1.                            INTRODUCTION

 

1.1                        Background

 

1.1.1                  The project is entitled “Hang Hau Tsuen Channel at Lau Fau Shan” (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”). Figure 1.1 shows the location of the proposed Project.

 

1.1.2                  The squatter area in the vicinity of the existing Hang Hau Tsuen stream was cleared in 1997. The poor hydraulic performance of the Hang Hau Tsuen stream is attributed partly to the siltation of the watercourse by the remains of the former squatter structures, and also to the meandering watercourse and the presence of an under-sized box culvert at Deep Bay Road. A total of about 43 hectares of land is flood prone as a result of the inadequate drainage capacity of the Hang Hau Tsuen stream. The purpose of the channel project is to alleviate flooding occurred in the catchment by converting the existing Hang Hau Tsuen stream between Deep Bay and Deep Bay Road to an engineered channel that will meet the required flood protection standards.

 

1.2                        Location and Description of the Project

 

1.2.1                  The Project comprises the construction of a drainage channel, box culvert, footbridges, maintenance access road, footpath and associated drainage system at Hang Hau Tsuen in Lau Fau Shan, North West New Territories. Details of the Project assessed under this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study are presented in Chapter 2.

 

1.3                        Requirements under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance

 

1.3.1                  The Project is a Designated Project (DP) under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) (Cap.499) by virtue of I.1(b) (vi) of Schedule 2, Part I of the EIAO. The Project will discharge into an area within 300 m from the nearest boundary of an existing Coastal Protection Area (CPA) land use zoning (Figure 1.1).

 

1.3.2                  In accordance with the EIAO, an EIA report is required to be prepared to meet the requirements under the EIAO and for an Environmental Permit to be obtained for the construction and operation of the Project.

 

1.3.3                  An application (No. ESB-167/2007) for an EIA Study Brief under section 5(1) of the EIAO was submitted on 7 June 2007 with a Project Profile (No. PP-318/2007).

 

1.3.4                  Pursuant to section 5(7)(a) of the EIAO based on the project information given in the Project Profile, the Director of Environmental Protection (the Director) issues an EIA Study Brief (ESB-167/2007) in July 2007 to the Applicant to carry out an EIA study. A copy of the EIA Study Brief is included in Appendix 1.

 

1.4                        Purpose and Objective of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study

 

1.4.1                  The purpose of this EIA study is to provide information on the nature and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project and related activities taking place concurrently. This information will contribute to decisions by the Director of Environmental Protection on:

 

(i)               the overall acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely to arise as a result of the Project;

 

(ii)             the conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable and reasonable; and

 

(iii)            the acceptability of residual impacts after implementation of the proposed mitigation measures.

 

1.4.2                  The objectives of the EIA study are as follows:

 

(i)               to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements for carrying out the proposed Project;

 

(ii)             to identify and describe the elements of the community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including both the natural and man-made environment;

 

(iii)            to provide information on consideration of alternatives to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts to environmentally sensitive areas and other sensitive uses; to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of each of different options; to provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) and to describe the part environmental factors played in the selection of preferred option(s);

 

(iv)           to identify and quantify emission sources and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

 

(v)             to identify any potential impacts from point and non-point pollution sources on the identified water systems and sensitive receivers during the construction and operation stages;

 

(vi)           to identify and quantify any potential losses and damage to flora, fauna and natural habitats and to propose measures to avoid or mitigate these impacts;

 

(vii)          to identify and quantify any potential landscape and visual impacts and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers;

 

(viii)        to propose provision of infrastructure or mitigation measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the Project;

 

(ix)           to identify, predict and evaluate the residual (i.e. after practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and the cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation phases 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 and operation of the Project, which are necessary to mitigate these environmental impacts and reducing them to acceptable levels;

 

(xi)           to investigate the extent of 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 the environmental monitoring and audit requirements, if required, to ensure the implementation and the effectiveness of the environmental protection and pollution control measures adopted.

 

1.5                        Approach of the EIA Study

 

1.5.1                  The EIA study is conducted in accordance with the requirements set out in the EIA Study Brief and the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).

 


1.6                        Structure of the EIA Report

 

1.6.1                  The backgrounds, descriptions and justifications of this Project are provided in Chapter 2. For each of the environmental parameters that have been identified, assessment results and mitigation measures are presented in the following sections.

 

·                  Chapter 3 – Air Quality Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 4 – Noise Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 5 – Water Quality Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 6 – Waste Management

·                  Chapter 7 – Ecological Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 8 – Fisheries Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 9 – Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

·                  Chapter 10 – Environmental Monitoring and Audit Requirements

·                  Chapter 11 – Summary of Environmental Outcomes

·                  Chapter 12 – Conclusion

 

1.6.2                  The Implementation Schedule of the mitigation measures for this Project and details pertaining to the impact assessment are attached in the Appendices.