This Environmental
Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual (“the Manual”) is prepared by
Halcrow China Limited and ERM-Hong Kong, Limited (ERM) on behalf of the
Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD).
The Manual is a companion document of the EIA Study of the Development of a
The
Manual has been prepared in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-138/2006) and the Technical Memorandum of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process
(EIAO TM). The purpose of the Manual is to provide
information, guidance and instruction to personnel charged with environmental
duties and those responsible for undertaking EM&A work during construction and
operation. It provides systematic procedures for monitoring and auditing of
potential environmental impacts that may arise from the works.
The
EM&A Manual comprises descriptions of the key elements of the EM&A programme
including:
·
Appropriate background information on the construction of the
Project with reference to relevant technical reports;
·
Organisational arrangements, hierarchy and responsibilities
with regard to the management of environmental performance during the
construction phase. The EM&A team, the Contractor team and the Engineer
Representative are included;
·
A broad construction programme indicating those activities
for which specific mitigation is required and providing a schedule for their
timely implementation;
·
Descriptions of the parameters to be monitored and criteria
through which performance will be assessed including: monitoring frequency and
methodology, monitoring locations (typically, the location of sensitive
receivers as listed in the EIA), monitoring equipment lists, event contingency
plans for exceedances of established criteria and
schedule of mitigation and best practice methods for reduced adverse
environmental impacts;
·
Procedures for undertaking on-site environmental performance
audits as a means of ensuring compliance with environmental criteria; and
·
Reporting procedures.
The EM&A Manual will be a dynamic document
which will undergo a series of revisions, as needed, to accommodate the
progression of the construction programme.
1.2.1
Background to the Study
The
ex-Provisional Regional Council (ex-PRC) considered that one swimming pool
complex in Tai Po was insufficient and hence suggested developing a bathing
beach at Lung Mei, Tai Po. Therefore, on 12 May 1998, the Culture, Recreation
and Sports Committee of ex-PRC approved funding for the Architectural Services
Department (ArchSD) to study the feasibility of
developing an artificial beach at Lung Mei. The Feasibility Study, which commenced in
December 1999 and completed in mid-2001, concluded that it was technically
viable to construct a bathing beach at Lung Mei, Tai Po.
There is no beach facility in the east region of the New Territories, except in the Sai Kung District, which is very far from Tai Po District. Moreover, the existing swimming facility in the Tai Po areas could not satisfy the demand for a bathing beach. Therefore, the public has been requesting repeatedly to the LCSD for a beach development in the Tai Po District.
In
light of the above, the Tai Po District Council (TPDC) strongly requested for
the development of a bathing beach at Lung Mei and members of the TPDC urged for
early implementation of the Project.
In a Legislative Council case conference on 20 April 2004, Members requested the
Government to accord priority to this Project.
Lung Mei is adjacent to a prominent leisure area, Tai Mei Tuk,
with well-established facilities for holiday-makers and water-based recreation
activities, which has attracted many visitors, in particular during public
holidays. It is anticipated that the proposed bathing beach would complement the
facilities already provided in the Tai Mei Tuk
area.
1.2.2
The Proposed Project Site
The
Project will involve the construction and operation of a bathing beach at Lung
Mei, Tai Po. The beach will provide
a facility for visitors for leisure and recreation. The Project will include the following
facilities:
·
Construction of a 200m
long beach with two groynes, which includes dredging
and sandfilling;
·
Construction of two
culverts at the eastern and western side of the beach, to collect and divert
surface runoff from upstream locations; and,
·
Construction of associated
beach building facilities, kiosk and a car park for visitors.
· Dredging operation which is less than 500m from the nearest boundary of an existing Site of Special Scientific Interest, Coastal Protection Area, Conservation Area and Country Park.
The
objectives of carrying out the EM&A for the Project include:
·
Providing baseline information against which any short or
long term environmental impacts of the projects can be determined;
·
Providing an early indication should any of the environmental
control measures or practices fail to achieve the acceptable standards;
·
Monitoring the performance of the Project and the
effectiveness of mitigation measures;
·
Verifying the environmental impacts identified in the EIA;
·
Determining Project compliance with regulatory requirements,
standards and government policies;
·
Taking remedial action if unexpected results or unacceptable
impacts arise; and
·
Providing data to enable an environmental audit to be
undertaken at regular intervals.
EM&A procedures are required during the design, construction, post-construction
and operational phases of the project implementation and a summary of the
requirements for each of the environmental parameters is detailed in Table 1.1 below.
Table 1.1 Summary of EM&A Requirements
|
Parameter |
EM&A
Phase |
|||
|
Design Phase
(1) |
Construction Phase |
Post-Construction Phase |
Operation
Phase |
|
|
Air Quality |
- |
Yes |
- |
- |
|
Noise |
- |
Yes |
- |
- |
|
Water Quality |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Waste |
- |
Yes |
- |
- |
|
Ecology |
- (2) |
- |
Yes |
- |
|
Fisheries |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Landscape and Visual |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Notes:
(1)
EM&A requirements in the design phase shall include confirmation on the
compliance for environmental designs which were specified in the EIA Report
and the EP for all parameters.
(2)
Although pre- construction
monitoring may overlap the design phase, the focus of this monitoring will
be to provide additional information on which to assess potential impacts
through construction. |
||||
The
scope of this EM&A programme is to:
·
establish baseline air quality, noise and water quality
levels at specified locations;
·
implement monitoring and site audit requirements for air
quality, noise, water quality and ecology monitoring programme;
·
liaise with, and provide environmental advice (as requested
or when otherwise necessary) to construction site staff on the significance and
implications of the environmental monitoring data;
·
identify and resolve environmental issues and other functions
as they may arise from the works;
·
check and quantify the Contractor(s)’s overall environmental
performance, implementation of Event and Action Plans (EAPs),
and remedial actions taken to mitigate adverse environmental effects as they may
arise from the works;
·
conduct monthly reviews of monitored impact data as the basis
for assessing compliance with the defined criteria and to ensure that necessary
mitigation measures are identified and implemented, and to undertake additional
ad hoc monitoring and auditing as required by special circumstances;
·
evaluate and interpret environmental monitoring data to
provide an early indication should any of the environmental control measures or
practices fail to achieve the acceptable standards, and to verify the
environmental impacts predicted in the EIA;
·
manage and liaise with other individuals or parties
concerning other environmental issues deemed to be relevant to the construction
process;
·
conduct regular site inspections of a formal or informal
nature to assess:
-
the level of the
Contractor(s)’s general environmental awareness;
-
the Contractor(s)’s
implementation of the recommendations in the EIA and their contractual
obligations;
-
the Contractor(s)’s performance as a measured by the EM&A;
-
the need for specific
mitigation measures to be implemented or the continued usage of those previously
agreed;
-
to advise the site staff
of any identified potential environmental issues; and,
-
submit monthly EM&A
reports which summarise project monitoring and auditing data, with full
interpretation illustrating the acceptability or otherwise of any environmental
impacts and identification or assessment of the implementation status of agreed
mitigation measures.
The construction works are anticipated to commence in 2008. The preliminary construction programme is given in Appendix A. It should be noted that the Tolo Harbour Sewerage of Unsewered Areas Stage I Phase IIC (Agreement No. CE 18/94) will carry out works connecting the unsewered areas from Ting Kok village to Lung Mei village, which are in the vicinity of the bathing beach development. The sewerage construction works is scheduled to be completed prior to the operation of this Proposed Bathing Beach Development project. With the implementation of the sewerage connection (expect to be 60% connection rate) and the gazette of the Tolo Harbour Sewerage of Unsewered Areas Stage I Phase IIC (Agreement No. CE 18/94) including Lung Mei area, as part of the Sewerage Master Plan Works for Tolo Harbour Catchment, the water quality at Lung Mei will be improved and guaranteed, and facilitating the operation of this bathing beach.
The locations of works are shown in Figure 1.1. The Sensitive Receivers in the vicinity of the proposed project are presented in Figure 1.1.
1.5.1
General
The
Contractor will appoint an Environmental Team (ET) to conduct the monitoring and
auditing works and to provide specialist advice on undertaking and the
implementation of environmental responsibilities.
The
ET will have previous relevant experience with managing similarly sized EM&A
programmes and the Environmental Team Leader (ET Leader) will be a recognised
environmental professional, preferably with a minimum of seven years relevant
experience in impact assessments and impact monitoring programmes.
To
maintain strict control of the EM&A process, CEDD will appoint independent
environmental consultants to act as an Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)
to verify and validate the environmental performance of the Contractor(s) and
his Environmental Team. The IEC will
have previous relevant experience with checking and auditing similarly sized
EM&A programmes and the IEC will be a recognised environmental professional,
preferably with a minimum of seven years relevant experience in impact
assessments and impact monitoring programmes.
1.5.2
Project Organisation
The
ET Leader will be responsible for, and in charge of, the Environmental Team; and
will be the person responsible for executing the EM&A requirements.
Engineer Representative (ER)
ER will:
·
monitor the Contractor’s compliance with contract
specifications, including the effective implementation and operation of
environmental mitigation measures and other aspects of the EM&A programme;
·
instruct the Contractor to follow the agreed protocols or
those in the Contract Specifications in the event of
exceedances
or complaints;
·
comply with the agreed Event and Action Plans in the event of
any exceedance;
·
liaise with the IEC and assist as necessary in the
implementation of the EM&A program; and
·
participate in joint site inspections undertaken by the ET
and IEC.
The Contractor
The
Contractor will:
·
work within the scope of the construction contract and other
tender conditions;
·
provide assistance to the ET in carrying out monitoring;
·
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;
·
implement the corrective actions instructed by ER/ET/IEC;
·
participate in the site inspections undertaken by the ET and
the IEC, as required, and undertake any corrective actions instructed by
ER/ET/IEC; and
·
adhere to the procedures for carrying out complaint
investigation.
Environmental Team (ET)
The
ET will:
·
monitor various environmental parameters as required in this
EM&A Manual;
·
assess the EM&A data and review the success of the EM&A
programme determining the adequacy of the mitigation measures implemented and
the validity of the EIA predictions as well as identify any adverse
environmental impacts before they arise;
·
carry out regular site inspection to investigate and audit
the Contractor’s site practice, equipment and work methodologies with respect to
pollution control and environmental mitigation, and effect proactive action to
pre-empt issues;
·
review the Contractor’s working programme and methodology,
and comment as necessary;
·
review and prepare reports on the environmental monitoring
data, site environmental conditions and audits;
·
report on the environmental monitoring and audit results and
conditions to the IEC, Contractor(s), EPD and ER;
·
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; and,
· the ET Leader will keep a contemporaneous log-book and record each and every instance or circumstance or change of circumstances which may affect the environmental impact assessment and every non-conformance with the recommendations of the EIA Reports or the EPs.
The
ET will be led and managed by the ET Leader. The ET leader will have relevant
education, training, knowledge, experience and professional qualifications and
the appointment will be subject to the approval of the Director of Environmental
Protection and ER.
Suitably qualified staff will be included in the ET, and the ET should
not be in any way an associated body of the Contractor or the Independent
Environmental Checker (IEC) for the Project.
Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)
The
IEC will:
·
review and monitor the implementation of the EM&A programme
and the overall level of environmental performance being achieved;
·
arrange and conduct monthly independent site
inspections/audits of the works;
·
validate and confirm the accuracy of monitoring results,
monitoring equipment, monitoring stations, monitoring procedures and locations
of sensitive receivers;
·
carry out random sample check and audit on monitoring data
and sampling procedures, etc;
·
audit the EIA recommendations and requirements against the
status of implementation of environmental protection measures on site;
·
on needed basis, audit the Contractor(s)’s construction
methodology and agree the appropriate, reduced impact alternative in
consultation with ER, the ET and the Contractor;
·
provide specialist advice to ER and the Contractor on environmental matters;
·
check complaint cases and the effectiveness of corrective
measures;
·
check that the necessary mitigation measures recommended in
the EIA, EP and Contract documents, or as subsequently required, are effectively
implemented;
·
review EM&A report submitted by the ET leader and feedback
audit results to ET by signing off relevant EM&A proformas;
·
report the findings of site inspections/ audits and other
environmental performance reviews to ER, ET, EPD and the Contractor(s); and
Sufficient and suitably qualified professional and technical staff will be employed by the respective parties to ensure full compliance with their duties and responsibilities, as required under the EM&A programme for the duration of the Project.
The remainder of the
Manual is set out as follows:
·
Section 2 sets out the EM&A general
requirements;
·
Section 3 sets out the EM&A
requirement for construction phase air quality;
·
Section 4 sets out the EM&A
requirement for noise;
·
Section 5 details the requirements
for water quality;
·
Section 6 details the requirements
for waste management;
·
Section 7 details the requirements
for ecology;
·
Section 8 details the requirements
for fisheries;
·
Section 9 sets out the EM&A
requirements for landscape and visual;
·
Section 10 describes the scope and
frequency of site environmental auditing; and
· Section 11 details the reporting requirements for the EM&A.
Appendix E presents the
Implementation Schedule.