4                                            Programme Schedule & Reporting

4.1                                      Programme Schedule

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.

 

4.2                                      Assessment and Reporting

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.