the situation.
5.1.13
Figure 11 shows the indicative
locations of the control stations (FC1 and FC2) and impact monitoring stations
(FM1 and FM2). If the ET
leader would like to propose alternative locations for the impact and control
monitoring stations, he shall seek prior approval from the IEC and DEP.
5.1.14
Instead of carrying out actual
monitoring before the project begin, the baseline water quality conditions can
be established by a review of the existing water quality monitoring data
obtained under the ongoing EM&A programme carried out for Tuen Mun Area 38
reclamation, stage 2.
5.1.15
Impact monitoring shall be taken under
two tidal conditions (mid-flood and mid-ebb) at 3 water depths, namely, 1m
below water surface, mid-depth and 1m above seabed, except where the water depth
is less than 6m when the mid-depth station may be omitted. Impact monitoring
shall be undertaken by the ET at a frequency of three days per week. The interval between two sets of
monitoring shall not be less than 36 hours except where there are exceedances
of Action and/or Limit levels, in which case the monitoring frequency shall be
increased.
5.1.16
The action and limit levels under the
EM&A shall be established for the project with account of the baseline
water quality, impact and control stations monitoring results and specific
limit levels as illustrated in Table 5-2.
Table 5-2 Establishment of Action and
Limit Levels for Water Quality Monitoring
|
Parameters
|
Action
|
Limit
|
|
DO in mg/l
(Surface, Middle & Bottom)
|
Surface & Middle
5%-ile of baseline data for surface and middle layer
Bottom
5%-ile of baseline data for bottom layer
|
Surface
& Middle
4
mg/l except 5 mg/l for Fish Culture Zone (FCZ) or
1%-ile
of baseline data for surface and middle layer
Bottom
2
mg/l or
1%-ile of baseline data for bottom
layer
|
|
SS in mg/l
(depth-averaged)
|
95%-ile of baseline data or 120% of upstream control station’s SS at
the same tide of the same day
|
99%-ile of baseline, 130% of upstream control
station's SS at the same tide of the same day and specific sensitive receiver
water quality requirements
|
|
Turbidity (Tby) in NTU
(depth-averaged)
|
95%-ile of baseline data or 120% of upstream control station's Tby at
the same tide of the same day
|
99%-ile of baseline or 130% of upstream control station's Tby at the
same tide of the same day
|
5.1.17
Should non-compliance of the action or
limit levels occurs, the ET should review and identify the potential source(s)
of the impact, devise and implement appropriate mitigate measures in a
collaborative manner.
Landfill Gas Control
Measures
5.1.18
As a landfill gas control measure, the
container offices provided at the site entrance/ exit will be supported above a
hallow platform or equivalent measure will be provided to effect passive
ventilation and avoid accumulation of landfill gas beneath the container
office. Other landfill gas control
measures, as well as leachate management measures, are as described in
Attachment I.
5.1.19
With the provision of these landfill
gas control measures, the risk from landfill gas and leachate migration will be
reduced to acceptable levels.
5.1.20
A landfill gas monitoring programme
should be formulated by the Safety Officer/ Supervisor of the contractor. The Safety Officer/ Supervisor shall
carry out periodic monitoring when there are activities such as excavation and
trenching at locations within the consultation zone of the restored Siu Lang
Shui landfill. The Safety Officer/
Supervisor should be present onsite throughout the periods when there are any
excavation works undertaken within the consultation zone of the closed Siu Lang
Siu Landfill.
5.1.21
The Safety Officer/ Supervisor should
be provided with an intrinsically safe portable instrument(s), appropriately
calibrated and capable of measuring methane, carbon dioxide and oxygen in the
specified ranges. The Safety
Officer/ Supervisor shall initiate appropriate actions such as posting “no
smoking” signs and prohibition of hot works in region with high levels of
methane, carbon dioxide or oxygen monitored.
Landscape and Visual
Impact
5.1.22
The evaluation presented in the
preceding section identified that direct impact on the landscape resources of
the site from the project is not a concern. The nearest high-rise residential buildings are located at
significant distances away from the site such that the potential visual impact
on these VSRs are considered negligible.
5.1.23
Given the temporary nature of the
project, buffer incorporated into the design of the fill bank, limited height
of the fill bank, that the height of the fill bank will only build up
gradually, and the relatively short duration of exposure of the nearby VSRs,
the unmitigated visual impact on the nearby workers and road users is
considered slight. Visual impact
control measures are planned in terms of applying hydroseeding or coloured
geo-textile matting (dark green/ brown) on the final slope surfaces of the fill
bank as they are formed along the eastern, northern and western sides of the
fill bank.
5.1.24
To further soften the landscape, a
buffer tree planting strip will also be provided along the northern perimeter
of the site where space permits (see Figure 12). A row of approximately 3m high native evergreen tree species
with a tall habit such as the tree Casuarina equisetifolia will be
planted at the early establishment/ operational phase of the project. To ensure
the proper implementation of these measures, the contractor will be required to
hire a Government approved landscape sub-contractor to undertake and maintain
the hydroseeding and tree planting works.
The landscape and visual control measures are included into the list of
environmental control measures in Attachment I.
5.1.25
The project site is situated in an
undeveloped newly reclaimed land with some nearby industrial premises. The site is situated at significant
distance away from residential developments. With the provision of the planned landscape/visual impact
control measures, the potential impact would be controlled to within acceptable
levels.
Environmental Problem
Avoided
5.2.1
The proposed fill bank will provide an
outlet for temporary storage of a total quantity of 4.9 million cubic metres
public fill for subsequent reuse in reclamation projects. Without the proposed fill bank, there
will be a significant shortfall in public filling capacity in the territory and
the likely consequence is that a large quantity of reusable inert public fill
may inevitably need to be disposed of to landfills. The landfill spaces are expensive and designed for disposal
of municipal waste and have been spent far more rapidly than originally planned
for. The disposal of reusable
public fill to the landfills should therefore be avoided as far as possible.
5.2.2
The beneficial reuse of public fill in
reclamation projects (and earth filling projects) will reduce the reliance of
these projects on general fill.
Thus, the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38 would help to conserve
the natural resources through minimising earth borrowing activities and marine
sand extraction. Provision of
stable outlets on public fill for the construction industry is also important
as a measure to discourage generation of mixed C&D material at construction
sites as well as illegal dumping, and encourage onsite sorting of C&D
material for their subsequent reuse at public filling areas.
Environmental
Protection Measures Provided
5.2.3
The fill bank will be of temporary
nature and the decommissioning programme of the fill bank has considered the
programme of the longer term uses planned in Tuen Mun Area 38. The fill bank site selected is located
away from all residential areas with the nearest residential developments
situated at more than 2 km from the site.
The project may affecte a localised area and adequate environmental
protection measures have been considered and incorporated into the design of
and work activities at the fill bank to reduce the identified potential
environmental impacts to acceptable levels. The implementation of the environmental mitigation measures
shall be checked by an Environmental Team and audited by an Independent
Environmental Checker (IEC).
5.3.1
CED has developed a fill bank of
similar nature in Tseung Kwan O Area 137. This fill bank has commenced operation in October this
year.
5.4.1
Reference has been made to the
Environmental Impact Assessment carried out under Agreement No. CE 57/2001 Environmental
and Traffic Impact Assessment Study for Fill Bank at Tseung Kwan O Area 137. Details of this approved EIA report are
listed below:
Title of the approved
EIA report
5.4.2
Environmental and Traffic Impact
Assessment Study for Fill Bank at Tseung Kwan O Area 137 – Environmental Impact
Assessment Report.
Date of Approval
5.4.3
The EIA Report was approved on 27 June
2002 (DEP’s letter of approval dated 27 June 2002 of reference (40) in Ax (5)
to EP 2/N8/C/23 II refers).
Environmental aspects
addressed in the approved EIA Report
5.4.4
The key environmental aspects
addressed in the approved EIA report include air quality, noise, water quality,
landfill gas hazard, as well as landscape and visual.
Key findings of the
approved EIA Report
5.4.5
The approved EIA report identified
that the environmental impacts were identified to be either within acceptable
levels, or where mitigation measures are necessary, the environmental
mitigation measures incorporated into the design of and work activities at the
fill bank will mitigate the environmental impacts to within acceptable
levels. The approved EIA report
carried out for the fill bank at Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Area 137, which is also
located in a mixed undeveloped/ industrial environment as the proposed fill
bank at Tuen Mun Area 38, demonstrated that with the provision of appropriate
environmental mitigation measures in the establishment, operation and
decommissioning of the fill bank, the implementation of the project would
unlikely pose any unacceptable environmental impact.
Measures recommended
in the approved EIA report and their Relevance of such findings to this Project
5.4.6
Air Quality Impact – the EIA identified fugitive dust emission to be the key concern and
dust mitigation measures were recommended following the requirements stipulated
in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation. Similar dust control measures have been
considered and incorporated into the design of the proposed fill bank at Tuen
Mun Area 38.
5.4.7
Noise –
the EIA recommended the provision of a marine based transportation route for
public fill intake at TKO Area 137 during the operational phase and removal of
public fill during the decommissioning phase to minimise the potential truckload
noise impact. Similar barging
facilities will also be provided at Tuen Mun Area 38 during the operation and
decommissioning phases of the fill bank.
5.4.8
Water Quality – the EIA recommended the provision of control measures as best
management practices to abate the potential water quality impact from non-point
sources discharge. Similar water
quality control measures have been considered and incorporated into the design
of the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38.
5.4.9
Landfill Gas Hazard – part of the fill bank at Tseung Kwan O Area 137 is lying within
the 250m consultation zone of the South East New Territories (SENT)
landfill. The EIA report
recommended that no underground drainage and sewerage system shall be
constructed within the consultation zone, and container offices provided within
the consultation zone shall be constructed on a raised hollow platform. Similar landfill gas protection
measures have been derived for the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38.
5.4.10
Landscape and Visual – the EIA report recommended appropriate fill bank design and slope
treatment in form of hydroseeding or use of coloured geo-textile matting as
well as chromatic treatment of the onsite C&D Material Sorting
Facility. The fill bank design
allows the fill bank to mimic the ridgeline of the Country Park and slopes down
towards the coastline as occurs naturally to minimise the visual impact at the
VSRs. Similar landscape/ visual control measures have been designed for
implementation for the proposed fill bank at Tuen Mun Area 38.
5.4.11
The EIA report carried out for the
fill bank at TKO Area 137 concluded that with the implementation of these
measures, the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the fill bank
will unlikely pose any unacceptable environmental impact. An Environmental Permit (No.
EP-134/2002) was issued by the Authority for the construction, operation and
decommissioning of the fill bank.
Project
Summary
6.1.1
This section presents a summary table
presenting the key background and project design information, degree of impacts
from the project and evaluation of acceptability, and where environmental
control/ mitigation measures are recommended, the evaluation of acceptability
of the residual environmental impact with reference to the relevant guidelines
and criteria specified in the EIAO-TM.
6.1.2
As presented in the sections above and
the summary Table 6-1, all relevant environmental factors associated with the
establishment, operation and decommissioning of the proposed fill bank have
been evaluated in this project profile.
The review indicated that the environmental impacts associated with the
project are unlikely to be adverse.
And where environmental mitigation measures are identified necessary and
recommended, effective and practicable environmental control/ mitigation
measures that have been demonstrated in practices, have been recommended to
mitigate the potential environmental impact to acceptable levels to meet the
guidelines and criteria of the EIAO-TM.
Table 6-1 Fill
Bank Project Summary Table
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Background
Information
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·
The local construction industry generates large
quantity of construction and demolition (C&D) material each year; major
portion of C&D material is inert material and have been used beneficially
in reclamation and earth filling projects;
·
Use of public fill in reclamation and earth filling
projects reduces demand on general fill and help to conserve natural
resources;
·
There will be a significant shortfall in public fill
receiving capacity from 2002 to 2005;
·
CED proposes to establish, operate and decommission
a temporary fill bank on a 35 hectare site located in Tuen Mun Area 38. A similar fill bank is established in
Tseung Kwan O Area 137;
·
Without the proposed fill bank, large quantity of
reusable and inert public fill may inevitably need to be disposed of to
landfills, including WENT.
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Project
Design
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·
Establishment works are planned to commence in March
2003 for intake of public fill from April 2003 though February 2005. No further public fill intake is
planned after February 2005.
Removal of stockpiled material would begin in July 2003 upon operation
of the temporary Public Fill Sorting Facility for Penny’s Bay Reclamation
Stage 2 (PBR2 Sorting Facility).
The fill bank will be fully decommissioned by February 2008;
·
The proposed fill bank will accommodate
approximately 4.9 million cubic metres of public fill. The fill bank will be filled up to a
maximum height of 30m above ground (i.e. approximately +35mPD);
·
Key activities during the establishment phase will
involve site clearance, setting up of machinery and temporary structures at
the barge handling area for loading/ unloading of public fill to/ from
barges; construction of drainage facilities including trapezoidal surface
drainage channels, modification of existing wheel washing facilities,
installation of weighbridges and construction of site offices;
·
The fill bank will be in operation from 8:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m. daily except during the Chinese New Year holidays. Both land-based and marine-based
access will be provided in the operation of the fill bank. Decommissioning of the fill bank will
rely mainly on a marine route via delivery of fill material to the Penny’s
Bay Reclamation Stage 2 and other reclamation sites.
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Surrounding
Environment
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·
The fill bank site is situated in an undeveloped,
newly reclaimed land with some nearby industrial premises. The nearest residential developments are
situated at more than 2 km from the site. On the opposite side of Lung Mun Road is the restored Siu
Lang Shui landfill. An area of 3
hectares at the northern tip of the site is situated within the 250m
consultation zone of the restored landfill;
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Degree of
Environmental Impact and Acceptability of Mitigated Impact
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Air
Quality
·
Tuen Mun Area 38 has been operated as a public
filling area. TSP monitoring is
carried out routinely on every 6-calendar days as part of an Environmental Monitoring
and Audit Programme. The average 1-hr and 24-hr TSP concentrations monitored
from September 01 to August 02 were 215 mg/m3
and 122 mg/m3 respectively, which are well below
the 1-hr and 24-hr TSP criteria. The air quality modelling revealed that truck
movement is the major source of dust contributor. As the number of trucks in the operation of the fill bank
will be similar to the existing operation of the public filling area, the
dust monitoring results demonstrated that the potential dust impact would be
surmountable and readily controlled to within acceptable levels though
application of standard dust control measures;
·
Dust control measures have been recommended for
implementation during the establishment, operation and decommissioning of the
fill bank (see Attachment I for details). These measures are based on those described in the Air Pollution
Control (Construction Dust) Regulation which
have been demonstrated to be effective in controlling fugitive dust
emissions;
·
The air quality modelling of the worst-case
scenarios demonstrated quantitatively that with the implementation of the
recommended dust control measures, the mitigated highest 1-hr TSP and 24-hr
average TSP concentrations at the ASRs would be within the acceptable levels
specified in the EIAO-TM;
·
Implementation of the dust control measures
implemented by the contractor will be checked through the recommended
Environmental Monitoring and Audit Programme.
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Noise
Impact
·
Construction works will be carried out during the
non-restricted hours. Operation
and decommissioning of the fill bank will not be carried out from 8:00 p.m.
to 8:00 a.m. the next day;
·
Given the vast distance separation between the NSRs
and the proposed fill bank, use of Powered Mechanical Equipment during the establishment,
operation and decommissioning of the fill bank will unlikely pose any
significant noise impact exceeding the noise criteria specified in the
EIAO-TM. Notwithstanding this, noise management measures have been
recommended as good site practices (see Attachment I for details);
·
A marine-based access will be provided at the fill
bank to allow the delivery of public fill by barges from the two barging
points on the Hong Kong Island and thus minimise cross-district truck
traffic;
·
In the presence of the other existing and planned
public filling facilities, daily truck flow using the fill bank was estimated
to be about 600 vehicles per day.
It was estimated that the maximum truck volume would not be more than
1,200 vehicles per day, or 156 veh/hr during the peak hour. The truck traffic
generated from the operation of the proposed fill bank will be more or less
the same as currently encountered in the operation of the public filling area
in Tuen Mun Area 38. A significant portion of existing traffic has been
diverted to use the new Lung Fu Road from Lung Mun Road. Lung Fu Road is provided with traffic
noise mitigation measures (setback, low noise surfacing and noise barriers). Wong Chu Road connected with Lung Fu
Road is also provided with noise enclosures and barriers. With the provision of the new Lung Fu
Road and the associated traffic noise mitigation measures, future operation
of the fill bank will unlikely generate any unacceptable traffic related
environmental impacts.
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Water
Quality Impact
·
Activities during the establishment, operation and
decommissioning phases of the fill bank will be land-based. Establishment works will only involve
minor earthmoving/ excavation activities. Potential water quality impact
would be associated with erosion of stockpiled material and accidental
dropping of material during the transfer of fill material to the site by
barges, if unmitigated;
·
Sufficient water pollution control measures have
been recommended, including the provision of trapezoidal surface channels to
intercept polluted surface runoff for treatment within sand/ de-silting traps
before discharge, buffer zone between the stockpiling area and the seafront,
protection of temporary and final slope surfaces, and use of specified
transfer methods in delivery of material from barges, etc. (see Attachment I
for details).
·
The recommended water pollution control measures
have been used in other projects and their effectiveness have been
demonstrated in practice. The implementation of the planned water pollution
control measures will control the potential water quality impact to within
acceptable levels.
·
Implementation of the water pollution control
measures will be checked through an Environmental Monitoring and Audit
Programme.
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Landfill
Gas Hazard
·
Landfill gas monitoring data at source revealed that
methane concentrations were mostly at or below 1% v/v. Facilities planned within a 3 hectare
area situated within the 250m consultation zone of the restored Siu Lang Shui
landfill include the existing access road, wheel washing bay, weighbridges,
public fill stockpiling area and surface drainage channel. The sensitivity of
these uses to landfill gas migration is evaluated to be low;
·
Main site offices of the fill bank will be
constructed outside the region lying within the 250m consltation zone of the
restored Siu Lang Shui landfill.
No underground drainage and sewerage system including underground
pipelines and chambers will be constructed within the region lying within the
consultation zone. Access to the
fill bank by the general public will be restricted. Container office(s) at
the site entrance/ exit situated within the consultation zone will be
constructed on a raised hollow platform to avoid the trapping of landfill
gas. Other landfill gas control
measures, as well as leachate management measures, are as described in
Attachment I.
·
With the provision of these landfill gas control
measures, the risk from landfill gas and leachate migration will be
controlled to within acceptable levels.
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Landscape
and Visual Impact
·
The project site is a newly reclaimed land without
existing trees. Potential impact
on existing landscape value of the site is not identified as a concern;
·
Nearest high-rise residential buildings at Melody
Garden and Butterfly Estate are situated at more than 2km from the site, and
with limited angle of view to the fill bank. Workers in the nearby factories, G/IC and road users at
Lung Mun Road could be affected visually with respect to the lower level
views from these sites. However,
given the temporary nature of the project, limited height of the fill bank,
short duration of exposure of these VSRs to fill bank and that the height of
the fill bank will only be developed gradually platform by platform, the
potential visual impact on these VSRs is not considered to be significant;
·
Notwithstanding this, visual control measures,
including the application of hydroseeding or coloured geo-textile matting
(dark green/ brown) on the slope surfaces of the fill bank will minimise any
potential visual impact to acceptable range;
·
To further soften the landscape, a buffer tree
planting strip will also be provided along the northern perimeter of the site
where space permits (see Figure 12). A row of approximately 3m high native evergreen tree
species with a tall habit such as the tree Casuarina equisetifolia
will be planted at the early establishment/ operational phase of the project.
The contractor will be required to hire a Government approved landscape
sub-contractor to undertake and maintain the hydroseeding and tree planting
works.
·
The design, colour and finish of structures at the
fill bank should be visually recessive.
Reflectivity should be reduced and bold colour scheme should be
avoided.
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Waste
Management
·
The fill bank will not accept waste material. This will be implemented through the
existing dumping licence conditions which require that materials delivered to
public filling facilities are free from household refuse, plastic, animal and
vegetable matter, etc.;
·
In the handling of the public fill delivered to the
site such as laying and compaction of fill material, the filling supervisor
will require the C&D waste identified to be separated and collected for
disposal to landfill.
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Ecological
Impact
·
The fill bank will occupy a newly reclaimed site and
surrounded by industrial landuses to the east and west of the site. Given the disturbed nature of the
site and its immediate surrounding environment, existing ecological resources
are lacking. Implementation of
the fill bank will unlikely pose any ecological impact of concern.
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Figure
1 Key
Plan showing Site Location and Layout Plan showing the Preliminary Design of the
Fill Bank
Figure 2 Sectional
View of the Proposed Fill Bank
Figure 3 Preliminary
Development Programme of the Fill Bank
Figure 4 Longer
Term Land Uses in Tuen Mun Area 38 under Planning
Figure 5 Extracts
of Outline Zoning Plan (S/TM/16)
Figure 6 Consultation
Zone of the Restored Siu Lang Shui Landfill
Figure 7 Truckload
Control Zone Recommended as a Dust Control Measure
Figure
8 Location of the
existing TSP Monitoring Station under Tuen Mun Area 38 Reclamation, Stage 2
Figure
9 Existing Traffic
Noise Mitigation Measures provided at Lung Fu Road and Wong Chu Road
Figure
10 Indicative
Locations of the Proposed TSP Monitoring Stations
Figure 11 Indicative
Locations of the Recommended Control and Impact Water Quality Monitoring
Stations
Figure
12 Buffer Planting
Strip along the Northern Perimeter of the Site
