Reprovisioning of FEHD Sai Yee Street Environmental Hygiene Offices-cum-vehicle Depot

at Yen Ming Road, West Kowloon Reclamation Area

 

Environmental Impact Assessment Report

 

Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual

 

CONTENTS

1.               Introduction

1.1            Background

1.2            The Assignment

1.3            EIA Study Scope

1.4            Purpose of this EM&A Manual

1.5            Project Description

1.6            Implementation Programme

1.7            Concurrent Project

1.8            Project Organization

1.9            Structure of this EM&A Manual

2.               Air Quality Impact

2.1            Introduction

2.2            Air Sensitive Receivers

2.3            Mitigation Measures

2.4            Audit Requirements

3.               Noise Impact

3.1            Introduction

3.2            Noise Sensitive Receivers

3.3            Monitoring Requirements

3.4            Mitigation Measures

4.               Water Quality and Sewage Impact

4.1            Introduction

4.2            Water Sensitive Receivers

4.3            Monitoring Requirements

4.4            Mitigation Measures

4.5            Audit Requirements

5.               Waste Management Implications and Land Contamination Assessment

5.1            Introduction

5.2            Mitigation Measures

5.3            Audit Requirements

6.               Landscape and Visual Impact

6.1            Introduction

6.2            Mitigation Measures

6.3            Audit Requirements

7.               Site Environmental Audit and COmplaints

7.1            Site Inspection

7.2            Compliance with Legal and Contractual Requirements

7.3            Environmental Complaints

8.               Reporting

8.1            Introduction

8.2            Baseline Monitoring Report

8.3            Monthly EM&A Reports

8.4            Data Keeping

8.5            Interim Notifications of Environmental Exceednaces

 

 

List of Tables

Table 1‑1             List of Potential Concurrent Projects

Table 2‑1             Representative Air Sensitive Receivers

Table 3‑1             Summary of the Identified Existing and Planned NSRs near the Project

Table 3‑2             Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers Identified for Construction Noise Impact Monitoring

Table 3‑3             Action and Limit Level for Construction Noise Monitoring

Table 3‑4             Event and Action Plan for Construction Noise Monitoring

Table 3‑5             Maximum SWLs for Selected “Quiet” and Alternative Plants

 

List of Figures

Figure 1-1                    Project Site Location

Figure 1-2                    Project Organisation and Lines of Communication for Environmental Works

Figure 2-1                    Location of Identified Air Sensitive Receivers

Figure 3-1                    Location of Identified Noise Sensitive Receivers

Figure 3-2                    Designated Location for Construction Noise Monitoring

Figure 4-1                    Location of Identified Water Sensitive Receiver

Figure 6-1                    Examples of Aesthetic Treatments on Site Hoarding and Green Roof of Site Office

           

List of Appendices

Appendix 1-1               Implementation Schedule for Environmental Mitigation Measures  

Appendix 1-2               Preliminary Construction Programme of the Project

Appendix 3-1               Sample Data Record Sheet for Noise Monitoring

Appendix 6-1               List of Recommended Species

Appendix 6-2               Example of Landscape Finishes

Appendix 6-3               Conceptual Master Landscape Design

Appendix 7-1               Flow Chart of Complaint Response Procedures

Appendix 8-1               Sample Template for Interim Notification

 

 

 

1.           Introduction

1.1         Background

1.1.1      The Project Proponent is the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) that is responsible for the operation of the Project after completion of construction works. P&T Architect and Engineers Limited was awarded as the lead consultant, for the design and construction supervision of the Project. URS Hong Kong Limited was appointed as the environmental sub-consultant to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for this project.

1.2         The Assignment

1.2.1      This Project is to construct and operate a new office-cum-vehicle depot building to accommodate the existing facilities in Sai Yee Street Vehicle Depot.  The Site is located on an urbanized area at Yen Ming Road.  It is an area zoned as “Government, Institution or Community” use, whilst commercial residential and institutional uses are located nearby. The site location of this Project is shown in Figure 1-1. The Site constitutes an area of previously developed reclaimed land which was previously occupied by Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) as site offices and associated storage (just returned).

1.2.2      The proposed office-cum-vehicle depot building will be a five-storey building comprising various facilities for vehicle washing and repair operation, parking of vehicles as well as offices. It will occupy a site area of about 8,278m2.  A detailed description of the Project is provided in Chapter 3 of the EIA Report.

1.2.3      In accordance with Item A.6, Part I, Schedule 2 of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ordinance, this Project is a designated project under the category of “A transport depot located less than 200m from the nearest boundary of an existing or planned residential area / education institution. An EIA is required and an Environmental Permit (EP) is to be obtained prior to construction commencement. An application for the EIA Study Brief under Section 5(1) of the EIA Ordinance (EIAO) was submitted by the FEHD on 17 April 2012 with a Project Profile (No. PP-463/2012).  The EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-245/2012) was issued by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on 25 May 2012 to proceed with an EIA study for the Project.

1.3         Eia Study Scope

1.3.1      The environmental issues covered in this EIA study, as addressed in the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-245/2012), are as follows:

·           Potential air quality impact from the construction and operation of the project  on the sensitive receivers near the Project site from air pollutant emission sources (such as vehicular emission, industrial emission from chimneys and odour emission sources);

·           Potential noise impact on sensitive receivers caused by the Project, including impact form construction equipment during construction, operational noise impact from fixed noise sources, and arrangement of traffic route;

·           Potential water quality and sewerage impacts from the construction and operation of the Project;

·           Potential waste management implications and land contamination issues arising from the construction and operation of the Project;

·           Potential landscape and visual impacts during the construction and operation of the Project; and

·           Potential cumulative environmental impacts of the Project and associated works, through interaction or in combination with other existing, committed and planned projects in their vicinity, and that totals impacts may have a bearing on the environmental acceptability of the Project.

1.4         Purpose of this EM&A Manual

1.4.1     The purpose of this Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual is to guide the set-up of an EM&A programme to check the compliance with the recommendations of the EIA study for the Reprovisioning of FEHD Sai Yee Street Environmental Hygiene Offices-cum-vehicle Depot at Yen Ming Road, West Kowloon Reclamation Area, to assess the effectiveness of the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report (the Implementation Schedule for Environmental Mitigation Measures (EMIS) is included in Appendix 1-1 of this EM&A Manual), and to identify any further requirements for additional mitigation measures and remedial action. This EM&A Manual outlines the monitoring and audit programme for the Project.  It aims to provide systematic procedures for the monitoring, auditing and minimisation of environmental impacts associated with the activities of the Project.

1.4.2     All the environmental legislation of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines serve as the environmental standards and guidelines for the preparation of this EM&A Manual. In addition, this EM&A Manual has been prepared in accordance with the requirements as stipulated in Annex 21 of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).

1.4.3     This EM&A Manual contains the following information:

·           The responsibilities of the Contractor, Architect’s Representative, Environmental Team (ET), and the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) with respect to the EM&A requirements during the course of the Project;

·           The requirements with respect to the construction schedule and the EM&A programme to track the varying environmental impacts;

·           The details of methodologies to be adopted, including all field laboratories and analytical procedures, and details on the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) programme;

·           The rationale on which the environmental monitoring data will be evaluated and interpreted;

·           The definition of Action and Limit levels;

·           The establishment of Event and Action Plans;

·           The requirements for reviewing the pollution sources and working procedures required in the event of the non-compliance with environmental criteria and complaints;

·           The requirements for the presentation of EM&A data and appropriate reporting procedures; and

·           The requirements for reviewing the EIA predictions and effectiveness of mitigation measures/environmental management systems and the EM&A programme.

1.4.4     For the purpose of this Manual, the ET Leader, who shall be responsible for and in charge of the ET, shall refer to the person delegated the role of executing the EM&A requirements.

1.4.5     This EM&A Manual is a dynamic document that should be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary during the construction and operation of the Project.

1.5         Project Description

1.5.1     The preliminary construction programme of this Project is shown in Appendix 1-2, based on which this EIA was carried out. The design of the Depot is on-going during the preparation of this EIA Report. The construction works are planned to be commenced in later 2014 and to be completed in late 2016 / early 2017, upon which mobilisation and installation of the equipment will be carried out. The new building will then be handed over to FEHD for operation.

·         Late 2014

Commencement of construction works

·         Late 2016

Completion of construction works and mobilisation and installation of equipment

·         Early 2017

Commencement of operation of the Project

1.6         Implementation Programme

1.6.1     According to the construction programme shown in Section 1.5 above, the EM&A programme for this Project would be implemented according to the following tentative schedule:

·         Late 2014

Baseline monitoring (prior to the commencement of works)

·         Late 2014 to Late 2016

Impact monitoring (throughout the construction period)

·         Late 2016

Cessation and termination of EM&A programme for construction phase (upon confirmation of substantial completion of the Project and no construction works would be carried out)

 

 

·         Later 2016 to Late 2017

Monitoring of odour removal efficiency of the proposed odour removal unit

1.7         Concurrent Project

1.7.1     There are several concurrent projects in the vicinity of the Site, as summarised in Table 1-1. Only those concurrent projects available with implementation programmes would be considered as concurrent project for cumulative environmental impacts at this stage. Potential cumulative impact of various environmental aspects, if any, from the planned major concurrent projects had been assessed in the individual sections of this EIA study.

Table 1‑1        List of Potential Concurrent Projects

Concurrent Projects

Potential Cumulative Impacts

Construction Phase

Operation Phase

Panned footbridge across the junction of Sham Mong Road/Tonkin Street West by CEDD (construction works are scheduled to commence in late 2014 and to complete in 2018)

X

           X

Planned Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express Rail Link along Sham Mong Road (several works area within out study area are under construction in between our project implementation programme)

P

X

Nam Cheong Station Property Development (construction has been commenced currently and to complete from 2017 to 2019 by phases)

P

X

 

1.8         Project Organization

Background

1.8.1     The roles and responsibilities of various parties involved in the EM&A process and the organisation structure of the parties responsible for implementing the EM&A programme are outlined below. The project organisation and lines of communication with respect to environmental protection works are shown in Figure 1-2.

Architect’s Representative

1.8.2     The Architect’s Representative is responsible for overseeing the construction works and ensuring the works to be undertaken by the Contractor in accordance with the specifications and contractual requirements. The duties and responsibilities of the Architect’s Representative with respect to the EM&A programme include:

·           To supervise the Contractor’s activities and ensure the requirements in the EM&A Manual to be fully complied with;

·           To inform the Contractor when action is required to reduce the environmental impacts in accordance with the Event and Action Plans;

·           To lead the regular site inspections and audits attended by the Contractor and Environmental Team (ET); and

·           To adhere to the procedures for carrying out the complaint investigation.

The Contractor

1.8.3     The Contractor should report to the Architect’s Representative. The duties and responsibilities of the Contractor are:

·                To implement the recommendations and requirements of the EIA study;

·                To provide assistance to the ET in carrying out the relevant environmental monitoring;

·                To submit the proposal of mitigation measures in case of exceedances of the Action and Limit levels, in accordance with the Event and Action Plans;

·                To implement the mitigation measures to reduce the environmental impacts where the Action and Limit levels are exceeded until the events are resolved; and

·                To adhere to the procedures for carrying out the complaint investigation.

Environmental Team (ET)

1.8.4     The ET will conduct the EM&A programme to ensure the Contractor’s compliance with the Project’s environmental requirements during the construction phase.

1.8.5     The ET should be led and managed by an Environmental Team Leader (ET Leader), who should possess at least 7 years of experience in EM&A or environmental management. The ET should monitor the mitigation measures implemented by the Contractor on a regular basis to ensure the compliance with the intended aims of the mitigation measures. The duties and responsibilities of the ET are:

·                To monitor various environmental parameters as required in the EM&A Manual;

·                To carry out site inspections to investigate and audit the Contractor’s site practices, equipment and work methodologies with respect to the pollution control and environmental mitigation, and anticipate the environmental issues for the proactive and practicable action before problems arising;

·                To analyse the EM&A data, review the success of EM&A programme to confirm the adequacy of mitigation measures implemented, and the validity of the EIA predictions and to identify any adverse environmental impacts arising and report the EM&A results to the Independent Environmental Checker (IEC), Contractor, and the Architect’s Representative;

·                To prepare the reports of environmental monitoring data and site environmental conditions; and

·                To review the proposals of mitigation measures by the Contractor in case of exceedances of the Action and Limit levels, in accordance with the Event and Action Plans.

Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)

1.8.6     The IEC should advise the Architect’s Representative on the environmental issues related to the Project. The IEC should possess at least 7 years of experience in EM&A or environmental management. The duties and responsibilities of the IEC are:

·                To review and audit in an independent, objective and professional manner in all aspects of the EM&A programme;

·                To validate and confirm the accuracy of the monitoring results, monitoring equipment, monitoring locations, monitoring procedures and locations of sensitive receivers;

·                To carry out random sample checking and audit of the environmental monitoring data and sampling procedures, etc.;

·                To conduct random site inspections during construction;

·                To audit the recommendations and requirements of the EIA study against the status of the implementation of environmental protection measures on-site;

·                To review the effectiveness of the environmental mitigation complaints and the effectiveness of corrective measures;

·                On as-needed basis, to verify and certify the environmental acceptability of the EP holder’s construction methodology (both temporary and permanent works), relevant design plans and submissions under the EP;

·                To verify the investigation results of the environmental complaints and the effectiveness of corrective measures;

·                To verify the EM&A reports that have been certified by the ETL; and

·                To provide feedback of the audit results to the ET/EP holder according to the Event and Action Plans in the EM&A manual.

1.9         Structure of this EM&A Manual

1.9.1     Following this introductory section, the structure of the EM&A Manual is set out as follows:-

·                Section 2 sets out EM&A requirements for Air Quality Impact;

·                Section 3 sets out EM&A requirements for Noise Impact;

·                Section 4 sets out EM&A requirements for Water Quality Impact;

·                Section 5 sets out EM&A requirements for Waste Management Implications and Land Contamination;

·                Section 6 sets out EM&A requirements for Landscape and Visual Impact;

·                Section 7 describes the scope and frequency of the environmental site audits and sets out the system of handling complaints; and

·                Section 8 details the EM&A reporting requirements.

2.           Air Quality Impact

2.1         Introduction

2.1.1      The EIA Study of this Project concluded that, with the implementation of sufficient dust suppression measures as stipulated under the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and good site practices and proposed mitigation measures, adverse dust impact would not be anticipated at the Air Sensitive Receivers (ASRs) as shown in Figure 2-1 in the vicinity of the construction sites.  As such, no dust monitoring is recommended.

2.1.2      However, weekly site audits are recommended to ensure that appropriate dust control measures are properly implemented and good construction site practices are adopted throughout the construction period.

2.1.3      Air quality monitoring during the operation phase of this Project is considered not necessary as air quality impacts to the adjacent identified ASRs arising from the Project would be insignificant.

2.2         Air Sensitive Receivers

2.2.1     The existing ASRs have been identified with reference to the latest information shown on the survey maps, topographic maps, aerial photos and land status plans. Various site surveys have been undertaken to verify and confirm with the above desktop studies.

2.2.2     With reference to Section 3.4.3 of EIA Study Brief, study area for the air quality impact assessment was defined by a distance of 500 metres from the boundary of the Project site.  Based on the best available information at the time of assessment, the existing ASRs including residential buildings, hospital, schools and educational institutions, industrial building, commercial buildings, as well as parks in Nam Cheong are identified. Planned ASRs at Nam Cheong Station residential development is also known at this stage. Details of the identified representative ASRs are summarised in Table 2-1.

Table 2‑1        Representative Air Sensitive Receivers

ID

Description

Land use

ASR1

Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Food Market Office 1

Commercial

ASR2

Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Food Market Office 2

Commercial

ASR3

Yuen Fat Building

Industrial

ASR4

Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School

Institution

ASR5

Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School

Institution

ASR6

Marine Police Operation Base

Government

ASR7

Hampton Place Tower 1

Residential

ASR8

Hampton Place Tower 2

Residential

ASR9

Hampton Place Tower 3

Residential

ASR10

The Long Beach Tower 9

Residential

ASR11

The Long Beach Tower 8

Residential

ASR12

The Long Beach Tower 7

Residential

ASR13

The Long Beach Tower 6

Residential

ASR14

The Long Beach Tower 5

Residential

ASR15

Island Harbourview Block 1

Residential

ASR16

Island Harbourview Block 2

Residential

ASR17

Harbour Green Tower 3

Residential

ASR18

Harbour Green Tower 5

Residential

ASR19

Harbour Green Tower 6

Residential

ASR20

West Kowloon Disciplined Services Quarters Block 2

Government

ASR21

West Kowloon Disciplined Services Quarters Block 1

Government

ASR22

Nam Cheong Park

Open Space

ASR23

Chui Yu Road Garden

Open Space

ASR24

Tung Chau Street Park

Open Space

ASR25

Metro Harbour View Tower 4

Residential

ASR26

Metro Harbour View Tower 3

Residential

ASR27

Metro Harbour View Tower 2

Residential

ASR28

Tung Chau Street Basketball Court

Open Space

ASR29

Nam Cheong Estate Block 6

Residential

ASR30

Nam Cheong Estate Block 5

Residential

ASR31

Nam Cheong Estate Block 1

Residential

ASR32

Nam Cheong Estate Block 2

Residential

ASR33

Nam Cheong Estate Block 4

Residential

ASR34

Nam Cheong Community Centre

Community

ASR35

Nam Cheong Estate Block 3

Residential

ASR36

Tung Chau Street Tennis Court

Open Space

ASR37

Fu Cheong Estate Basketball Court

Open Space

ASR38

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Yuet House

Residential

ASR39

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Ying House

Residential

ASR40

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Yee House

Residential

ASR41

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Hoi House

Residential

ASR42

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Wen House

Residential

ASR43

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Yun House

Residential

ASR44

Fu Cheong Shopping Centre

Commercial

ASR45

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T3

Residential

ASR46

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T4

Residential

ASR47

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T5

Residential

ASR48

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T6

Residential

ASR49

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T9

Residential

ASR50

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T10

Residential

ASR51

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T11

Residential

ASR52

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T1

Residential

ASR53

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T2

Residential

ASR54

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T3

Residential

ASR55

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T5

Residential

ASR56

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T6

Residential

ASR57

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T8

Residential

ASR58

Planned Residential at Nam Cheong Station T9

Residential

ASR59

Planned FEHD Office Fresh Air Intake1

Office

ASR60

Planned FEHD Office Fresh Air Intake2

Office

ASR61

Planned FEHD Office Fresh Air Intake3

Office

 

2.3         Mitigation Measures

2.3.1     The recommended mitigation measures for construction dust impacts are presented in the EMIS in Appendix 1-1 of this EM&A Manual. In the event of complaints or non-compliances, the ET, Architect’s Representative and Contractor should review the effectiveness of these mitigation measures, design alternatives or additional mitigation measures as appropriate.  The Contractor should propose the corrective action to the Architect’s Representative for approval, and implement them accordingly. These measures should include the following dust suppression measures stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and good site practices:

·                Use of regular watering, to reduce dust emissions from exposed site surfaces and unpaved roads, particularly during dry weather;

·                Use of frequent watering for particularly dusty construction areas close to ASRs;

·                Side enclosure and covering of any aggregate or dusty material storage piles to reduce emissions. Where this is not practicable owing to frequent usage, watering should be applied to aggregate fines;

·                Open temporary stockpiles should be avoided or covered. Prevent placing dusty material storage piles near ASRs;

·                Tarpaulin covering of all dusty vehicle loads transported to, from and between site locations;

·                Establishment and use of vehicle wheel and body washing facilities at the exit points of the site;

·                Imposition of speed controls for vehicles on unpaved site roads. The recommended limit is 8 km/hr;

·                Routing of vehicles and positioning of construction plant should be at the maximum possible distance from ASRs;

·                Every stock of more than 20 bags of cement or dry pulverised fuel ash (PFA), if applicable, should be covered entirely by impervious sheeting or placed in an area sheltered on the top and the 3-sides; and

·                Loading, unloading, transfer, handling or storage of large amount of cement or dry PFA should be carried out in a totally enclosed system or facility, and any vent or exhaust should be fitted with the an effective fabric filter or equivalent air pollution control system.

 

2.4         Audit Requirements

2.4.1     The implementation of regular site audits aims to ensure the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report to be properly undertaken during the construction phase of this Project. It can also provide an effective control of any mal-practices and, therefore, achieve the continual improvement of the environmental performance on-site.

2.4.2     Inspections of the construction activities, works sites and works areas should be conducted by the Contractor at least on a weekly basis to ensure the mitigation measures to be properly implemented.

2.4.3     Site audits should be carried out by the Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor, and should be based on the mitigation measures for the air pollution control as recommended in Appendix 1-1. In the event that the recommended mitigation measures are not fully or properly implemented, the Contractor should report the deficiency to the Architect’s Representative and ET. The appropriate action will need to be taken by the Contractor:

·                Investigate the problems and causes;

·                Discuss a remedial and corrective proposal with the Architect’s Representative and ET;

·                Take action according to the action notes agreed with the Architect’s Representative;

·                Implement the remedial and corrective action immediately;

·                Re-inspect the site conditions upon the completion of the remedial and corrective action; and

·                Record the event. 

2.4.4     No adverse air quality impact would be expected from the operation of the Project.  Furthermore, no adverse odour impact from the Project activities is expected, with the provision of odour removal facilities prior to discharging vented air to atmosphere. In order to ensure the odour removal efficiency (at least 85%) of the proposed odour removal unit, commissioning test requirement should be incorporated in the specifications during commissioning period.

2.4.5     Upon commissioning, odour removal efficiency of the proposed odour removal unit should be tested quarterly for the first year of operation, in order to ensure adequate maintenance and operation of the unit.  If all results fulfil the above minimum requirement, the monitoring programme would be ceased.  If failure, the programme shall be increased to monthly monitoring and extended until in consecutive 3 times fulfilling the requirement.  Most importantly, it is critical and necessary to carry out investigation to examine rationale(s) (eg. airduct blockage) for failure, suggest and implement effective rectifying action(s) (eg. increasing frequency of media replacement).  Since the design is subject to later modification, it is recommended the Project Proponent to develop a monitoring and investigation plan, as well as work procedure, prior to operation of the unit.

3.           Noise Impact

3.1         Introduction

3.1.1     The assessment has concluded that, with the implementation of mitigation measures in form of utilising quieter plant, limiting the number of construction plants operating concurrently, temporary noise barrier, noise jackets and mufflers, no adverse residual construction impact would be anticipated.

3.1.2     More detailed construction work programme should be considered before actual construction work is undertaken by the Contractor, and applicable noise mitigation measures should be implemented according to the actual site condition and constraints, in order to minimise the potential cumulative construction noise impact with concurrent projects. In particular, the Contractor shall keep close liaison with nearby educational institutions and special arrangement on PME operations should be determined during school examination period.

3.1.3     However, environmental monitoring and audit measures are recommended during the construction phase of the Project to ensure adverse impacts do not occur. An appropriate path for noise complaints handling procedures is a key element of the EM&A programme.  The EM&A requirements, methodology, equipment, monitoring locations, criteria and protocols for the noise impacts during the construction phase of the project are presented in this section.

3.1.4     Noise monitoring during the operation phase of this Project is considered not necessary as the proposed Depot would not be expected to impose significant noise impact to adjacent identified Noise Sensitive Receivers (NSRs) with the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures.

3.2         Noise Sensitive Receivers

3.2.1     NSRs has been identified in accordance with Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM which can include domestic premises, temporary housing accommodation, educational institutions, nurseries, hospitals, medical clinics, homes for the aged, convalescent homes, places of public worship, libraries, courts of law, performing arts centres, having direct line-of-sight and substantial angle of view to the Project Area. NSRs present within the 300m study area boundary have been identified.

3.2.2     Besides, a planned residential development on Nam Cheong Station has been identified at the commencement of the assessment. Details of the planned development including floor plan and number of floors have been referenced to the latest approved Master Layout Plan (MLP approved in July 2011).  In accordance with information provided by the MTRC, construction of the development has been commenced and the anticipated completion of the whole Development would be no later than year 2019. 

3.2.3     Figure 3-1 illustrates the Project boundary together with identified NSRs. Details of the identified existing and planned NSRs are summarized in Table 3-1.

 

 

Table 3‑1        Summary of the Identified Existing and Planned NSRs near the Project

NSR

Name of Building

Use

 

1

Sir Ellis Kadorie Secondary School (West Kowloon)

 

Education Institute

 

2

Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road)

Education Institute

3

Hampton Place

Residential

 

4

Nam Cheong Estate Block 6 Cheong Chit House

Residential

 

5

Nam Cheong Estate Block 5 Cheong Yat House

Residential

 

6

Nam Cheong Estate Block 4 Cheong Shun House

Residential

 

7

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Yun House

Education / Homes for the Aged

 

8

Planned Residential Development on Nam Cheong Station

Residential

 

3.2.4     In addition, according to the site visit observation dated 4 July and 17 July 2012, spilt-type air-conditioners have been installed at Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School (West Kowloon) and Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road).  Notwithstanding the provision of spilt-type air-conditioners, since it is also possible for the schools abovementioned to rely on opened window ventilation, all schools within the Noise Assessment Area are still considered as NSRs for noise impact assessment.

3.3         Monitoring Requirements

Noise Parameters and Criteria

3.3.1     The construction noise level should be measured in terms of the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (Leq). The monitoring parameter for the time period from 0700 to 1900 hours on normal weekdays should be Leq(30min). The supplementary information for data auditing and statistical results, such as L10 and L90, should be obtained and recorded for reference. A sample data record sheet is provided in Appendix 3-1.

Monitoring Equipment and Methodology

3.3.2     As referred to the requirements of the Technical Memorandum (TM) issued under the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO), the sound level meters in compliance with the International Electrotechnical Commission Publications 651: 1979 (Type 1) and 804: 1985 (Type 1) specifications should be followed for conducting the noise monitoring. Immediately prior to and following each noise measurement, the accuracy of the sound level meter should be checked using an acoustic calibrator generating a known sound pressure level at a known frequency. The measurements may be accepted as valid only if the difference between calibration levels obtained before and after the noise measurement is less than 1.0dB.

3.3.3     The noise measurements should not be conducted in the presence of fog, rain, wind with a steady speed exceeding 5m/s or wind with gusts exceeding 10m/s. The wind speed should be checked with a portable wind speed meter capable of measuring wind speeds in m/s.

3.3.4     The ET is responsible for the provision of the monitoring equipment and should ensure that sufficient noise measuring equipment and associated instrumentation are available for conducting the baseline monitoring, regular impact monitoring and ad-hoc monitoring. All equipment and associated instrumentation should be labelled clearly.

Monitoring Locations

3.3.5     According to the assessment results provided in the EIA report, construction noise monitoring should be conducted at designated locations as listed in Table 3-2 and shown in Figure 3-2.

Table 3‑2        Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers Identified for Construction Noise Impact Monitoring

NSR

Monitoring Location

1

Sir Ellis Kadorie Secondary School (West Kowloon)

7

Fu Cheong Estate Fu Yun House

 

3.3.6     If changes to the monitoring locations of the NSRs are considered necessary, the ET should propose alternative monitoring locations and seek the agreement from the IEC and EPD on such proposal. The alternative locations should be selected based on the following criteria:

·                Close to the major construction works activities that are likely to have noise impacts;

·                Close to the NSRs as defined in the EIAO-TM; and

·                Ensure minimal disturbance and safe working condition to the occupants during the monitoring in the vicinity of the NSRs.

3.3.7     The monitoring stations should normally be at a point 1m from the exterior of the facade of the NSR and be at a position 1.2m above ground. If there is difficulty in accessing to the normal monitoring position, an alternative position should be chosen, and a correction to the measurement results should be made. For reference, a correction of +3dB(A) should be made to the free-field measurements. The ETL should seek for the agreement with the IEC and EPD on the alternative monitoring position and corrections adopted. Once the positions for the monitoring stations are chosen, the baseline and impact monitoring should be carried out at the same positions.

Baseline Monitoring

3.3.8     The ET should carry out the baseline noise monitoring prior to the commencement of major construction works. The baseline noise levels should be measured for a continuous period of at least 14 consecutive days at a minimum logging interval of 30 minutes during daytime between 0700 and 1900 hours. The Leq, L10 and L90 should be recorded at the specified intervals. A schedule for the baseline monitoring should be submitted to the IEC for approval before the baseline monitoring starts.

3.3.9     There should not be any construction activities in the vicinity of the monitoring stations during the baseline monitoring. The source and location of any non-project related construction activities in the vicinity of the monitoring stations during the baseline monitoring should be noted and recorded.

3.3.10   In any exceptional case, when baseline monitoring data obtained are insufficient or questionable, the ET should liaise with the IEC and EPD to agree on an appropriate set of data to be used as the baseline reference.

Impact Monitoring

3.3.11   The noise impact monitoring should be carried out at all the designated monitoring stations when there are project-related construction activities undertaken within a radius of 300m from the monitoring stations. Monitoring of Leq(30min) should be carried out at each station between 0700 and 1900 hours on normal weekdays at a frequency of once a week when construction activities are underway. Any general construction work carried out during restricted hours is controlled by Construction Noise Permit (CNP) under the NCO.

3.3.12   In case of non-compliances with the construction noise criteria, increase of monitoring frequency is required according to the Event/ Action Plan. The additional monitoring should be continued until the recorded noise levels show that the non-compliance is rectified or proved to be irrelevant to the project-related construction activities.

Event and Action Plan

3.3.13   The Action and Limit levels for the construction noise are provided in Table 3-3. Should non-compliances of the noise criteria occur, the action in accordance with the Event/ Action Plan in Table 3-4 should be taken.

Table 3‑3        Action and Limit Level for Construction Noise Monitoring

Time Period

Action Level

Limit Level, Leq 30mins, dB(A)

0700-1900 hours on normal weekdays

When one documented complaint is received

75 dB(A) for residential premises

70 dB(A) for school and 65 dB(A) during examination period

 

 

 

Table 3‑4        Event and Action Plan for Construction Noise Monitoring

 

ACTION

 

ET(1)

IEC(1)

Architect’s Representative

Contractor

Action Level

1.    Notify the IEC and Contractor.

2.    Carry out investigation.

3.    Report the results of investigation to the IEC and Contractor.

4.    Discuss with the Contractor and formulate remedial measures.

5.    Increase monitoring frequency to check mitigation effectiveness.

1.    Review the analysed results submitted by the ET.

2.    Review the proposed remedial measures by the Contractor and advise the Architect’s Representative accordingly.

3.    Supervise the implementation of remedial measures.

1.    Confirm receipt of notification of failure in writing.

2.    Notify the Contractor.

3.    Require the Contractor to propose remedial measures for the analysed noise problem.

4.    Ensure remedial measures are properly implemented.

1.    Submit noise mitigation proposals to the IEC.

2.    Implement noise mitigation proposals.

Limit Level

1.    Notify the IEC, Architect’s Representative, EPD and Contractor.

2.    Identify sources.

3.    Repeat measurements to confirm findings.

4.    Increase monitoring frequency.

5.    Carry out analysis of the Contractor’s working procedures to determine possible mitigation to be implemented.

6.    Inform the IEC, Architect’s Representative and EPD the causes and action taken for the exceedances.

7.    Assess the effectiveness of the Contractor’s remedial action and keep the IEC, EPD and Architect’s Representative informed of the results.

8.    If exceedance stops, cease additional monitoring.

1.    Discuss amongst the Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor on the potential remedial action.

2.    Review the Contractor’s remedial action whenever necessary to assure their effectiveness and advise the Architect’s Representative accordingly.

3.    Supervise the implementation of remedial measures.

1.    Confirm receipt of notification of failure in writing.

2.    Notify the Contractor.

3.    Require the Contractor to propose remedial measures for the analysed noise problem.

4.    Ensure remedial measures are properly implemented.

5.    If exceedance continues, consider what portion of work is responsible and instruct the Contractor to stop that portion of works until the exceedance is abated.

1.    Take immediate action to avoid further exceedance.

2.    Submit proposals for remedial action to the IEC within 3 working days of notification.

3.    Implement the agreed proposals.

4.    Resubmit proposals if problems still not under control.

5.    Stop the relevant portion of works as determined by the Architect’s Representative until the exceedance is abated.

Notes (1): ET – Environmental Team, IEC – Independent Environmental Checker; (2) Each step of action should be undertaken within 1 working day unless otherwise specified.


3.3.14   If the baseline monitoring identifies that the ambient noise levels approach or exceed the stipulated Limit Levels prior to the commencement of the construction works, a Maximum Acceptable Impact Level, which incorporates the baseline noise levels and the identified construction noise Limit Level, may be defined and agreed with the EPD. The amended level would be greater than 75 dB(A) and represent the maximum acceptable noise level at a specific monitoring station. The correction factors for the effects of the acoustic screening and/or architectural features of the NSRs may also be applied as specified in the EIAO-TM.

3.4         Mitigation Measures

3.4.1     According to the EIA Report, noise mitigation measures were recommended as far as practicable according to the actual construction condition and limitation construction.

Construction Phase

3.4.2     Selection and programming of construction processes for the timing and sequencing of the various construction activities should be carefully arranged in order to limit the amount of concurrent activities and where applicable, to avoid parallel operation of noisy PME in order to minimise the total noise generated during construction periods.

3.4.3     The quantity of PME to be operated concurrently and also their proportion of usage should be limited. In the case during school examination while more stringent construction noise criteria should be imposed, the potentially most disruptive construction activities should be avoided, and arranged to be conducted during school holidays as far as practicable.

3.4.4      “Quiet” alternative plant having actual Sound Power Levels (SWLs) lower than the values specified for PME in the Technical Memoranda on Noise from Construction Work Other Than Percussive Piling (GW-TM) and working methods should be used to achieve noise reductions from the adopted working methodologies by specifying maximum limits of sound power level for specific plant equipment.

3.4.5     SWLs for typical PME provided in the GW-TM and that for equivalent “quiet” plants are presented in Table 3-5. The type of quiet PME is for reference only and to be confirmed by the contractors, in view of the actual construction conditions and programmes. The contractors are allowed to use other type of quiet PME, which have the equivalent total SWLs, to meet their needs.

Table 3‑5        Maximum SWLs for Selected “Quiet” and Alternative Plants

Identification Code in GW-TM

Descriptions of PME

SWL in GW-TM

“quiet” PME example in QPME list [1]

SWL of “quiet” PME, dB(A)

CNP 081

Loader, wheeled (Back-hoe)

112

EPD-00946

104

CNP 081

Excavator, Tracked

112

EPD-01652

99

CNP 103

Generator

95

EPD-01593

89

CNP 048

Mobile Crane

112

EPD-01516

101

Note:

1.             QPME list available on the EPD website

3.4.6     Temporary noise barriers providing noise attenuation by screening NSRs from stationary and mobile plants from direct line-of-sight in shadow zone were recommended:

·                Use of 3m high moveable barriers with skid footing and a small cantilevered upper portion within 6m from stationary plants and about 5m from mobile plants, as well as along the working area;

·                Depending on site situation, when, noise jacket/muffler, if temporary noise barriers are not practicable or noise reduction achieved is insufficient, applying to cover the noisy part of the engine or at the engine exhaust of particular mobile plants; 

·                Applicable PME with temporary noise barrier include excavator, wheeled loader, mini-robot mounted breaker, concrete lorry mixer and concrete pump; and

·                Careful selection of insulation material for temporary noise barrier, and, if necessary, acoustic mats with Barrier material of surface density of at least 10 kg/m2 at noisy mechanical parts of the equipment.

3.4.7     The use of good site practice/techniques can provide considerable reductions in noise emissions.  Examples of these site practices include:

·                Use of well-maintained and regularly-serviced plant during the works;

·                Plant operating on intermittent basis should be turned off or throttled down when not in active use;

·                Plant that is known to emit noise strongly in one direction should be orientated to face away from the NSRs;

·                Silencers, mufflers and enclosures for plant should be used where possible and maintained adequately throughout the works;

·                Where possible fixed plants should be sited away from NSRs; and

·                Stockpiles of excavated materials and other structures such as site buildings should be used effectively to screen noise from the works.

3.4.8     In the event of exceedances or complaints, the Contractor should review the effectiveness of these mitigation measures and propose, design and implement alternative or additional measures as appropriate. The Contractor should liaise with the ET on the alternative or additional mitigation measures, provide them to the Architect’s Representative for approval, and implement the mitigation measures.

Operation Phase

3.4.9     During the operation for the office-cum-vehicle depot, mitigation measures for both workshop vehicle repair activities and MVAC installations such as workshop vehicle repair activities to be carried out under the covered area to be operated during daytime and evening periods only and acoustic treatments, such as acoustic silencers, acoustic louvres to be applied to the MVAC installations in order to achieve the specified maximum allowable SWL should be implemented.

4.           Water Quality and Sewage Impact

4.1         Introduction

4.1.1     With proper mitigation measures in place as recommended in the EIA report, adverse water quality impact would not be anticipated to the Water Sensitive Receivers (WSRs) as shown in Figure 4-1 during the construction and operation phases of this Project. As such, regular inspections of construction activities, works sites and works areas should be conducted to ensure that the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.

4.2         Water Sensitive Receivers

4.2.1     To evaluate the potential water quality impacts from the Project, areas within 500m from the Project site, and the adjacent water sensitive receivers within the Victoria Harbour (Phase Two) Water Control Zone (WCZ) are considered. Due to the highly urbanised nature of the area, there is no inland watercourse such as river or natural stream located within 500m from the Project site. Also, no marine biological sensitive receivers, such as fish culture zone, shellfish culture grounds, marine park/ reserve or commercial fishing grounds are identified within the Victoria Harbour (Phase Two) WCZ. However, a seawater abstraction point for flushing (Cheung Sha Wan) has been identified adjacent to the Project site as shown in Figure 4-1.

4.3         Monitoring Requirements

Construction Phase

4.3.1      No surface water quality monitoring would be required during the construction phase. To avoid any potential water quality impacts arising from the construction activities, regular site audits should be conducted to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.

Operation Phase

4.3.2      No adverse water quality impact would be anticipated during the operation phase, provided that all mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report are properly implemented. Therefore, water quality monitoring and auditing are not required during the operation phase.

4.4         Mitigation Measures

4.4.1     The recommended mitigation measures for water quality impacts are presented the EMIS in Appendix 1-1 of this EM&A Manual. In the event of complaints or non-compliances, the ET, Architect’s Representative and Contractor should review the effectiveness of these mitigation measures, design alternatives or additional mitigation measures as appropriate. The Contractor should propose the corrective action to the Architect’s Representative for approval, and implement them accordingly.

4.5         Audit Requirements

Background

4.5.1     The implementation of regular site audits aims to ensure the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report to be properly undertaken during the construction phase of this Project. It can also provide an effective control of any mal-practices and, therefore, achieve the continual improvement of the environmental performance on-site. Site audits should include both site inspections and compliance audits.

Site Inspection

4.5.2     Inspections of the construction activities, works sites and works areas should be conducted by the Contractor at least on a weekly basis to ensure the mitigation measures to be properly implemented.

4.5.3     Site audits should be carried out by the Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor, and should be based on the mitigation measures for the water pollution control as recommended in Appendix 1-1. In the event that the recommended mitigation measures are not fully or properly implemented, the Contractor should report the deficiency to the Architect’s Representative and ET. The appropriate action will need to be taken by the Contractor:

·                Investigate the problems and causes;

·                Discuss a remedial and corrective proposal with the Architect’s Representative and ET;

·                Take action according to the action notes agreed with the Architect’s Representative;

·                Implement the remedial and corrective action immediately;

·                Re-inspect the site conditions upon the completion of the remedial and corrective action; and

·                Record the event.

Compliance Audits

4.5.4      Compliance audits are to be undertaken by the Architect’s Representative and ET and escorted by the Contractor to ensure that a valid Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) discharge license has been issued by the EPD prior to the discharge of the effluent from the construction activities of this Project site. Monitoring of the quality of the treated effluent from the works areas should be carried out in accordance with the WPCO discharge license. The audit results reflect whether the effluent quality is in compliance with the discharge license requirements. In case of non-compliances, the following action should be taken:

·                The Contractor should notify the Architect’s Representative, ET and IEC;

·                The Architect’s Representative, ET and IEC should identify the sources of pollution and recommend and agree the appropriate mitigation measures for the Contractor;

·                The Architect’s Representative and ET should check the implementation status of the agreed mitigation measures by the Contractor;

·                The ET should increase the monitoring frequency until the effluent quality is in compliance with the requirements of the discharge license; and

·                The ET should record the non-compliances and propose preventive measures.

 

 

5.           Waste Management Implications and Land Contamination Assessment

5.1         Introduction

5.1.1     Regular auditing should be carried out by the ET during the construction phase of the Project to ensure wastes are being managed with the appropriate procedures or practices in accordance with relevant legislation and waste management guidelines as well as those recommended in the EIA Report. The audits will examine all aspects of waste management including waste generation, storage, recycling, transportation and disposal.

5.1.2     A Waste Management Plan (WMP), as part of Environmental Management Plan (EMP), should be prepared in accordance with ETWB TC(W) No. 19/2005 and submitted to the Project/Site Architect for approval. The recommended mitigation measures should form the basis of the WMP. The monitoring and auditing requirement stated in ETWB TC(W) No. 19/2005 should be followed with regard to the management of Construction and Demolition (C&D) Materials.

5.1.3     As the land contamination at the Project site was identified to be insignificant during construction and operation phases with the implementation of good site practice and design, no EM&A for contaminated land is recommended.   

5.2         Mitigation Measures

5.2.1     With proper handling, collection, transportation and disposal of waste arising from the construction and operation of the Project, it is anticipated that potential adverse environmental impacts would be avoided or minimised.  During site inspections, the Architect’s Representative and ET should pay special attention to the issues relating to the waste management and check whether the Contractor has implemented the recommended good site practices and other mitigation measures.  The following waste management measures should be implemented by the Contractor:

·                The Contractor should be requested to submit an outline WMP prior to the commencement of construction work, in accordance with the ETWB TC(W) No. 19/2005 so as to provide an overall framework of Waste Management and Reduction. The WMP should include:

-                Waste management policy;

-                Record of generated waste;

-                Waste reduction target;

-                Waste reduction programme;

-                Role and responsibility of waste management team;

-                Benefit of waste management;

-                Analysis of waste materials;

-                Reuse, recycling and disposal plans;

-                Transportation process of waste products; and

-                Monitoring and action plan.

·                The waste management hierarchy as provided in Section 7.3 of the EIA Report should be strictly followed and applied in evaluating the waste management options in order to maximise the waste reduction and often reduce costs, for example, by controlling, reducing or eliminating over-ordering of construction materials. Records of quantities and locations of wastes generated, recycled and disposal should be properly documented;

·                A trip-ticket system should be established in accordance with DevB TC(W) No. 6/2010 and Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation in order to monitor the disposal of inert C&D Materials at public fill and the remaining C&D Waste to landfills, and control fly-tipping. A trip-ticket system should be included as one of the contractual requirements and implemented by the Contractor. The Project/ Site Architect should regularly audit the effectiveness of the system;

·                A recording system for the amount and locations of waste generated, recycled and disposed should be established. The Contractor should also provide proper training to workers regarding the appropriate concepts of site cleanliness and waste management procedures, e.g. waste reduction, reuse and recycling all the time; and

·                No waste should be burnt on-site. Disposal of waste at unlicensed location e.g. natural habitat should be prohibited. The Contractor should propose the final disposal sites in the EMP and WMP for approval before implementation.

5.3         Audit Requirements

5.3.1     Regular audits and site inspection should be carried out by the Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor to ensure that the recommended good site practices and other mitigation measure are implemented by the Contractor. The audits should look at all aspects of on-site waste management practices including the waste generation, storage, recycling, transportation and disposal. Apart from site inspections, documents including licenses, permits, disposal and recycling records should be reviewed and audited for the compliance with the legislation and contract requirements. The requirements of the environmental audit programme are set out in this EM&A Manual. The audit programme will verify the implementation status and evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation measures.

 

6.           Landscape and Visual Impact

6.1         Introduction

Construction Phase

6.1.1     Given the limited footprint of the proposed Depot, no significant impacts on the identified Landscape Resources (LRs) and Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) will be anticipated except for impacts on LR 5-3 Vacant Land Vegetation and LCA 4 Open Space/ Vacant Land due to felling of 15 common trees of the Site. Construction site hoardings should be erected to surround the site to minimise the landscape and visual impacts on viewers from road level. No monitoring is recommended during the construction phase.

Operation Phase

6.1.2     The Project will result in the felling of 15 trees within the Site, The landscape design as mentioned in Section 8.8 of the EIA Report are adopted as mitigation measures to compensate for the trees lost, is proposed to plant 27 nos. compensatory trees of heavy standard size (100mm DBH) on-grade and on 3/F, exceeding minimum compensatory requirements as per the requirement in accordance with ETWB TC(W) No. 3/2006 i.e. in a compensatory ratio not less than 1:1 in terms of both quality and quantity. Planting of these trees would be completed before the completion of construction work of the Project. Approval on tree felling would be obtained from the relevant government departments including Lands Department. The compensatory plantings would be implemented and any necessary monitoring of the compensatory planting after establishment would be conducted if required, according to the tree felling approval conditions as required by the approval authorities.

6.2         Mitigation Measures

6.2.1     The identification of the landscape and visual impacts highlights the potential primary sources of impacts and their magnitude of change caused to LRs, LCAs or Visual Sensitive Receivers (VSRs). Corresponding mitigation measures are proposed to avoid and reduce the identified sources of impacts, and to remedy and compensate unavoidable impact. The potential landscape and visual enhancement is also considered in the proposed mitigation measures.

6.2.2      The following mitigation measures should be included during the construction phase:

Control of Construction Activities

6.2.3      Proper control of construction activities can effectively minimise the disturbances to VSRs. The operation and placement of the construction plant and machinery, as well as the transportation and storage of material should be cautiously arranged in a way that the potential adverse impacts can be reduced and confined in certain areas in the Site. The height of temporary structures such as hoardings and site offices should be minimised and the temporary construction sites shall be restored locally to the existing condition so as to minimise any negative impacts and associated uncomfortable views. Site boundaries shall be checked regularly to ensure that the working area does not exceed and causes further damage to the surrounding area. Also, in case of nighttime construction is conducted, control of nighttime lighting on the works areas to prevent undesired light pollution to the surrounding area, such as viewers from roads, should be implemented.

Temporary Landscape Treatment

6.2.4      Provision of temporary landscape treatment during construction phase, such as temporary planting around the site office, applying aesthetic treatments on site hoardings and/or façade of site office, as well as providing green roof of site office, would lessen the visual disturbance to the surroundings arising from construction activities.

6.2.5      Examples of aesthetic treatments on site hoardings and green roof of site office can be referred to Figure 6-1. 

Tree Preservation

6.2.6      There will be 1 nos. of tree to be retained on the site and thus the measures should be implemented during construction phase, such as erection of fencing around the trees avoidance of placing any construction materials close to the trees, apply mulching beyond root collar and also conduct visual checking/ monitoring in regular basis.

6.2.7      The following mitigation measure should be proposed during the operation phase:

Proper Arrangement of Materials during Operation

6.2.8      The majority of operational activities, including vehicle repair, maintenance, operation and parking, will be carried out within the office-cum-vehicle depot building. Some vehicles parking will occur in the uncovered car parks facing Lin Cheong Road. Given that most of the vehicles at the said uncovered car parks are light vehicles such as staff shuttle buses, 4-seats cars, instead of Refuse Collection Vehicles, it will not cause any significant adverse impacts to the visual quality of the VSRs.

Landscape Design

6.2.9      In order to soften the hard concrete structure of the proposed office-cum-vehicle depot building, ground floor planting, façade greening and roof gardens have been incorporated into the landscape design. The design enables more functional outdoor space to accommodate a range of passive uses as well as to enhance the aesthetics of views by the staff working in the building. Soft and hard landscape areas are arranged in a relaxed, contemporary style to create an inviting and comfortable landscape.

            Ground Floor Planting – Pedestrian Zone

6.2.10   Tree planting with upright columnar form are proposed along the north fence wall to soften the edges and provide visual interest at the streetscape level and to maximise the amount of green space accessible to the public. It also enhances the streetscape amenity for pedestrians passing by from the MTR station, and enables screening of views from VSRs into vehicle maintenance depot. Similar trees planting will be taken along the west building façade to soften its edges and to enhance the main entrance. Feature trees are proposed at the northwest and southwest comers of the building to provide a strong vertical visual highlight.

6.2.11   An approximately 630m2 of tree and shrub planting and groundcovers are proposed for pedestrian zone planting. A mix of native and ornamental species is proposed in Appendix 6-1.

            Vertical Greening

6.2.12   Extensive vertical greening with area of about 330m2 would be introduced to the Depot to screen views of the parking structure and enhance the visual amenity of the building facades. Climbing plants, such as Lonicera japonica, Pyrostegia venusta, Quisqualis indica, Tristellateia australasiae, are recommended to maximize the coverage and screening of parking levels. Planters located on each level of parking will provide sufficient space for the climbers to spread across grills incorporated into the architectural facades.

Roof Gardens

6.2.13   A multi-layered landscape is created using varying levels of planting, paving and landscape features in order to complement the strong architectural lines. Trees, shrubs and groundcovers with different textures, colours, and fragrances provide a rich overlay to the terraces providing year round visual interest for users of the roof landscape as well as for those viewing the roof garden from their workspaces. An area of about 1,400m2 of shrub species are proposed to be provided either in built-in planters or large feature pots. Trees will be planted either in planters or in ornamental pots. A mix of native and ornamental shrubs and groundcovers will be planted to articulate the spatial arrangements as well as to further add to the visual amenity. A mix of local natural stone materials and recycled products will be explored for the paving and landscape features for both the pedestrian and roof areas. Recommended tree and shrub species are listed in Appendix 6-1.

Hard Landscape Features

6.2.14   Other than the soft landscape, hard landscape features such as natural locally materials and recycled products for paving, sitting out areas, as well as vertical green fence wall along existing footpath on Lin Cheung Road would be explored provide contemporary landscape for users. This improves the visual quality of the office interior and exterior spaces and integrates the themes on both soft and hard landscape characters. Examples of landscape finishes can be referred to Appendix 6-2.

6.2.15   Appendix 6-3 shows the conceptual master landscape design for this Project.

6.2.16   In the event of complaints or non-compliances, the ET, Architect’s Representative and Contractor should review the effectiveness of these mitigation measures, design alternatives or additional mitigation measures as appropriate. The Contractor should propose the corrective action to the Architect’s Representative for approval, and implement them accordingly.

6.3         Audit Requirements

6.3.1     The implementation of regular site audits aims to ensure the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA Report to be properly undertaken during the construction phase of this Project. It can also provide an effective control of any mal-practices and, therefore, achieve the continual improvement of the environmental performance on-site. Inspections of the construction activities, works sites and works areas should be conducted by the Contractor at least on a weekly basis to ensure the mitigation measures to be properly implemented.

6.3.2     Site audits should be carried out by the Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor, and should be based on the mitigation measures as recommended in Appendix 1-1. In the event that the recommended mitigation measures are not fully or properly implemented, the Contractor should report the deficiency to the Architect’s Representative and ET. The appropriate action will need to be taken by the Contractor:

·                Investigate the problems and causes;

·                Discuss a remedial and corrective proposal with the Architect’s Representative and ET;

·                Take action according to the action notes agreed with the Architect’s Representative;

·                Implement the remedial and corrective action immediately;

·                Re-inspect the site conditions upon the completion of the remedial and corrective action; and

·                Record the event.

 

7.           Site Environmental Audit and COmplaints

7.1         Site Inspection

7.1.1     Site inspections should be conducted regularly to ensure that appropriate environmental protection and pollution control mitigation measures are properly implemented for the construction works activities associated with the Project, as they are one of the most effective tools to enforce the environmental protection requirements at the works sites and works areas.

7.1.2     The ETL should be responsible for formulating the environmental site inspection requirements, deficiency and action reporting system, and conducting the site inspection works. Within 21 days of the commencement of construction works, the ETL should submit a proposal for site inspection and deficiency and action reporting procedures to the Contractor for agreement and the IEC and Architect’s Representative for approval. The ET’s proposal for rectification should be made known to the IEC.

7.1.3     Regular site inspections should be carried out and led by the Architect’s Representative and attended by the Contractor and ET at least once every week. The areas of inspection should not be limited to the environmental conditions, pollution control and mitigation measures within the works sites and works areas. It should also review the environmental conditions of that location that are beyond the boundary of the works sites and works areas likely to be affected directly or indirectly by the construction site activities. The ET Leader should make reference to the following information when conducting site inspection:

·                The EIA and EM&A recommendations on the environmental protection and pollution control mitigation measures;

·                On-going results of the EM&A programme;

·                The works progress and programme;

·                Proposals of individual works methodologies (which should include the proposal of the associated pollution control measures);

·                Contract specifications on environmental protection and pollution prevention control;

·                The relevant environmental protection and pollution control legislation; and 

·                Previous site inspection findings that were undertaken by the ET and/or others.

7.1.4     The Contractor should keep the Architect’s Representative and ET updated with all the relevant environmental related information on the construction contract to carry out the site inspections. The inspection findings and associated recommendations for improvements to the environmental protection and pollution control and outcome of the improvement should be recorded and followed up by the Contractor in an agreed timeframe.

7.1.5     The Architect’s Representative, ET and Contractor should also carry out ad hoc site inspections if significant environmental problems are identified. Inspections may also be required subsequent to the receipt of environmental complaints, or as part of the investigation work, as specified in the Even and Action Plans for the EM&A programme.

7.2         Compliance with Legal and Contractual Requirements

7.2.1     There are contractual requirements and legislation in Hong Kong on environmental protection and pollution control with which the construction activities must comply.

7.2.2     To ensure the works are in compliance with the contractual requirements, all method statements of major works should be submitted by the Contractor to the Architect’s Representative for approval and to the ET for vetting so as to ensure whether sufficient environmental protection and pollution control measures have been incorporated. The EMIS is included in Appendix 1-1.

7.2.3     The Architect’s Representative and ET should also review the progress and programme of the construction works in order to check that the relevant environmental legislation has not been violated and that any foreseeable potential for violating laws can be prevented.

7.2.4     The Contractor should provide the update of the relevant documents to the Architect’s Representative and ET, so that the checking can be carried out in good time. Such documents should at least include the updated works progress reports, works programme, application letters for environmental licenses/ permits, and all valid licenses/ permits. The Contractor’s site diary and environmental records should also be available for inspection by the relevant parties.

7.2.5     The Architect’s Representative and ET should advise the Contractor of any non-compliance with the contractual and legislative requirements on the environmental protection and pollution control so that they can timely take the follow-up action as appropriate. If it would still be insufficient to comply with the environmental protection and pollution control requirements, the Architect’s Representative and ET should provide further advice to the Contractor to take remedial action to resolve the problems.

7.2.6     Upon the receipt of such advice, the Contractor should undertake the immediate action to remedy the situation. The Architect’s Representative should follow up to ensure that appropriate action has been taken in order to satisfy the contractual and legal requirements.

7.3         Environmental Complaints

7.3.1     All environmental complaints should be referred to the ET for carrying out complaint investigation procedures. The ET shall prepare a flow chart of the complaint response procedures addressing complaint receiving channels responsible parties/contacts for information, the investigation process, procedures for the implementation of mitigation/ remedial action, guidelines for communication and public relation with the complainant etc. The flow chart should be agreed by all parties and issued to the Contractor, Architect’s Representative and IEC for reference.

7.3.2     The following procedures should be followed upon receipt of any complaints:

·                The ET to log complaint and date of receipt onto the complaint database and inform the Architect’s Representative and IEC immediately;

·                The ET to investigate, with the  Architect’s Representative, the complaint to determine its validity, and assess whether the source of the problem is due to construction works of the Project with the support of additional monitoring frequency, stations and parameters, if necessary;

·                The ET to identify remedial measures in consultation with the IEC Architect’s Representative if a complaint is valid and due to the construction works of the Project;

·                The Contractor to implement the remedial measures as required by the  Architect’s Representative and to agree with the ET and IEC any additional monitoring frequency, stations and parameters, where necessary, for checking the effectiveness of the remedial measures;

·                The Architect’s Representative, ET and IEC to review the effectiveness of the Contractor's remedial measures and the updated situation;

·                The ET to undertake additional monitoring and audit to verify the situation if necessary, and oversee that circumstances leading to the complaint do not recur;

·                If the complaint is referred by the EPD, the ET to prepare interim report on the status of the complaint investigation and follow-up actions stipulated above, including the details of the remedial measures and additional monitoring identified or already taken, for submission to EPD within the time frame assigned by the EPD; and

·                ET to record the details of the complaint, results of the investigation, subsequent actions taken to address the complaint and updated situation including the effectiveness of the remedial measures, supported by regular and additional monitoring results in the monthly EM&A reports.

7.3.3      During the complaint investigation, the Contractor and Architect’s Representative should coordinate with the ET to provide all the necessary information and assistance for the completion of the investigation. If mitigation measures are identified to be required, the Contractor should promptly implement such measures and the Architect’s Representative should ensure that the measures have been carried out properly. A flow chart of the complaint response procedures is shown in Appendix 7-1.

 

8.           Reporting

8.1         Introduction

8.1.1      The types of reports that the ET should prepare and submit include the Baseline Monitoring Report, Monthly EM&A Reports and Final EM&A Review Report. In accordance with Annex 21 of the EIAO-TM, a copy of the monthly and final review EM&A reports should be made available to the Director of Environmental Protection. All monitoring data (baseline and impact) should be submitted in an electronic medium. The sample data sheet for noise monitoring is shown in Appendix 3-1 of this EM&A Manual.

8.2         Baseline Monitoring Report

8.2.1      The ET should prepare and submit a Baseline Monitoring Report within 10 working days of the completion of the baseline monitoring. Copies of the Baseline Monitoring Report should be submitted to the Contractor, IEC, Architect’s Representatives and EPD. The ET should liaise with the relevant parties on the exact number of copies required.

8.2.2      The Baseline Monitoring Report should include at least the following information:

·                An Executive Summary of up to half a page;

·                A brief description of the project background;

·                Drawing showing locations of the baseline monitoring stations;

·                Monitoring results (in both hard and diskette copies) together with the following information:

-                Monitoring methodology;

-                Name of laboratory and types of equipment used and calibration details;

-                Monitoring parameters;

-                Monitoring locations;

-                Monitoring sate, time, frequency and duration; and

-                QA/QC results and detection limits.

·                Details of the influencing factors, including:

-                Major activities, if any, being carried out on-site during the period;

-                Weather conditions during the period; and

-                Other factors which might affect the monitoring results.

·                Determination of the Action and Limit Levels for each monitoring parameter and statistical analysis of the baseline data which should conclude if there is any significant difference between the control and impact stations for the parameters monitored, where appropriate;

·                Revisions for inclusion in EM&A Manual; and

·                Comments and conclusions.

8.3         Monthly EM&A Reports

            Background

8.3.1      The results and findings of the EM&A programme required in this EM&A Manual should be recorded in the monthly EM&A reports prepared by the ET and endorsed by IEC. The EM&A reports should be prepared and submitted within 10 working days from the end of each reporting month, with the First Monthly EM&A Report due in the month after the major construction works commences. Copies of each monthly EM&A report should be submitted to the Contractor, Architect’s Representative, IEC and EPD. Before the submission of the First Monthly EM&A Report, the ET should liaise with the relevant parties on the exact number of copies and format of the reports in both hard and electronic copies.

8.3.2      The ET should review the number and location of the monitoring stations and parameters every six months, or on as-needed basis, in order to cater for any changes in the surrounding environment and the nature of works in progress. 

            First Monthly EM&A Report

8.3.3      The First Monthly EM&A Report should include at least but not limited to the following information:

·                Executive summary (1-2 pages):

-                Breaches of the Action and Limit levels;

-                Complaint log;

-                Notification of any summons and successful prosecutions;

-                Reporting changes; and

-                Future key issues.

·                Basic project information:

-                The project organisation including key personnel contact names and telephone numbers;

-                The construction programme;

-                The management structure; and

-                Works undertaken during the reporting month.

·                Environmental status:

-                Advice on the status of the statutory environmental compliance, e.g. EP conditions under the EIAO, submission status under the EP and implementation status of mitigation measures, etc.;

-                Works undertaken during the reporting month with illustrations (e.g. location of works, etc.); and

-                Drawings showing the project area, environmental sensitive receivers and locations of the monitoring and control stations.

·                Summary of EM&A requirements:

-                All monitoring parameters;

-                Environmental quality performance limits (Action and Limit levels);

-                Event and Action Plans;

-                Environmental mitigation measures, as recommended in the EIA report; and

-                Environmental requirements in contract documents.

·                Implementation status:

-                Advice on the implementation status of environmental protection and pollution control mitigation measures as recommended in the EIA report, summarised in the updated implementation schedule.

·                Monitoring results (in both hard and diskette copies) together with the following information:

-                Monitoring methodology;

-                Name of laboratory and types of equipment used and calibration details;

-                Monitoring parameters;

-                Monitoring locations;

-                Monitoring date, time, frequency and duration;

-                Graphical plots of the monitoring parameters in the reporting month annotated against the following information:

a.          Major activities being carried out on site during the reporting period;

b.          Weather conditions during the reporting period;

c.          Any other factors which might affect the monitoring results; and

d.          QA/QC results and detection limits.

·                The report on the non-compliance, complaints, notifications of summons and status of prosecutions:

-                Records of all non-compliance (exceedances) of the environmental quality performance limits (Action and Limit levels);

-                Records of all complaints received (written or verbal), including locations and nature of complaints investigation, liaison and consultation undertaken, actions and follow-up procedures taken, results and summary;

-                Records of all notifications of summons and successful prosecutions for breaches of current environmental protection/ pollution control legislation, including locations and nature of the breaches, investigation, follow-up actions taken, results and summary;

-                The review of the reasons for an implications of non-compliances, complaint, summons and prosecutions including review of pollution sources and working procedures; and

-                Description of the actions taken in the event of non-compliances and deficiency reporting and any follow-up procedures related to the earlier non-compliances.

·                Others:

-                A forecast of the works programme, impact predictions and monitoring schedule for the next three months;

-                An account of the future key issues as reviewed from the works programme and work method statements;

-                Advice on the solid and liquid waste management status;

-                Comparisons of the EM&A data in the reporting month with the EIA predictions and annotate with explanation for any discrepancies; and

-                Comments (e.g. the effectiveness and effectiveness and efficiency of mitigation measures), recommendations (e.g. any improvement in the EM&A programme) and conclusions.

Subsequent Monthly EM&A Reports

8.3.4      The subsequent monthly EM&A reports during the construction phase should include the following information:

·                Executive summary (1-2 pages):

-                Breaches of the Action and Limit levels;

-                Complaint log;

-                Notifications of any summons and successful prosecutions;

-                Reporting changes; and

-                Future key issues.

·                Basic project information:

-                The project organisation including key personnel contact names and telephone numbers;

-                The construction programme;

-                The management structure; and

-                Works undertaken during the reporting month.

·                Environmental status:

-                Advice on the status of statutory environmental compliance, status of compliance with EP conditions under the EIAO, submission status under the EP and implementation status of mitigation measures;

-                Works undertaken during the reporting month with illustrations (such as location of works, etc.); and

-                Drawing showing the project area, environmental sensitive receivers and locations of the monitoring and control stations.

·                Implementation status:

-                Advice on the implementation status of environmental protection and pollution control/ mitigation measures as recommended in the EIA report, summarised in the updated implementation schedule.

·                Monitoring results (in both hard and diskette copies) together with the following information:

-                Monitoring methodology;

-                Name of laboratory and types of equipment used and calibration details;

-                Parameters monitored;

-                Monitoring locations (and depth);

-                Monitoring date, time, frequency and duration;

-                Graphic plots of the monitoring parameter in the month annotated against the following information;

a.          Major activities being carried out on site during the reporting period;

b.          Weather conditions during the reporting period;

c.          Any other factors which might affect the monitoring results; and

d.          QA/QC results and detection limits.

·                The report on non-compliances, complaints, notifications of summons and status of prosecutions:

-                Records of all non-compliance (exceedances) of the environmental quality performance limits (action and Limit levels);

-                Records of all complaints received (written or verbal), including the locations and nature of complaints investigation, liaison and consultation undertaken, actions and follow-up procedures taken, results and summary;

-                Records of all notifications of summons and successful prosecutions for breaches of current environmental protection/ pollution control legislation, including locations and nature of the breaches, investigation, follow-up actions taken, results and summary;

-                The review of the reasons for and implications of non-compliances, complaints, summons and prosecutions including review of pollution sources and working procedures; and

-                Descriptions of the actions taken in the event of non-compliance and deficiency reporting and any follow-up procedures related to the earlier non-compliances.

·                Others:

-                A forecast of the works programme, impact predictions and monitoring schedule for the next three months;

-                An account of the future key issues as reviewed from the works programme and work method statements;

-                Advice on the solid and liquid waste management status;

-                Comparisons of the EM&A data in the reporting month with the EIA predictions and annotate with explanation for any discrepancies; and

-                Comments (e.g. the effectiveness and efficiency of the mitigation measures), recommendations (e.g. any improvement in the EM&A programme) and conclusions.

·                Appendices:

-                Action and Limit levels;

-                Graphical plots of trends of the monitored parameters at key stations over the past four reporting periods for the representative monitoring stations annotated against the following information:

a.          Major activities being carried out on site during the reporting period;

b.          Weather conditions during the reporting period; and

c.          Any other factors that might affect the monitoring results.

-                The monitoring schedule for the present and next reporting period;

-                Cumulative statistics on complaints, notifications of summons and successful prosecutions; and

-                Outstanding issues and deficiencies.

Annual/ Final EM&A Review Report – Construction Phrase

8.3.5      The EM&A programme should be terminated upon the completion of the construction activities that have the potential to cause significant environmental impacts.

8.3.6      Prior to the proposed termination, it may be advisable to consult the relevant local communities. The proposed termination should only be implemented after the proposal has been endorsed by the IEC, Architect’s Representative and Project Proponent followed by the approval from the Director of Environmental Protection. The EM&A programme will be proposed to be ceased based on following conditions:

·                Completion of construction activities and insignificant environmental impacts of the remaining outstanding construction works;

·                Trends analysis to demonstrate the narrow down of monitoring exceedances due to construction activities and, return of ambient environmental conditions in comparison with baseline data; and

·                No environmental complaint and prosecution involved.

8.3.7      The ET should prepare and submit the Final EM&A Report within 14 working days after the completion of the construction activities that have the potential to cause significant environmental impacts. The Final EM&A Report should contain at least the following information:

·                Executive summary (1-2 pages);

·                Drawings showing the project area environmental sensitive receivers and locations of the monitoring and control stations;

·                The basic project information including a synopsis of the project organisation, contacts of key management, and a synopsis of works undertaken during the course of the project or past twelve months;

·                A brief summary of EM&A requirements including:

-                Environmental mitigation measures implemented as recommended in the EIA report;

-                Environmental impact hypotheses tested;

-                Environmental quality performance limits (Action and Limit levels);

-                Monitoring parameters; and

-                Event and Action Plans.

·                A summary of the implementation status of environmental protection and pollution control/ mitigation measures, as recommended in the EIA report, summarised in the updated environmental mitigation implementation schedule;

·                Graphical plots and statistical analysis of the trends of the monitored parameters over the course of the project, including the post-project monitoring for all monitoring stations annotated against:

-                Major activities being carried out on site during the reporting period;

-                Weather conditions during the reporting period; and

-                Any other factors which might affect the monitoring results.

·                A summary of non-compliance (exceedances) of the environmental quality performance limits (Action and Limit levels);

·                A review of the reasons for and implications of non-compliances including the review of pollution sources and working procedures as appropriate;

·                A description of the action taken in the event of non-compliances;

·                A summary record of all complaints received (written or verbal), liaison and consultation undertaken, action and follow-up procedures taken;

·                A summary record of the notifications of summons and successful prosecutions for breaches of the current environmental protection/ pollution control legislation, locations and nature of the breaches, follow-up investigation taken and results;

·                A review of the validity of EIA predictions and identification of shortcomings in the recommendations of the EIA study;

·                Comments (e.g. a review of the effectiveness and efficiency of the mitigation measures and of the performance of the environmental management system, i.e., of the overall EM&A programme); and

·                Recommendations and conclusions (e.g. a review of the success of the overall EM&A programme to cost-effectively identify deterioration and to initiate prompt effective mitigation action when necessary).

8.4         Data Keeping

8.4.1      No site-based documents (e.g. the monitoring field records, laboratory analysis records, site inspection form, etc.) are required to be included in the EM&A reporting documents. However, any such documents should be properly maintained by the ET and be ready for inspection upon request. All relevant information should be clearly and systematically recorded in the document. The monitoring data should also be recorded in magnetic media form, and the electronic copy must be available upon request. All documents and data should be kept for at least one year following the completion of the construction phase EM&A for each construction contract. 

8.5         Interim Notifications of Environmental Exceednaces

8.5.1      With reference to the Event and Action Plans, when the environmental quality performance limits are exceeded and if they are proven to be valid, the ET should immediately notify the IEC and EPD, as appropriate. The notification should be followed up with advice to the IEC and EPD on the results of the investigation, proposed action and success of the action taken, with any necessary follow-up proposals. A sample template for the interim notification is presented in Appendix 8-1 of this EM&A Manual.