14                         Environmental Monitoring and Audit Requirements

14.1                   Introduction

14.1.1              This section summarises the requirements on environmental monitoring and audits for the construction and operation of the Designated Project (DP) items based on the assessment results of various environmental issues. Details of the Environmental Monitoring and Auditing (EM&A) programme can be referred to the separate EM&A manual.

14.2                   Project Organisation

14.2.1              A project organisation consisting of the Engineer’s Representative (ER), Independent Environmental Checker (IEC), Environmental Team (ET), Project Proponent (Civil Engineering and Development Department) and Contractor should be established to take on the responsibilities for environmental protection for the Project. The ET and IEC will be appointed by the Project Proponent to conduct independent auditing on the overall EM&A programme including environmental and operation monitoring, implementation of mitigation measures, Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) submissions, and any other submission required under the Environmental Permit (EP). The organisation, responsibilities of respective parties and lines of communication with respect to environmental protection works are given in the EM&A Manual.

14.3                   EM&A Manual

14.3.1              EM&A is an important aspect in the EIA process which specifies the timeframe and responsibilities for the implementation of environmental mitigation measures. The requirements on environmental monitoring (including baseline and impact monitoring) are given in the EM&A Manual.

14.3.2              A project specific EM&A Manual to the Project has been prepared as part of the EIAO submission with reference to the latest design information available and Environmental Protection Department’s (EPD) generic EM&A Manual. The project specific EM&A Manual highlights the following issues:

·         Responsibilities of the Contractor, the Engineer or ER, ET, and the IEC under the context of EM&A;

·         Project organisation for the EM&A works;

·         The basis for, and description of the broad approach underlying the EM&A programme;

·         Details of the methodologies to be adopted, including all laboratories and analytical procedures, and details on quality assurance and quality control programme;

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

·         Definition of Action and Limit Levels;

·         Establishment of Event and Action Plans;

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

·         Requirements for presentation of environmental monitoring and audit data and appropriate reporting procedures.

14.3.3              The Contractor shall be requested to review the mitigation measures and Environmental Mitigation Implementation Schedule (EMIS) with respect to the design developments and construction methodology. In the case where the Contractor needs to update the mitigation measures and the EMIS, an updated EM&A Manual shall be submitted to the EPD for approval. The Contractor shall seek EPD’s prior approval on these amendments before construction commences.

14.4                   Environmental Mitigation Implementation Schedule

14.4.1              A EMIS has been prepared and included in Appendix 14.1 and in the EM&A Manual to summarise all the proposed mitigation measures to be implemented during the design, construction and operation phases of the Project. The implementation responsibilities have also been identified in the EMIS. The EM&A Manual also presents the requirements for environmental monitoring and auditing (e.g. monitoring and audit frequency), throughout the construction and operation phases.

14.4.2              The Contractor should review the mitigation measures and EMIS with respect to the design developments and construction methodology as appropriate. In case the Contractor needs to update the mitigation measures and EMIS, the EM&A Manual should be updated accordingly.

14.5                   EM&A Programme

14.5.1              The Contractor will be requested to implement and operate a monitoring programme throughout the entire construction and operation period of the Project. This mechanism will include a system to report the monitoring results on the Project Proponent’s website within a period of time, to be agreed by EPD, after the relevant monitoring data are collected.  In cases where exceedance is found, the Contractor and ET should take immediate actions to implement remediation measures following the procedures specified in the EM&A Manual.

14.5.2              Detailed requirements of the EM&A programme have been described in the EM&A Manual. Measurements and activities that shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements in the EM&A Manual are summarised as follows:

·         Baseline monitoring (construction dust, airborne noise, water, etc.);

·         Impact monitoring (construction dust, airborne noise, water, etc.); 

·         Remedial actions in accordance with the Event and Action Plan within the timeframe in case the specified criteria in the EM&A Manual were exceeded;

·         Commissioning tests for the operation of the Project (fixed noise impact);

·         Logging and keeping records of monitoring results; and

·         Preparation and submission of Baseline, Monthly and Final EM&A Reports.

Air Quality Impact

14.5.3              Construction dust monitoring, regular audits and site inspections should be carried out during construction phase to ensure that dust level will comply with the relevant criteria and the recommended best management practices as recommended in this EIA Report and the EM&A Manual are properly implemented by the Contractor.

14.5.4              Performance compliance tests are recommended for the deodourising units of planned SPS at SHR Site, to ensure the effectiveness of deodorisation treatment implemented in the Project.

Noise Impact

14.5.5              Construction noise monitoring and regular site audit should be carried out during construction phase to ensure the construction noise level will comply with the relevant standard and the proposed mitigation measures as recommended in this EIA Report and the EM&A Manual are properly implemented by the Contractor.

14.5.6              Road traffic noise levels should be monitored at representative NSRs, which are in the vicinity of the recommended direct mitigation measures. The purpose of the monitoring is to oversee the environmental performance of the development project by comparing the road traffic noise impact predictions with the actual impacts.

14.5.7              Monitoring of operation noise from the planned fixed noise sources (i.e. SHR SPS and PTIs) during the testing and commissioning stage is recommended to verify the compliance with the EIAO-TM criteria.

Water Quality Impact

14.5.8              Water quality monitoring at all major watercourses identified at the vicinity of the PDA should be carried out before and during the construction phase.  Details of the recommended water quality monitoring requirements are provided in the EM&A Manual for the Project.

14.5.9              Regular audits and site inspections should be carried out during construction phase to ensure that the water quality will comply with the relevant criteria and the mitigation measures recommended in this EIA Report and EM&A Manual are properly implemented by the Contractor.

14.5.10          Based on the findings from the water quality impact assessment, no unacceptable impacts are expected during the operational phase. No monitoring programme specific to the operation phase is required.

Sewerage and Sewage Treatment Implications

14.5.11          The sewage generated during the construction stage from the on-site workforce will be collected in chemical toilets and disposed of off-site. Therefore, no sewerage impacts are expected from the site during the construction phase. As such, environmental monitoring and audit of the sewerage system is considered not required.

14.5.12          No sewerage impact is expected from the site during the operation phase, therefore, environmental monitoring and audit of the sewerage system is considered not required.

Ecological Impact

14.5.13          To minimise the disturbance impact on the natural habitats and wildlife, the implementation of the mitigation measures recommended in Section 8.8 should strictly follow. In case of non-compliance, the Contractor should be informed to strengthen the proposed mitigation measures accordingly.

14.5.14          The enhancement planting shall be monitored throughout the establishment period (i.e. period after the completion of the planting works of the proposed enhancement planting). According to the preliminary woodland enhancement planting plan in Appendix 8.6, a 3-years monitoring is proposed and the parameters to be monitored shall include health condition (good/fair/poor/dead) and survival (%) of the planted trees. The frequency of the monitoring is proposed to be bi-monthly during the first year while quarterly for the following years.

14.5.15          In order to confirm and update the condition of directly affected plants of Aquilaria sinensis in woodland W3, an updated vegetation survey on the species by qualified ecologist(s) prior to the commencement of the site clearance works is recommended. Monitoring will be conducted after the completion of the transplanting.

14.5.16          In order to preserve the habitat of the crab species of conservation interest, a direct avoidance of 208m semi-natural stream R1f is recommended. The ecological enhancement is also recommended for the retained section of R1f onsite. Proposed ecological enhancement includes reinstatement of the disturbed stream bank to natural condition by demolition of all artificial structures and the provision of 6m buffer zone at the southern bank of the retained section, following by planting of native plants.

14.5.17          A 12-months establishment period shall be provided after the planting works. Monthly monitoring is recommended. Species planted along the bank and buffer zone shall be checked by qualified ecologist to ensure correct species are used in accordance with the recommendation in the EIA.

14.5.18          Translocation of the affected individuals of crab species to the unaffected portion of R1f is recommended. A confirmation survey is recommended to be undertaken prior to erection of the temporary partition for the ecological enhancement works of the retained R1f watercourse section, which aims to (1) update the condition of the onsite crab localities identified during EIA stage, (2) confirm recommended receptor site(s), and (3) propose the translocation methodology based on the confirmation survey results and post-translocation monitoring requirement. Agreement shall be sought with AFCD.

Impact from Electric and Magnetic Fields

14.5.19          Based on the assessment results, the exposure of the Public to the Electric field (ELF) and Magnetic field (EMF) generated from the overhead cables are far below the guideline limits issued by the ICNIRP. No specific monitoring programme is required.

Landscape and Visual

14.5.20          Monitoring for the landscape and visual resources identified within the Project area is recommended to be carried out during both the construction and operation phases. It is recommended that regular site inspections during the construction phase should be undertaken to inspect the construction activities and works areas in order to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented. Mitigation measures for the operation phase should be implemented during the detailed design and be built as part of the construction works so that they are in place on commissioning of the Project.

Waste Management Implications

14.5.21          During construction phase, the Contractor shall manage all the wastes to be generated in accordance with relevant legislation and guidelines. Regular audits and site inspections should be carried out to ensure the good site practices and mitigation measures recommended in this EIA Report and EM&A Manual are properly implemented by the Contractor.

Land Contamination Impact

14.5.22          The land contamination assessment examined the potential contaminative land use within the assessment area and their potential impacts to future land use.  The potentially contaminated sites could not be accessed to assess the site conditions by site walkover, at the time of reporting.  As the identified potentially contaminated sites are still in operation and the development will only commence in stages from 2025 to 2033, and there may be change in land use prior to development within both the potentially contaminated and non-contaminated sites, it is recommended to conduct further works. This would include site re-appraisal, SI works as well as submission of supplementary Contamination Assessment Plan(s), Contamination Assessment Report(s) and Remediation Action Plan(s) (RAP(s)) for the EPD approval after the sites are handed over to Project Proponent for development. If contaminated soil and/or groundwater were identified, remediation should be carried out according to EPD’s approved RAP(s) and Remediation Report(s) (RR(s)) which should be submitted to EPD for agreement after completion of the remediation works. No development works shall be commenced prior to EPD’s agreement of the RR(s).

Cultural Heritage

14.5.23          Based on desktop review, a total three Sites of Archaeological Interest (SAI) partially fall within the Project Site, namely Siu Hang Tsuen, San Hing Tsuen and Kei Lun Wai SAI. Based on the past archaeological findings, the proposed development within the Project Site is not going to affect areas of major archaeological potential within the Siu Hang Tsuen and Kei Lun Wai SAIs. The Project Site, however, falls partially within the San Hing Tsuen SAI with mixed potential of archaeological deposits and feature within the SAI based on previous archaeological investigation findings. It is recommended that prior to the construction phase but after land resumption and clearance of structures, a programme of archaeological field survey be implemented in the northern part of SHR Site. This will identify if significant deposits or features are present and if further action is required. A qualified archaeologist should be engaged by the project proponent who shall apply for a licence under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53) to conduct the archaeological fieldwork.

14.5.24          For development areas within the Project Site identified with low or no archaeological potential, it is advised that precautionary measure be in place in case of discovery of antiquities or supposed antiquities in the course of the construction works.  It is recommended that AMO be notified in case of discovery of antiquities or supposed antiquities and works be halted until the significance of the findings can be established and necessity of follow up works, if necessary, can be confirmed.