10                      Environmental Monitoring and Audit Requirements

10.1                 Introduction

10.1.1           This section further elaborates the requirements of EM&A for the Project, based on the assessment results of various environmental issues.

10.1.2           The objectives of carrying out EM&A for the Project include the following:

·        to provide a database against which any environmental impacts of the Project can be determined;

·        to provide an early indication should any of the environmental control measures or practices fail to achieve the acceptable standards;

·        to monitor the performance of the Project and the effectiveness of mitigation measures;

·        to verify the environmental impacts predicted in this EIA;

·        to determine project compliance with regulatory requirements, standards and government policies;

·        to take remedial action if unexpected problems or unacceptable impacts arise; and

·        to provide data to enable an environmental audit.

10.1.3           The following sections summarise the recommended EM&A requirements.  Details of EM&A are provided in a stand-alone EM&A Manual.

10.2                 Air Quality Impact

10.2.1           Negligible dust and odour impact would be anticipated during dredging activities.  Air quality / odour monitoring is not required.  A regular site audit (weekly audit) is proposed to ensure the compliance of the relevant requirements of the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and the implementation of the proposed odour mitigation measure.

10.3                 Noise Impact

10.3.1           If there are any planned NSRs within 300 m from the works area occupied during the dredging period, an EM&A programme should be implemented during the period(s) with predicted occurrence of noisy activities.  All the recommended mitigation measures for daytime normal working activities should be incorporated into the EM&A programme for implementation during dredging. 

10.4                 Water Quality Impact

10.4.1           A water quality monitoring and audit programme will be conducted during dredging operations to verify whether or not impact predictions are representative, and to ensure that all the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.  When monitoring shows unacceptable water quality impact, appropriate mitigation measures, such as changes in the operation of works, will be introduced.    

10.5                 Waste Management Implications

10.5.1           Waste management will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all wastes produced during the dredging operation are handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with the recommended good waste management practices and EPD’s regulations and requirements.  The waste management measures recommended in this EIA report should form the basis of the site Waste Management Plan to be developed by the contractor at the construction stage.

10.5.2           It is recommended that the waste arisings generated during the dredging works should be audited periodically to determine if wastes are being managed in accordance with approved procedures and the site Waste Management Plan.  The audits should look at all aspects of waste management including waste generation, storage, transport and disposal.  An appropriate audit programme would be to undertake a first audit near the commencement of the construction works, and then to audit on a quarterly basis thereafter.  In addition, the routine site inspections should check the implementation of the recommended good site practices and other waste management mitigation measures.

10.6                 Impact on Cultural Heritage

10.6.1           It is recommended that the dredging contractor should monitor the dredge spoils.  A procedure for briefing the dredging contractors about the possible presence of marine archaeological resources during dredging and a procedure for handling them have been developed in consultation with the AMO, to ensure compliance with the AMO standards.  A qualified marine archaeologist needs to be on standby to provide specialist advice, if required, but the monitoring can be carried out by a member of staff on the dredging barge.

10.7                 Marine Ecological Impact

10.7.1           To avoid and minimise any direct loss of those small and isolated coral colonies found in the Project area, it is recommended to translocate those potential directly affected corals, as far as practicable, to the nearby suitable habitats such as Junk Bay where similar hydrographic condition and healthy coral communities of the same species were recorded. A detailed translocation plan (including pre-translocation survey, translocation methodology, monitoring of transplanted corals, etc.) should be prepared during the detailed design stage of the Project.  The detailed methodology, monitoring proposal and ecologist involved in coral translocation should be approved by AFCD prior to commencement of the translocation exercises.

 

10.8                 Fisheries Impact

10.8.1           No unacceptable fisheries impact would be anticipated during dredging activities.  No monitoring programme specific for fisheries would be required.