12.1
While the
Cyberport can continue to be constructed using concrete delivered by barges or
by land to the site from an off-site concrete batching plant, there are
obviously overall environmental benefits of setting up an on-site concrete
batching plant. The approved EIA report has assessed the potential impact
without this proposed plant. However, it has been shown above that with
appropriate mitigation measures, adverse impacts due to the additional plant
are unlikely to occur.
In addition, as the concrete batching plant is
constructed on top of a concrete slab, land contamination will not be expected
during decommissioning.
Besides, during decommissioning of the proposed concrete
batching plant, the
noise and air quality impacts will be much lower than those in the construction and operation phases.
In terms of the
air quality impacts, it is anticipated the dust impacts arising from the
construction phase of the plant is insignificant, given the short construction
period of the plant (< 120 days).
The net dust impact during the operation of the plant are
well below the EIAO-TM Criterion for 1-hour TSP and Air Quality Objective (AQO)
respectively with the built-in dust suppression measures for the batching
plant. However, additional dust suppression measures such as speed control of
dump trucks and increased watering of the site and haul roads will be required
to meet the criteria arising from the cumulative effects of then plant with the
concurrent construction works at the site.
In terms of
noise impact, the construction of the concrete batching plant is considered to
produce short-term and minor impact.
The operational
noise impact from the plant is also minor. However, the concurrent construction
activities and the batching plant could have some cumulative noise impacts at
certain noise sensitive receivers, including domestic premises and educational
institutions, and would exceed the respective construction noise limits.
Mitigation measures are required to comply with the noise criteria at the
nearby domestic premises, as well as the schools.
Construction of
the batching plant will result in the generation of very limited quantities of
wastes and materials and these are unlikely to be a cause for concern.
A concrete
recycling machine will be installed on-site to recycle concrete waste in order
to reduce material consumption and waste generation. Concrete waste material will be broken down into slurry water and
aggregates. Sludge will be generated
during the recycling process and will require off-site disposal.
Limited amounts of
chemical wastes, such as fuel and lubrication oils, will be generated from the
operation of the plant. These will be stored and disposed in accordance with
the chemical waste regulations. As such, no adverse environmental impacts are
expected.
Limited surface
run-off with grouting, cement materials and lubrication oils, etc, from the
site during construction of the plant may affect the coastal water off the
site. Good site management practices and the implementation of a construction
site drainage system that includes sediment removal facilities will be required
to meet the water quality objectives.
Temporary sanitary facilities such as portable chemical
toilets will be required to treat the domestic sewage from the workforce. No water quality impact is anticipated.
All water used within
the concrete batching plant will be collected, stored and recycled to reduce
resource consumption. This includes water used in the concrete batching
process, truck cleaning, yard cleaning and spraying. As no wastewater will be discharged outside the boundary of the
plant, there will not be any potential water quality impacts associated with
the operation of the facility.
The proposed
plant will be partially screened by an existing earth mound. As the main
building works progress, high-rise buildings will be erected on the site to
further reduce the view of the plant from the sensitive receivers at Baguio
Villa and the visual impact of the concrete batching plant will be much
reduced. Therefore, the visual impact of the concrete batching plant on the
sensitive receivers can be considered as minor.
An Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual has
been prepared to provide the necessary mechanism to ensure the compliance with
all environmental regulations currently in force in the HKSAR. This includes a
real-time monitoring network to provide 24-hr noise and TSP data for subsequent
posting to the web for public viewing.