1.1.1 The purpose of this Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual is to provide systematic procedures for monitoring, auditing and minimizing of the environmental impacts associated with the construction works and operational activities, so as to ensure compliance with environmental performance requirements. Hong Kong environmental regulations for air, noise and waste, the Hong Kong Environmental Planning Standards and Guidelines, and recommendations in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study report on the project "Instruction No. CE 3/97-10 EIA for Roads D1, D8 and D10" have served as environmental standards and guidelines in the preparation of this Manual. The location and approximate extent of each of the three roads and the extended Road P2 are illustrated in Appendix A.

1.1.2 The Manual contains the following :

1. Responsibilities of the Contractor, the Engineer or Engineer’s Representative (ER), the Environmental Team (ET), and the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) with respect to the EM&A requirements during the course of the project
2. Information on project organisation and programming of construction activities for the project
3. The hypotheses of potential impacts, the basis for, and description of the broad approach underlying the EM&A programme
4. Requirements with respect to the construction schedule and the necessary EM&A programme to track the varying environmental impact
5. The specific questions and testable hypotheses that the monitoring programme is designed to answer
6. Full details of the methodologies to be adopted, including all field, laboratory and analytical procedures, and details on quality assurance and quality control programme
7. The rationale on which the environmental monitoring data will be evaluated and interpreted and the details of the statistical procedures that will be used to interpret the data
8. Definition of action and Limit levels
9. Establishment of Event and Action Plans
10. Requirements of reviewing pollution sources and working procedures required in the event of non-compliance of the environmental criteria and complaints
11. Requirements of presentation of environmental monitoring and appropriate reporting procedures
12. Requirements for review of EIA predictions and effectiveness of the EM&A programme

1.1.3 For the purpose of this manual, the "Engineer" shall refer to the Engineer as defined in the Contract and the Engineer’s Representative (ER), in cases where the Engineer’s powers have been delegated to the ER, in accordance with the Contract. The ET shall refer to the person delegated the role of executing the EM&A requirements. The IEC shall refer to the person delegated the role of checking independently the implementation of EM&A programme by all relevant parties.

1.2.1 The Tseung Kwan O (TKO) area has been identified as one of the strategic growth areas with potential for accommodating additional population. The proposed roads, Roads D1, D8, the Town Centre Link (also referred as D10) and extended Road P2 are proposed in order to provide an efficient means of district transport network.

1.2.2 These roads are in the approved Tseung Kwan O Outline Zoning Plan No. S/TKO/10 dated 25 May 2001. With the first population intake dates for Area 86 in 2004, it is intended that the proposed road works should be completed in phases between 2005 and 2010.

1.2.3 Each of these roads is a Designated Project (DP) under Schedule 2, A.1, of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), which requires an Environmental Permit (EP) to be obtained before any construction works can commence.

1.3.1 The EM&A programme for this study, as identified in the EIA, involves baseline and impact monitoring during construction in the areas of :

• Construction noise

• Air quality

1.3.2 In addition, recommendations are given in this manual on the following areas:

• Impact monitoring of traffic noise during initial commencement of road works;
• Waste management;
• Land fill gas monitoring;
• Water quality (including leachate monitoring and contingency plan for potentially contaminated groundwater); and
• Landscape and visual.

1.4.1 Different level involvement is essential to ensure that the project progresses in an environmental acceptable manner. In general, the parties involved in the project organisation should include :

• Territory Development Department (TDD) (Project Proponent)
• Environmental Protection Department (EPD) (Environmental Regulation Enforcement)
• Engineer Representative (ER) (Project Proponent’s Representative)
• Contractor
• Environmental Team (ET)
• Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)

1.4.2 The proposed project organisation is shown in Figure 1.1. The ET shall not be an associated body of the Contractor while the IEC shall not be an associated body of any of the Contractor, the Consultant of the Project or the ET.

1.4.3 The responsibility of respective parties are:

• Hold ultimate responsibility for the project
• Decision-making authority
• Liaise with EPD with respect to environmental issues

• Statutory body for environmental protection matters in Hong Kong
• Provide mandatory environmental standards
• Consultation board for environmental issues arising from the project

• Supervise the Contractor’s activities and ensure that the requirements in the EM&A Manual are fully complied with
• Inform the Contractor when action is required to reduce impacts in accordance with the Event and Action Plans
• Employ an ET and/or an IEC under the EM&A programme
• Review the EM&A reports submitted by the ET and follow up the recommendations
• Ensure the Contractor is implementing environmental controls and mitigation measures as set out in this Manual as well as any additional measures necessary for compliance with the environmental standards
• Conduct site liaison

• Provide assistance to ET in carrying out monitoring, laboratory analysis and reporting of EM&A
• Submit proposals on mitigation measures in case of exceedances of Action and Limit levels in accordance with the Event and Action Plans
• Implement measures to reduce impact where Action and Limit levels are exceeded
• Adhere to the procedures for carrying out complaint investigation in accordance with the sections 8.3.1 to 8.3.4.

• Implement good site practices and recommended mitigation measures
• Follow reasonable directions given by the ER particularly as a result of the implementation of event/action plan

• Monitor the various environmental parameters as required in the EM&A Manual
• Analyse the EM&A data and review the success of EM&A programme to cost effectively confirm the adequacy of mitigatory measures implemented and the validity of the EIA predictions and to identify any adverse environmental impacts arising
• Carry out site inspection to investigate and audit the Contractor’s site practice, equipment and work methodologies with respect to pollution control and environmental mitigation, and anticipate environmental issues for proactive action before problems arise
• Audit and prepare audit reports on the environmental monitoring data and the site environmental conditions

• Report on the EM&A results to the Contractor, the ER, and the EPD
• Recommend suitable mitigation measures to the Contractor in the case of exceedance of Action and Limit levels in accordance with the Event and Action Plans
• Adhere to the procedures for carrying out complaint investigation in accordance with the sections 8.3.1 to 8.3.4.
• Liaise with the IEC on all environmental performance matters
• Advise the Contractor on environmental improvements, awareness, enhancement matters on site

• Review the EM&A works performed by the ET
• Audit the monitoring activities and results
• Evaluate the EM&A reports submitted by the ET
• Review the proposals for mitigation measures submitted by the Contractor in accordance with the Event and Action Plans
• Adhere to the procedures for carrying out complaint investigation in accordance with sections 8.3.1 to 8.3.4.
• Liaise with the ET on all environmental performance matters
• Carry out random site inspection

• Feedback audit results to ET, ER and EPD

1.4.4 The personnel employed to take up the responsibilities of the ET Leader and IEC shall have relevant professional qualifications in Environmental Sciences or Environmental Engineering, and have sufficient relevant EM&A experience. The ET Leader and IEC should possess at least 7 years experience in EM&A and/or environmental management.

1.4.5 Sufficient and suitably qualified professional and technical staff shall be employed by the respective parties to ensure full compliance with their duties and responsibility, as required under the EM&A programme for the duration of the project. The ET shall not be in any way an associated body of the Contractor.