It is anticipated
that site investigation and laboratory analysis will be completed within four
to five weeks from the date of approval of the CAP. The CAR will be submitted to the EPD for approval within
three weeks after the completion of the laboratory analysis.
The overall
assessment will comprise the following activities:
·
Required
revision and endorsement of the CAP by EPD (2 weeks);
·
Mobilisation
of the subcontractor and contracting analytical laboratory (about two weeks);
·
Field
sampling programme (about seven days);
·
Analytical
programme/laboratory turnaround (normal turnaround time is expected two weeks);
·
Assessment
and reporting of results in a CAR, including, if required, development of a
remedial action plan (RAP). The
CAR will include all laboratory testing results of chemical analyses and TCLP testing; and
·
In the event
that landfill disposal is proposed for contaminated soil materials, prior
agreement will need to be reached with the EPD and the application accompanied
by the RAP and the TCLP test results.
No demolition
works involving excavation will be conducted at the project area before the
assessment and the necessary remediation works have been completed.
A CAR will be
prepared after obtaining analytical results from the laboratory. The report will present the findings of
the CAP and site investigation assessment (including the methodology used
during the soil and groundwater sampling and details of field observations such
as visual observations made during the investigation).
As there are
currently no legislative standards requiring clean up of soil and groundwater
contamination in Hong Kong, the analytical results will be compared against
international standards for soil and groundwater contamination (ie Dutch
Guideline Values). Of note is that
the Dutch “B” values are currently being used as the soil cleanup target for
most cases in Hong Kong. Soil with
contaminants exceeding such values is considered as contaminated and needs to
be remediated to below that level.
Based on the on-site observations and the quantitative sampling results
received, professional judgement will be provided regarding soil and
groundwater contamination, and the necessity of any mitigation measures.
The CAR will be
prepared and submitted to the EPD.
If necessary, a
RAP will be prepared in consultation with the EPD, with the objective of
mitigating the Site to an agreed upon condition. Any proposed mitigation recommendations will be considered
under several factors including nature of the contamination, degree of the
contamination, the potential receiver, time allocation, treatment cost and
availability of local expertise for undertaking the treatment in accordance
with the ProPECC PN 3/94.
The RAP will also outline requirements for construction workers to
follow to limit potential future exposures.
The results of
the sampling programme, the report, and the objectives of the RAP will be
submitted to EPD. It should be
noted that no estimate of the time frame for any mitigation is presented at
this time.