The existing SENT Landfill is
strategically located in the south-east
ERM-Hong
Kong, Ltd (ERM) has been commissioned by the Environmental Protection
Department (EPD) to undertake the
This EIA Report addresses the nature and
extent of the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction,
operation, restoration and aftercare of the Extension (hereafter referred to as
“the Project”).
The Extension is classified as a
Designated Project under Schedule 2, Category G.1 and Q.1 of the EIAO and
therefore the construction, operation, restoration and aftercare of the
Extension will require an Environmental Permit. The overall objectives of the EIA
Study are to provide information on the nature and extent of environmental
impacts arising from the Extension; to recommend appropriate mitigation
measures to control the potential environmental impacts so that it complies
with the requirements of the Technical
Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process of Environmental Impact
Assessment Ordinance (EIAO-TM), and to confirm the environmental
acceptability of the Extension.
The specific
objectives of the EIA Study described in the EIA Study Brief are listed below.
(i)
to describe the Project and associated works together with the
requirements for carrying out the Project;
(ii)
to identify and describe elements of community and environment likely
to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the
Project, including natural and man-made environment and the associated
environmental constraints;
(iii)
to provide information on the consideration of alternatives to
avoid and minimise the potential environmental impacts to the ecological
sensitive areas and other sensitive uses; to compare the environmental benefits
and dis-benefits of each of the different options; to
provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) and to describe the part
of environmental factors played in the selection;
(iv)
to identify and quantify emission sources and determine the
significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(v)
to identify and quantify any potential landscape and visual
impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(vi)
to identify and quantify any potential losses or damage and other potential
impacts to flora, fauna and natural habitats and to propose measures to
mitigate these impacts;
(vii) to propose the provision of
mitigation measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and
nuisance during construction, operation, restoration and aftercare stages of
the Project;
(viii) to investigate the
feasibility, practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed
mitigation measures;
(ix)
to identify, predict and evaluate the residual environmental impacts
(i.e. after practicable mitigation) and the cumulative effects expected to
arise during the construction, operation, restoration and aftercare stages of
the Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(x)
to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards,
to be included in the detailed design, construction, operation, restoration and
aftercare stages of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these
environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable
levels;
(xi)
to investigate the extent of the secondary environmental impacts
that may arise from the proposed mitigation measures and to identify
constraints associated with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA
study, as well as the provision of any necessary modification; and
(xii) to design and specify
environmental monitoring and audit requirements to ensure the effective
implementation of the recommended environmental protection and pollution
control measures.
As specified by the EIA Study Brief, the EIA Study will address the following key
environmental issues due to the construction, operation, restoration and
aftercare of the Project:
·
potential noise impacts (including the off-site traffic noise
impact along the roads with traffic generated from the Project) to the
identified Noise Sensitive Receivers (NSRs) during
all stages of Project development;
·
potential air quality impacts (including the off-site dust , gaseous
emission and odour impacts along the roads due to traffic generated from the
Extension) to the identified Air Sensitive Receivers (ASRs) during all stages
of Project development;
·
potential environmental impacts associated with the handling and
disposal of wastes during all stages of Project development, in particular the
disposal of surplus excavated materials arising from site formation works;
·
potential water quality impacts during all stages of Project
development;
·
potential landfill gas hazard during all stages of Project
development;
·
potential landscape and visual impacts due to the Project during
all stages of Project development, in particular the potential impact to the
landscape value and recreational interests of the Clear Water Bay Country Park
(CWBCP);
·
potential aquatic and terrestrial ecological impacts during all
stages of Project development, including the loss of habitats, removal of
vegetation and disturbance to wildlife, in particular the CWBCP and any other
sensitive areas that may be identified during the course of the EIA study;
·
environmental risk to any nearby waterbodies/watercourses,
especially the Fat Tong Chau due to accidental
leakage of leachate and/or other wastewater and the
necessary contingency measures; and
·
potential cumulative environmental impacts of the Extension,
through interaction or in combination with other existing (including the
existing SENT Landfill), committed and planned developments in the vicinity of
the Extension, in particular the planned deep waterfront industries at the
southern part of the Project site and that those impacts may have a bearing on
the environmental acceptability of the Project.
The remainder of this report is organised
as follows.
·
Section 2 presents a description of the need of the Extension,
the options selection process and the consideration of alternative construction
methods;
·
Section 3 presents a description of the Extension;
·
Section 4 presents the air quality assessment;
·
Section 5 presents the noise assessment;
·
Section 6 presents the water quality assessment;
·
Section 7 assesses the waste management implications of the
Extension;
·
Section 8 presents the landfill gas hazard assessment;
·
Section 9 presents the ecological assessment;
·
Section 10 presents the landscape and visual assessment;
·
Section 11 describes the requirements for environmental
monitoring and audit; and
·
Section 12 summarises the environmental outcomes associated
with the Project.
Annex
A – Supporting Information for Air Quality Assessment
Annex
B – Supporting Information for Noise Assessment
Annex
C – Supporting Information for Landfill Gas Hazard Assessment
Annex
D – Supporting Information for Ecological Assessment
Annex
E – Implementation Schedule
Annex
F – Groundwater Quality Monitoring Data
(1)