7.1.1.1
This section presents the
potential land contamination implications associated with the Project.
7.2.1.1
The relevant environmental
legislation guidelines and standards on land contamination aspect include the
following:
·
Section 3 (Potential
Contaminated Land Issues) of Annex 19 “Guidelines for Assessment of Impact on
Sites of Cultural Heritage and Other Impacts” of the Technical Memorandum on
Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM)
·
Guidance Note for Contaminated
Land Assessment and Remediation (Guidance Note)
The Guidance Note sets
out the requirements for proper assessment and management of potentially
contaminated sites such as oil installations (e.g. oil depots, petrol filling
stations), gas works, power plants, shipyards / boatyards, chemical
manufacturing / processing plants, steel mills / metal workshops, car repairing
/ dismantling workshops and scrap yards. In addition, this Guidance Note
provides guidelines on how site assessments should be conducted and analysed
and suggests practical remedial measures that can be adopted for the remediation
of contaminated sites.
·
Practice Guide for
Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Land (Practice Guide)
This guide outlines
typical investigation methods and remediation strategies for the range of
potential contaminants typically encountered in Hong Kong.
·
Guidance Manual for Use of
Risk-based Remediation Goals for Contaminated Land Management (Guidance Manual)
The Guidance Manual
introduces the risk based approach in land
contamination assessment and present instructions for comparison of soil and
groundwater data to the Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for 54 chemicals
of concern commonly found in Hong Kong.
The RBRGs were derived to suit Hong Kong conditions by following the
international practice of adopting a risk-based methodology for contaminated
land assessment and remediation and were designed to protect the health of
people who could potentially be exposed to land impacted by chemicals under
four broad post restoration land use categories. The RBRGs also serve as the
remediation targets if remediation is necessary
7.3.1.1
Land contamination assessment
was carried out according to the abovementioned EIAO-TM, Guidance Note,
Practice Guide and Guidance Manual.
7.3.1.2
A site appraisal, including
site walkover and desktop review, was conducted to identify the potentially
contaminating activities that may pose adverse impact to the Project. Site walkover was conducted within the Assessment
Area to review the general site conditions and to identify any sources of land
contamination (or ‘hotspots’). For
the desktop review, the following information was reviewed:
·
Aerial photographs and
topographic maps held by the Lands Department;
·
Hong Kong Geological Survey Map
(Series HGM20) – Sheet No. 11 (1:20,000);
·
Records on dangerous goods,
chemical wastes, chemical spillage/leakage and fire incidents from the
identified potentially contaminated sites from Environmental Protection
Department (EPD) and Fire Services Department (FSD); and
·
AECOM Asia Co Ltd., Geotechnical
Appraisal Report for Ground Investigation under Consultancy Services for
Geotechnical / Site Investigation and Advance Works for the West Kowloon
Cultural District, March 2014.
7.3.1.3
If potentially contaminated
land use(s) were identified within the Assessment Area, the potential land
contamination impacts arising from the Project would be evaluated and
appropriate mitigation measures would be recommended. If necessary, a Contamination Assessment
Plan (CAP), Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and Remediation Action Plan
(RAP) would be submitted to EPD for endorsement. Any contaminated soil and/or groundwater
should be treated according to EPD’s approved RAP. A Remediation Report (RR), demonstrating
adequate remediation, should be submitted to EPD for endorsement prior to the
commencement of any development or redevelopment works of the Project.
7.4.1.1
The Assessment Area is located
at West Kowloon Reclamation, which covers a strip of WKCD area, part of Yau Ma Tei Public Cargo Working
Area (PCWA) and across the toll plaza of the Western Harbour
Crossing (WHC). The Assessment Area,
with a total area of approximately 3.4 ha, is generally bounded by the Austin
Road West / Nga Cheung Road roundabout to the east, WKCD area to the south,
WKCD area / New Yau Ma Tei
Typhoon Shelter to the west, and Yau Ma Tei PCWA to the north. The Assessment Area is shown in Figure
7.1 and is in line with the latest Project boundary as described in Section 1.2 and Figure 1.2.
7.4.1.2
However, based on the latest
engineering design and as shown in Figure
7.1, the proposed road alignments of the Project would not fall within
the Yau Ma Tei PCWA. The PCWA is expected to continue its
operation and would not be used for the Project. No works associated with the Project are
proposed within the PCWA.
7.5.1.1
Site appraisal was carried out
in the period from July 2019 to January 2020 with site walkovers conducted in
July 2019. Findings of the site
appraisal were summarized below.
7.5.2
Review of Previous EIA Study
7.5.2.1
Land contamination assessment
(in the form of desktop study and site surveys) was conducted under the
approved WKCD EIA Report (AEIAR-178/2013). The area assessed in the WKCD EIA Report (WKCD
Area and the Original Flyover Area) partially covered the current Assessment Area
(refer to Figure
7.1) and site surveys were carried out from July to December 2011.
7.5.2.2
Based on the findings of the
approved WKCD EIA Report, mainly temporary works area, parking area, open area,
ventilation buildings, and waterfront promenade were identified in the area
assessed. One potentially
contaminated site (viz. Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station)
was identified in the WKCD EIA Report.
However, the fire station is located at 333 Canton Road and is at least 800
m from the current Assessment Area. No potential contaminative land uses and
adverse land contamination impacts were identified within the Assessment Area
that has been covered by the approved WKCD EIA Report.
7.5.3
Review of Historical Land Uses
7.5.3.1
A review of aerial
photographs has been undertaken to evaluate the likelihood of potential
contamination associated with past land uses within the Assessment Area. The development history within the Assessment
Area and the list of aerial photographs reviewed is summarized in Table 7.1 below.
The selected aerial photographs are
provided in Appendix
7.1.
Table 7.1 Aerial
Photographs Reviewed
|
Year
|
Reference of Aerial Photos in Appendix
7.1 (Photo
Reference Number)
|
Site Description
|
|
1963
|
AP1 (#5187)
|
The Assessment
Area was within open waters.
|
|
1976
|
AP2 (#13085)
|
No significant changes were observed.
|
|
1995
|
AP3 (#CN11223)
|
The area was reclaimed. Construction works and associated structures
(including the construction of WHC) and the existing Yau Ma Tei
PCWA were
observed.
|
|
2004
|
AP4 (#CW59616)
|
The existing WHC
toll plaza and the existing Yau Ma Tei PCWA were observed within the Assessment Area. The remaining areas were mainly
vegetated areas.
|
|
2013
|
AP5 (#CS46549)
|
The WKCDA
Project Site Office, West Kowloon Nursery Park and nearby access roads were
observed in the western portion of the Assessment Area. No significant land use changes were
noted to the remaining areas.
|
|
2018
|
AP6 (#E046953C)
|
The existing pet
garden and construction works for the Hong Kong Palace Museum were observed
in the western portion of the Assessment Area. No significant land use changes were
noted to the remaining areas.
|
Source
of aerial photographs: Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department
7.5.3.2
Based on the review of aerial
photographs, no historical potentially contaminating land uses were identified
within the Assessment Area, except the Yau Ma Tei PCWA.
7.5.4
Site Geology
7.5.4.1
According to the relevant
ground investigation (GI) report (refer to Appendix 7.2), the Assessment Area
is generally underlain by a layer of fill, which is in turn underlain by the
alluvium and locally by the saprolite directly. Below the alluvium is generally the
saprolite and then the granitic bedrock. The fill base and top of saprolite ranges
approximately from -3mPD to -40.5mPD and from -7mPD to -46.5mPD respectively.
7.5.5
Acquisition of Information from
Government Departments
7.5.5.1
The Environmental Protection
Department (EPD) and Fire Services Department (FSD) have been contacted for (i)
records of any spillage / leakages of chemicals and chemical waste, (ii)
records of Dangerous Goods (DG), (iii) records of Chemical Waste Producer(s)
(CWP) and (iv) records of reported fire incidents within the Assessment Area. EPD and FSD’s replies on the request
have been received and attached in Appendix
7.3. The information is
summarized below.
Environmental Protection Department
7.5.5.2
Based on the reply given by EPD
on 20 November 2018, EPD has one valid registered CWP record but no reported
chemical spillage / leakage accidents within the Assessment Area. A visit to EPD's Southorn
Centre Office was also conducted on 16 January 2020 and to confirm the details
of the registered CWP record. The
registered CWP record is summarized in Table 7.2 below.
Table 7.2 Registered
Chemical Waste Producers
|
Chemical
Waste Producer (CWP)
|
Site
Address*
|
Status
|
Nature
of Business
|
Past
and Present Chemical Wastes Code**
|
Past
and Present Chemical Wastes Type**
|
|
Western Harbour Tunnel Co. Ltd
|
Administration Building, West Harbour Crossing West Yau Ma Tei KL
|
Valid
|
Vehicular Tunnel
|
C06 L33, P01
M53, S34 L49, S34 L43, O01 L63, O01 L29, O01 L73, D01 L49 & C06 L49
|
Spent flammable liquid, paints, halogenated /
non-halogenated solvent, lubricating / mineral oil and fluid containing
polychlorinated biphenyls
|
* Based
on available CWP record from EPD’s Southorn Centre
Office.
** Reference
to A Guide to the Registration of
Chemical Waste Producers issued by EPD on the chemical waste codes and
corresponding chemical waste types.
7.5.5.3
Based on the available CWP
record from EPD’s Southorn Centre Office, the CWP
record is associated with the operation of the WHC, located within the Western Harbour Crossing Administrative Building. Location of the Western Harbour Crossing Administrative Building is shown in Figure
7.1 and is located well outside of the Assessment Area. Any chemical waste storage / handling
associated with the CWP record is therefore not expected to be within the Assessment
Area and no land contamination issue to the Project is anticipated.
Fire Services Department
7.5.5.4
Based on the reply from FSD on
12 December 2019, no records of DG license, fire incidents or incidents of
spillage / leakage of DGs were found within the Assessment Area.
7.5.6
Site Reconnaissance
7.5.6.1
Site walkover was conducted on
11 July 2019 to investigate any contaminative issues associated with current
land uses and activities within the Assessment Area. Findings of the site walkover, including
the photographic records and site layout plan, are shown in Figure
7.2 and Figure
7.3. Site walkover
checklists are provided in Appendix
7.4.1 and Appendix
7.4.2.
7.5.6.2
Based on the site walkover, the
Assessment Area was mainly occupied by non-contaminating land uses including
part of the WKCD area (e.g. West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Project
Site Office, West Kowloon Nursery Park, pet garden and construction site for
the Hong Kong Palace Museum), the WHC toll plaza and roads (refer to Figure
7.2 and Appendix
7.4.1). The West Kowloon
Cultural District Authority Project Site Office within the Assessment Area consisted
mainly of car parking area and part of site office and was only used for office
purposes. The West Kowloon Nursery
Park and pet garden within the Assessment Area were open vegetated / landscaping
areas used for recreational purposes only. The construction site for the Hong
Kong Palace Museum within the Assessment Area consisted mainly of site offices and
access roads. The WHC toll plaza is
used for tolling purposes and the proposed Revised Austin Road Flyover would
only be constructed above the toll plaza. No chemical wastes as listed in Table 7.2 above were identified within the area encroached into the WHC toll
plaza. No potentially contaminating
land uses / activities (e.g. transformer / generator, chemical / chemical waste
storage) were observed in these areas.
7.5.6.3
However, the Yau Ma Tei PCWA, located in the
northern portion of the Assessment Area, is an industrial establishment for
vessel cargo operations and vehicle maintenance area was observed within the Assessment
Area. Details of the Yau Ma Tei PCWA are discussed
below.
Yau Ma Tei PCWA
7.5.6.4
The Yau
Ma Tei PCWA is currently operated by Marine
Department, with a small portion encroached into the northern portion of the Assessment
Area. The encroached Yau Ma Tei PCWA is approximately
3,380 m2 in area, which mainly comprises of site offices in the
northeast, a vehicle maintenance area in the southeast, storage for shipping
containers / construction materials and open area at the rest of the site.
7.5.6.5
As reported by the site
representative, no chemicals are used for site operations (i.e. storage of
shipping containers / construction materials) except for the limited
maintenance works of forklifts as required at the vehicle maintenance area
(area of approximately 490 m2). Typical maintenance activities included
greasing and lubrication involving use of lubricating oil and anti-corrosive
paints. As observed during the site
walkover, the entire area was paved with intact concrete noted to be in good
condition with no signs of oil stains chemical spillages observed. There were no DGs / chemical wastes /
fire incident / spillage records for the site.
7.5.6.6
Findings of the site walkover
are shown in Figure
7.3. Questionnaire was
conducted with available site representative and the site walkover checklist for
Yau Ma Tei PCWA is provided
in Appendix
7.4.2.
7.6.1.1
Based on the site appraisal, a
potentially contaminated area (i.e. vehicle maintenance area) was identified at
the Yau Ma Tei PCWA within
the Assessment Area. However, referring
to Section 7.4 above, the proposed road alignments of
the Project would not encroach into the PCWA. The PCWA is expected to continue its
operation and no works associated with the Project are proposed within the PCWA. Furthermore, given that only limited
maintenance works were observed within the PCWA and the area was paved with
intact concrete with no evidence of chemical spillage and leakage, the PCWA
operation is not expected to cause land contamination to the nearby proposed
road alignment under the Project. Therefore,
no land contamination impacts associated with the PCWA operation is anticipated
to the Project.
7.6.1.2
From the above and as there are
no other potentially contaminating land use / activities identified within the Assessment
Area, no land contamination impacts arising from the Project is anticipated and
mitigation measures are considered not necessary.
7.7
Evaluation of Residual Impacts
7.7.1.1
As land contamination impacts
are not anticipated, no unacceptable residual impacts are expected.
7.8.1.1
As land contamination impacts
are not anticipated, no environmental monitoring and audit programme
would be required.
7.9.1.1
A site appraisal, in the form
of desktop review and site walkover, was conducted in July 2019 to January 2020
to identify any current/historical potentially contaminating land uses within
the Assessment Area. Based on the findings of the
site appraisal, adverse land contamination impact arising from Project is not
anticipated. The submission of CAP, CAR, RAP and RR are considered not
necessary.