Chapter Title Page
14.1 General__________________________________________________________________ 14-1 14.2 Summary
of Environmental Outcomes, Benefits and Mitigation Measures________________ 14-1 |
This
EIA Report has provided an assessment of the potential environmental impacts
associated with the construction and operation of the proposed LT/HYW BCP and
The assessment has been conducted in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-199/2008) issued under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) for the Project, covering the following environmental issues:
¡ Air Quality Impact
¡ Noise Impact
¡ Water Quality Impact
¡ Sewerage and Sewage Treatment Implications
¡ Waste Management Implications
¡ Land Contamination
¡ Ecological Impact
¡ Fisheries Impact
¡ Landscape, Visual and Glare Impact
¡ Cultural Heritage Impact
The
findings of this EIA study have determined the likely nature and extent of
environmental impacts predicted to arise from the construction and operation of
the Project. During the EIA process, environmental controls measures have been
identified and incorporated into the planning and design of the proposed LT/HYW
BCP and
The
EIA study for the proposed LT/HYW BCP and
14.2 Summary of Environmental Outcomes, Benefits and Mitigation Measures
The scope of the Project comprises:
(i)
site
formation for the construction of a BCP building in the area of
(ii)
drainage
facilities discharging into the
(iii)
cargo
processing facilities including processing kiosks for clearance of goods
vehicles, vehicle holding areas, customs inspection platforms, cargo
examination buildings, X-ray building, weigh stations etc.;
(iv)
passenger
related facilities including processing kiosks and examination facilities for
private cars and coaches, passenger clearance building and halls, etc.;
(v)
accommodation
for and facilities of the Government departments providing services in
connection with the BCP;
(vi)
provision
of transport related facilities inside the BCP including public transport
interchange, and transport drop-off and pick-up areas;
(vii)
other
peripheral structures and supporting facilities such as bridges across Shenzhen
River, border road and fences, water supply system, utilities, culvert,
drainage and sewerage etc.;
(viii)
construction
of a dual two-lane trunk road with traffic control and surveillance system
connecting the BCP with Fanling Highway adjacent to Wo Hop Shek - which
comprises approximately 5.2km of viaduct and/or at grade sections, and two
tunnel sections totalling 5.7km in length, tunnel administration building and tunnel
ventilation system;
(ix)
associated
diversion / modification works at
(x)
associated
environmental mitigation measures, landscaping works, drainage/ sewerage,
waterworks, utilities and traffic engineering works; and
(xi)
collection,
treatment and disposal of sewage generated from the BCP via
provision of an on-site sewage treatment facility to a tertiary level with proposed Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)
treatment and effluent reuse.
14.2.2 Environmentally Friendly Options and Design
Throughout
the feasibility and preliminary design stages of the Project, environmental
considerations have been a key component of the assessment process. The BCP and
As detailed in Section 2.6, the current alignment has undergone several rounds of refinement such that environmentally sensitive areas have been avoided as much as practicable, and environmental concerns from the surrounding population have been addressed or minimised. One of the key options that was adopted to limit environmental impacts on surrounding resources was to opt for an entirely tunnel-based alignment from south of Sha Tau Kok Road to Fanling, thereby avoiding nearly all environmental impacts on this section of the alignment except for the necessary portal and ventilation building areas.
The
design of the BCP and
14.2.3 Population and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Protected
Based on the current
¡ Kong Yiu Channel – the BCP will be constructed entirely within the lands to the east of the channel hence realignment of the channel is no longer required and the existing channel can be left undisturbed.
¡
¡
¡ Fung Shui woodlands – the alignment has avoided encroaching into these ancient woodlands of high ecological and social value.
¡ Designated Archaeological Sites – the alignment has avoided encroaching into any of the sites of high archaeological potential.
The current alignment was also routed to minimise impacts to large populated areas, both during construction and operation phases. The decision to resume the Chuk Yuen village instead of configuring the BCP in between Chuk Yuen and Tsung Yuen Ha has protected both villages from severe environmental impacts that would arise from having the BCP surrounding both villages. At the Sha Tau Kok Road area, the required interchange with Sha Tau Kok Road has been provided while avoiding impacts to the majority of village environs within the area, while at Fanling, the interchange with Fanling Highway has been strategically positioned to avoid impacting on surrounding residential areas while maintaining the functionality of the link between the proposed Connecting Road and existing Highway.
14.2.4 Environmental Problems Avoided and Compensation
As part of the comprehensive selection process to derive at the current Connecting Road alignment option, many environmental issues have been identified early on and problems have been avoided or minimised as best as practicable. The key environmental problems avoided are listed below:
¡ Avoidance of densely populated areas
¡ No direct loss of permitted burial grounds
¡
No additional pollution load to
¡ No disturbance of areas with significant potential for land contamination
¡ No direct impacts to listed or graded cultural heritage features
By re-designing the vertical and horizontal
alignment to avoid direct impacts on the aforementioned key areas, impacts to populated
areas have been limited, and important archaeological areas and cultural
heritage features have been protected. The current alignment has also limited
the air, noise and visual impacts by opting for a route with the practicably least
number of sensitive receivers in the vicinity of the Project, after striking a
balance between the design criteria for the Project and the environmental
impacts. Notwithstanding that the Project will impact on some habitats and
landscapes, the affected wetland and woodland will be compensated by a ratio of
at least 1:1 to ensure no net loss of these habitats, while the number of trees
that need to be felled and compensated has been accounted for as part of the
landscape assessment. Extensive tree planting has thus been proposed along the
14.2.5 Environmental Benefits of the Recommended Protection Measures
Highlights of the key environmental protection measures recommended for the Project include the following:
¡ Noise barriers separating sensitive receivers from noisy sections of the alignment;
¡ Tree planting along the alignment, with planters on the viaduct sections to improve the visual context;
¡ Reuse of treated wastewater from the sewage treatment facility for irrigation within the BCP;
¡ Ventilation building louvers located on the facades facing away from as many sensitive receivers as practicable and specification of maximum allowable sound power levels for those louvers;
¡ Extensive
landscaping of the existing site around the
¡ Preservation or relocation of any flora/fauna species of conservation interest;
¡ Provision of compensation woodland and wetland habitat to mitigate the loss of habitat in secondary woodland and cumulative wetland loss.
With
implementation of these measures, the environmental impacts from the Project will
be alleviated or reduced to acceptable levels. Sensitive receivers in close
proximity to the Project will benefit from the reduction in noise and visual
impacts, while important species of flora and fauna will be protected. Some
areas of the Project may see an improvement to the original condition due to
the implementation of extensive tree planting and landscaping works along the
alignment and within the BCP. The reuse of treated wastewater from the BCP will
also contribute to environmental benefits due to the water savings and no net
increase in pollutant loadings to
14.2.6.1 Construction Phase
The major construction
activities of the Project that would contribute to construction dust impacts
include excavation/earth work within
the work sites (except the tunnel sections), construction of at-grade
and viaduct roads, slope work, site
formation at the BCP site and construction of superstructure. No significant fugitive dust emissions
would be expected from tunnelling activities.
With implementation of the recommended mitigation measures as well as the relevant control requirements as stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation, no exceedance of the TSP criteria is predicted at all the ASRs during the construction phase.
14.2.6.2 Operational Phase
Potential air quality impacts during
operational phase include vehicular emissions from open roads, ventilation shafts, mid-ventilation building as well as
traffic facilities of the BCP. The assessment results show that no
adverse impacts are predicted from
road traffic during the operational phase of the Project.
There would also be potential odour impact on nearby ASRs due to the proposed sewage treatment works at the BCP site. With the large buffer distance (over
The
noise impact associated with unmitigated construction activities for the proposed BCP and the connecting road would cause exceedance of the daytime
construction noise criterion at the nearby NSRs during the normal working
hours. Therefore, good site practices and mitigation
measures including the use of quiet plants, erection of movable noise barriers and noise insulating fabric have been proposed to alleviate the
noise impact. With the good site practices and mitigation
measures in place, no residual impacts are predicted at all the NSRs.
The assessment has predicted that the traffic noise impact arising from the proposed connecting roads of the Project and the contribution from existing road network in Year 2033 will exceed the noise criteria at the existing NSRs with around 73 dwellings affected by the Project roads. With the implementation of mitigation measures recommended, the noise criteria will be met at all representative NSRs with traffic noise impact dominated by the Project roads.
With the specification of maximum allowable sound power levels for the proposed fixed plants at ventilation shafts, mid-ventilation building, BCP buildings and Administration Buildings, full compliance of Noise Control Ordinance will be achieved.
The key issue in terms of water quality during the construction phase of the Project would be the potential for release of sediment-laden water from surface works areas and tunnelling works, and the potential for drawdown of groundwater level.
Deterioration in water quality could be minimised to acceptable levels through implementing adequate mitigation measures such as control measures on sediment release, on site runoff and drainage from the works areas to minimise sediment spillage and construction runoff; pre-injection of grouting prior to tunnelling works supplemented by post-injection of grouting; and on-site treatment of tunnelling wastewater prior to discharge. Proper site management and good housekeeping practices would also be required to ensure that construction wastes and other construction-related materials would not enter the public drainage system and nearby waters. Sewage effluent arising from the construction workforce would also be handled through provision of portable toilets.
With the implementation of these recommended mitigation measures, no unacceptable impacts on water quality from the construction works for the Project are anticipated. Water quality monitoring during the course of construction works at channels and rivers and site inspections during construction phase should be undertaken routinely to inspect the construction activities and works areas to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.
The operational surface and
stormwater runoff would have no adverse water quality impact provided that the
recommended mitigation measures are incorporated in the design of the planned
drainage system. Sewage arising
from the operation of the proposed BCP and associated facilities as well as
from the Chuk Yuen Resite will be collected and treated by the recommended
sewerage and sewage treatment facilities to fulfil the no net increase in
pollutant loading policy. In order to enhance environmental sustainability,
reuse of a portion of the treated effluent for irrigation at BCP is recommended. Thus, no adverse water quality impact during
operation phase is anticipated.
14.2.9 Sewerage and Sewage Treatment Implications
The Project will generate sewage flow of
Apart from the sewage to be generated by the
proposed BCP and Chuk Yuen Village Resite, a small amount of sewage (12.56 m3/day)
will also be generated by the
14.2.10 Waste Management Implications
Wastes generated by the construction activities are likely to include C&D materials from the construction works, general refuse from the workforce and chemical waste from any maintenance of construction plant and equipment. Provided that these identified wastes are handled, transported and disposed of using approved methods and that the recommended good site practices are strictly followed, adverse environmental impacts are not anticipated during construction of the Project.
Waste types generated by the operation activities are likely to include general refuse from the workforce and chemical waste from the maintenance activities. Provided that these wastes are handled, transported and disposed of using approved methods and that the recommended good site practices are strictly followed, adverse environmental impacts is not expected during operation phase.
The land contamination assessment has been conducted by reviewing historical/current land uses, desktop review and site inspection. Other relevant information was also collected from the related Government Departments.
Based on the findings of the site appraisal on the existing and historical land uses in the Study Area, adverse land contamination impacts associated with the construction and operation of the proposed LT/HYW BCP, connecting roads and ventilation buildings are not expected, except the open area at Sha Tau Road near Loi Tung, works sites of ventilation building in Po Kat Tsai and workshops in Fanling. The potential of land contamination is anticipated to be low at the two sites, while at the remaining areas as insignificant. Site investigations and laboratory chemical analysis are therefore proposed to be conducted upon land acquisition and site access is granted. Contamination Assessment Report (CAR), Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and Remediation Report (RR) would be necessary if land contamination is confirmed.
Mitigation measures for handling of contaminated materials, in case it is discovered after the commencement of works, and regular site audits are recommended to minimize the potential adverse impacts on workers’ health and safety and disposal of potentially contaminated materials.
An ecological impact assessment for the proposed project was conducted in accordance with Annexes 8 and 16 of the EIAO-TM. Baseline information on ecological resource was derived from literature review and suitably designed field survey. Ecological field survey was carried out between May 2009 and September 2010, covering both the wet and dry seasons.
A total of 12 habitat types were identified
within the Assessment Area, including woodland, shrubland, plantation,
freshwater wetland, active agricultural land, abandoned agricultural land,
hillside grassland, pond, drainage channel, watercourse, open field and
developed area. Literature records revealed a few ecological
hotspots within the Assessment Area including a diverse ecological resource in
Pat Sin Leng CP, an identified dragonfly hotspot in
Six
fung shui woods namely Heung Yuen Wai, Tsung Yuen Ha, Kan Tau Wai, Man
Uk Pin, Loi Tung and Tan Chuk Hang Lo Wai and three Ecologically Important
Streams namely Man Uk Pin,
The
identified potential impacts comprise mainly direct loss of habitat and
direct/indirect impact on flora and fauna species of conservation interest. Permanent
loss of some area (6.2 ha) of secondary
woodland would be resulted from the construction of the tunnel portals
and sections of the connecting roads but it will be fully mitigated by the
provision of 18.6 ha woodland compensation area. For the permanent loss of a
total area of 1.4 ha freshwater wetland originated from abandoned agricultural
land, it will be compensated with a wetland area of at least 1.4 ha. Details of
the above mitigation measures would be formulated and further provided in
Woodland Compensation Plan and Habitat Creation and Management Plan
respectively under the project during the detailed design stage.
Four floral species of conservation interest
were recorded within the Works Area: Aquilaria
sinensis, Cibotium barometz, Euonymus kwangtungensis and Pavetta hongkongensis. Potential impact
on Aquilaria sinensis and Euonymus kwangtungensis is anticipated
to be of ecological significance and mitigation measures are considered
necessary. Healthy and young individuals as well as seedlings of the tree
species Aquilaria sinensis should be
considered for transplanting. Including the species into the planting schedule for
woodland compensation is recommended to mitigate the impact on those
individuals unable to be transplanted. The affected shrub species of Euonymus kwangtungensis will be
transplanted to undisturbed habitats for preservation. A pre-construction
vegetation survey is recommended to be conducted prior to the commencement of
construction works to confirm the updated status of these affected plant
species of conservation interest in the site and to identify appropriate
reception site.
A
total of 122 fauna species of conservation interest were identified within the
Assessment Area of which only 14 of them were recorded within the Works Area.
Given that the area affected under the project are not identified as optimal
habitats for the above fauna species and that extensive similar habitat is
available in the close vicinity of the project site, potential adverse impacts
on fauna species of conservation interest is evaluated as minor under the
project. In respect of the major mammal community found in the Frontier Closed
Area which is mostly located to the east of the proposed BCP location, the
habitat loss impact and fragmentation effect have been minimized through
adopting the currently proposed BCP location. Impact on breeding ardeid is
minor because the closet egretry in Ping Che is far away from the Works Area
and their main flight path will not be obstructed by the proposed Project. Indirect
impact on the aquatic community in watercourse is minimal because no
channelization and watercourse training works are required, hence no significant
hydrological disruption will be resulted.
Habitat
fragmentation impact would be minimized with the proposed viaduct design of the
14.2.13 Fisheries Impact
The baseline review and ground truthing conducted for fisheries impact assessment have identified no active fishponds, pond fish culture resources or activities within the Study Area. With the effluent control measures in place, the Project is unlikely to have indirect impacts on the pond fish culture resources and activities in the NWNT area. Therefore, no fisheries impact arising from construction and operation of the Project is anticipated and no fisheries-specific mitigation measures (other than the effluent control measures) are required.
14.2.14 Landscape, Visual and Glare Impact
The LVIA has been prepared
is in accordance with Annexes 10 and
The baseline study
identified 24 Landscape Resources (LRs) and eleven Landscape Character Areas
(LCAs) within the whole Study Area. Within the visual envelopes identified for
the four major above ground sections, 39 VSRs of seven different categories,
namely Residential (H), Industrial (I), Travelling (T), Mixed Commercial/
Residential (C/R), Occupational (O), Recreational (R) and Other Specified Use
(OU), were identified.
Overall, the Project
at operation Year 10 is not expected to have any significant or moderate
residual impacts on the landscape. For landscape resources and character areas,
there are likely to be slight operational residual impacts at Year 10 on LR5.1
(Active Farmland) and LCA3 (Agricultural Lowland Landscape) in Section A, Zone
1; LR3.1 (Woodland on Hillside) and LCA3 (Agricultural Lowland Landscape) in
Section A, Zone 2; LR3.1 (Woodland on Hillside), LR3.2 (Woodland on Lowland)
and LCA1 (Natural Vegetated Hillside Landscape) in Section A, Zone 3; and LR3.1
(Woodland on Hillside) in Section C. In Section B it is suggested that some
beneficial impact may be experiences by LCA7 (Developed Rural Landscape).
With the implementation of mitigation measures, all other residual operational impacts on the landscape will be insignificant.
Overall, the Project at operation is not considered to have any significant residual visual impacts on VSRs. Following the implementation of mitigation measures, there are likely to be moderate operational residual impacts on residents in the areas of Tsung Yuen Ha (H3), Nga Yiu Ha (H7), Village on Wo Keng Shan Road (H8), Ping Yeung East (H9), Village West of Man Uk Pin (H10), Tai Tong Wu (H12), Dawning Views (H18) and Tong Hang (H19).
There are likely to be
slight residual impacts on VSRs in
the areas of Heung Yuen Wai (H1), Ha Heung Yuen (H2), Re-site of Chuk Yuen Village
(H4), Lung Mei Teng (R1), Ping Yeung South Industrial Area (I1), Man Uk Pin
(H11), Loi Tung Village (H13), Po Kat Tsai (H15), Lung Shan Temple (OU5), Wo
Hop Shek Village (H20), Yuen Leng (H21), Tai Wo (H22), Nam Wa Po (H23), Hong
Lok Yuen (H25) and on the Wilson Trail (R2) as well as the future VSRs in the
area of the Proposed CDA (Ex-Burma Lines Military site) (H16).
With the
implementation of mitigation measures, residual operational impacts on the remaining
VSRs, namely those in the areas of Kaw Liu Village (H5), Fung Wong Wu (H6),
Graveyard by Poultry Farm (OU1), Graveyard by Kaw Liu Village (OU2), Earth
Shrine near Tsung Yuen Ha (OU3), Tin Hau Temple (OU4), Ta Kwu Ling Police
Station (O1), Sha Tau Kok Road (T1), Open Storage on Lau Shui Heung Road (I2),
Tung Kok Wai (H14), Wing Ning Wai (H17), Fanling Highway (T2), Tai Hang (H24)
and Columbarium in Wo Hop Shek Cemetery (OU6), as well as the future VSRs in
the Proposed NDA (C/R1), will be insignificant.
The Project will produce some adverse landscape and visual impacts but these can be eliminated, reduced or offset to a large extent by specific measures. Therefore according to Annex 10 of the Technical Memorandum on the Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM), the Landscape and Visual Impacts are considered acceptable with mitigation.
14.2.15 Impact on Cultural Heritage
14.2.15.1 Archaeological Resources
Two sites of archaeological interest are identified within the CHIA Study Area but outside the works boundary of the Project. No construction and operation impacts on the two known sites of archaeological interest are anticipated. Therefore, mitigation measures or monitoring is not required.
With
regard to unknown archaeological resources, archaeological potentials of the
works area for various sections of the Project have been identified and an archaeological survey proposal of a total of 40
test pits and 62 auger holes was agreed with AMO. Due to site access constraints, only 16
test pits and 37 auger holes were conducted at the EIA Stage. The outstanding archaeological survey in Section between Lin Ma Hang and Frontier
Closed Area Boundary, Section between Ping
In
Section between Lin Ma Hang and Frontier Closed Area Boundary, an area with low
/ medium archaeological potential has been identified. However, some of the proposed survey works in
the area have not been carried out due to site access constraints. Although it is anticipated that the
archaeological potential of these areas will also be low, further survey is
required to confirm the preliminary findings.
Therefore, the outstanding survey works should be conducted
immediately after land resumption and before commencement of construction works
to verify the findings of the EIA.
Moreover, although artefacts were not found from the low archaeological
potential area, the test pits results indicated the presence of a layer with
human activities. It is therefore
recommended that additional test pits and auger holes are conducted in the
concerned area to confirm the archaeological potential
In
Section between Ping
The
survey-cum-rescue excavation and outstanding archaeological survey should be
conducted by a professional archaeologist who should obtain a licence to
Excavate and Search for Antiquities from the Antiquities Authority under the AM
Ordinance. An Archaeological Action Plan
(AAP) following the Guideline for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment should be
submitted to Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO). The project proponent
should appoint qualified and experienced archaeologist(s) with sufficient
funding, time and personnel arrangements to implement the AAP. Details of the
proposal plan with specification for further archaeological survey and
survey-cum-rescue excavation should be agreed with AMO. The AAP should include
, but not limited to, the following information:
¡
a detailed
plan for further archaeological survey at inaccessible areas in Section between
Lin Ma Hang and Frontier Closed Area Boundary, Section between Ping
¡
a detailed
plan for survey-cum-rescue excavation at the Section between Ping
¡ a contingency plan to address possible arrangement if significant archaeological findings are unearthed during the further archaeological survey and survey-cum-rescue excavation.
14.2.15.2
Built
Heritage Sites
Literature review supplemented by built heritage survey identified one Declared Monument, six grade 3 historic buildings, five nil grade historic buildings, one proposed grade 3 historic building, seventy built structures, twenty graves and eight cultural/historical landscape features within the CHIA Study Area.
Majority of the built heritage sites are located at a long distance from the works boundary. Thus no direct impacts on these built heritage sites are expected.
Nevertheless,
the thirteen grave sites at the
proposed BCP building (i.e. GR01, GR02 and GR19), the section between Ling
Ma Hang and Frontier Closed Area Boundary (i.e. GR05 and GR06), the section between Ping
Preservation proposal in the form of mitigation measures are recommended in short and long term in accordance with different Project phases. During the design stage along with the EIA study process, the design of the Project has considered avoidance of direct impact on identified graves but considered impractical. Physical relocation/removal of the thirteen affected grave sites as well as the landscape feature is recommended as the last resort prior to commencement of the construction works. Photographic and cartographic records to be conducted for these structures before their removal have been recommended to preserve them by record.
With regard to access to the graves, only that of GR03 will temporarily be affected by the proposed works during construction works. Access diversion will be provided temporarily during the construction phase so that access to the grave will not be blocked as a result of the construction works. Furthermore, after completion of the construction works, the affected access route will be re-provided. Therefore, the proposed works will have temporary impact on the access to the grave during construction phase but no impact is anticipated during operation phase.
The grave site, GR13, is the only built heritage feature identified to be located within the blasting impact area during the construction phase. However, since it will be removed prior to commencement of the construction work due to its location within the works boundary of the Project, no impact from the proposed blasting work is anticipated for the grave site.
Avoidance
of direct impact on the two built heritage (BS64 and BS65) by slightly shifting
the relevant alignment section has been assessed and is not recommended as this
will be at the cost of creating various environmental impacts and arousing
objections from the nearby community.
Moreover, the two built heritage sites, which are considered as having
some but not high heritage value, are regarded as only two built heritage
features but not sites of cultural heritage listed by AMO. Therefore, removal of the two sites is
considered necessary as the last resort, and the impact is considered
acceptable provided that full
photographic and cartographic records should be conducted prior
to their removal.
During the detail design stage of the Project, in case any potential vibration impact on any nearby built heritage features are identified, it is recommended that prior to commencement of the construction works, a baseline condition survey and baseline vibration impact assessment should be conducted by a qualified building surveyor and a qualified structural engineer to define the vibration limit and to evaluate if construction vibration monitoring and structural strengthening measures are required during construction stage to ensure the construction performance meets with the vibration criteria to be agreed with the AMO.