Consultancy Ref.: AFCD/FIS/02/19 Consultancy Service
for Environmental Impact Assessment Study for Designation of New Fish Culture
Zones Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for Establishment of Fish Culture Zone at Mirs
Bay November
2022 |
This Section
provides an evaluation of the potential noise impacts associated with the
construction and operation of the Project, including the associated works and
marine activities.
The
principal legislation relating to the control of construction noise due to the
Project is the EIAO. The EIAO-TM,
issued under the EIAO, provides
guidelines and noise criteria for evaluating noise impacts. The assessment criteria are defined in Annex 5 of the EIAO-TM with reference made to Annex
13 of the EIAO-TM for the
guidelines of noise assessment.
The Noise Control Ordinance (NCO) (Cap. 400) also provides statutory
controls on general construction works during restricted hours (i.e. 1900 –
0700 hours Monday to Saturday and at any time on Sundays and public
holidays). A number of Technical Memoranda
(TMs) have been issued under the NCO
to stipulate control approaches and criteria.
The Technical Memorandum on Noise
from Construction Work other than Percussive Piling (GW-TM), which provides the guidelines for controlling the construction
noise from the use of powered mechanical equipment (PME) at the construction
work sites, details the procedures that should be adopted for the assessment of
noise from construction work other than percussive piling, the issuing of
Construction Noise Permits (CNP), and for determining whether or not any such
CNP is being complied with.
Under the EIAO, potential noise impact arising
from general construction works during non-restricted hours (i.e. 0700 to 1900
hours on any day not being a Sunday or public holiday) at noise sensitive uses
that rely on opened windows for ventilation, should be assessed in accordance
with the noise criteria specified in the EIAO-TM. The EIAO-TM noise standards are presented in Table 9.1.
Table 9.1 EIAO-TM Daytime Construction Noise Standards (Leq(30min)
dB(A))
Uses |
Noise
Standards (dB(A)) |
Domestic
Premises |
75 |
Educational
Institutions |
70 |
Educational
Institutions (during examination periods) |
65 |
Notes: (a) The
above standards apply to uses which rely on opened windows for ventilation. (b) The
above standards shall be viewed as the maximum permissible noise levels
assessed at 1 m from the external façade. |
When
assessing a CNP application for the use of PME during the restricted hours
(i.e. 1900 to 0700 hours of the next day and any time on Sundays and public
holidays), the Noise Control Authority will compare the Acceptable Noise Levels
(ANLs), as promulgated in GW-TM, and the Corrected Noise Levels (CNLs)
(i.e. after accounting for factors such as barrier effects and reflections)
associated with the proposed PME operations.
The ANLs are related to the noise sensitivity of the area in question
and different Area Sensitivity Ratings (ASRs) have been established to reflect
the background characteristics of different areas. The appropriate ASR for the noise sensitive
receiver (NSR) is determined with reference to Table 9.2.
Table 9.2 Area Sensitivity Ratings (ASRs)
Types
of Area Containing NSR |
Degree to which NSR is
affected by Influencing Factor (IF) |
||
Not Affected |
Indirectly Affected |
Directly Affected |
|
Rural area,
including |
A |
B |
B |
Low
density residential area consisting of low-rise or isolated high-rise
developments |
A |
B |
C |
Urban
area |
B |
C |
C |
Area
other than those above |
B |
B |
C |
Notes: The following
definitions apply: (a)
"Country Park" means an area that
is designated as a country park pursuant to Section 14 of the Country
Parks Ordinance; (b) "Directly
affected" means that the NSR is at such a location that noise generated
by the IF is readily noticeable at the NSR and is a dominant feature of the
noise climate of the NSR; (c)
"Indirectly affected" means that
the NSR is at such a location that noise generated by the IF, whilst
noticeable at the NSR, is not a dominant feature of the noise climate of the
NSR; (d)
"Not affected" means that the NSR
is at such a location that noise generated by the IF is not noticeable at the
NSR; and (e)
"Urban area" means an area of high
density, diverse development including a mixture of such elements as
industrial activities, major trade or commercial activities and residential
premises. |
The
relevant ANLs are shown in Table 9.3.
Table 9.3 Acceptable Noise Levels of General Construction
Works
Time
period |
LAeq 5min (dB(A)) |
||
|
ASR “A” |
ASR “B” |
ASR “C” |
All days
during the evening (i.e. 1900-2300 hours) and general holidays (including
Sundays) during the day and evening (i.e. 0700-2300 hours) |
60 |
65 |
70 |
All days
during the night-time (i.e. 2300-0700 hours of the next day) |
45 |
50 |
55 |
The Noise
Control Authority will consider a well-justified CNP application, for
construction works within restricted hours as guided by the relevant TMs issued
under the NCO. The Noise Control
Authority will take into account the adjoining land uses and any previous
complaints against construction activities at the site before making a
decision. Nothing in this EIA Report
shall bind the Noise Control Authority in making its decision. The Noise Control Authority may include any
conditions in a CNP that it considers appropriate. Failure to comply with any such conditions
may lead to cancellation of the CNP and prosecution action under the NCO.
The EIAO-TM and the Technical
Memorandum for the Assessment of Noise from Places Other than Domestic
Premises, Public Places or Construction Sites (IND-TM) issued under the NCO specify the
applicable ANLs for the operation of Project.
The ANLs are dependent on the Area Sensitivity Rating (ASR) and the time
of the day as presented in Table 9.4. Each NSR is assigned an ASR based on its
predominant land use and the presence, if any, of Influencing Factors (IFs)
such as nearby industrial areas, major roads or airports.
Table 9.4 Acceptable Noise Levels (ANLs) of Operational
Noise
Time
Period |
LAeq 30min (dB(A)) |
||
ASR “A” |
ASR “B” |
ASR “C” |
|
Daytime: 0700-1900
hrs & Evening: 1900-2300 hrs |
60 |
65 |
70 |
Night-time:
2300-0700 |
50 |
55 |
60 |
Fixed plant
noise is controlled under Section 13 of the NCO
and the predictions will be undertaken in accordance with the IND-TM.
The noise criteria for planning and design of planned fixed noise
sources under Designated Projects are set out in the EIAO-TM as follows:
§ the noise level at the facade of the nearest NSR is at least 5 dB(A)
lower than the appropriate ANL (as shown in Table 9.4) as specified
in the IND-TM; or
§ the prevailing background noise level (for quiet areas with a noise
level 5 dB(A) below the appropriate ANL).
In accordance with the requirements
given in Section 3.4.9.2 and Clauses
2.2.1(a) and 3.2.1(a) in Appendix H of the EIA Study Brief, the
Assessment Area for the noise impact assessment should generally cover a
distance of 300 m from the boundary of the Project and the works of the
Project, and should be expanded to include NSRs at distances over 300 m from
the Project which may be affected by the Project. The Assessment Area considered in the
assessment is shown in Figure 9.1.
The Project site is located
about 100 m north of Sai Kung East Country Park. The Project is located in a
relatively open sea area. Background
noise at the Project site and the surrounding environment is dominated by the
prevailing general background including sea waves.
The statutory Outline Zoning
Plans (OZP) and other relevant development plan available from Lands Department
or Town Planning Board have been reviewed with regard to the Assessment Area.
Relevant OZP in the vicinity of the Project includes the Approved Ko Lau Wan
OZP No. S/NE-KLW/2. There is no existing OZP in the Assessment Area for the
Project site. There is no committed and
planned NSRs identified within the defined Assessment Area. The identified representative
NSRs are listed in Table 9.5 and shown in Figure 9.1. Photographs
of the representative NSRs are shown in Appendix
9A.
Table
9.5 Identified Representative NSRs
NSR
ID |
Description |
Use |
Approximate
Distance to nearest Project Site Boundary (m) |
N1 |
Sai Kung
East Country Park |
Country
Park |
61(a) |
N2 |
Village
House at Tap Mun |
Existing
Residential |
1,450 |
N3 |
Village
House at Ko Lau Wan |
Existing
Residential |
1,120 |
Note: (a) The area of Sai Kung East Country Park within 300 m of the
Project are not accessible by any hiking trail due to steep slope. The nearest accessible hiking trail is more
than 300 m from the Project. |
As
mentioned in Section 2, the construction of the Project would take a few
weeks for the assembly and anchoring of each fish raft. No heavy PME is required and no noisy
activities will take place during the construction phase. All construction
works will be carried out during non-restricted hours only. The main components of the fish rafts and
cages will be manufactured off-site. The
construction of the Project site will mainly involve the following:
§ Towing of existing fish rafts from other location(s) to the new FCZ
using tug boat for a few trips a day and anchoring; and
§ Assembly and anchoring of fish rafts by winch;
Small
marine vessels such as sampans and speed boats could be present and used as supporting
vessels during the construction.
Anchoring of marine vessels could be required when positioning the fish
raft. The installation of the fish raft
mooring system would be conducted by attaching the anchor lines from the fish
rafts to anchoring points on the seabed.
No dredging works are required during the construction phase. Auxiliary facilities, such as storage and
shelters for fish farmers may be installed on some of the fish rafts. Details of the construction plant inventory
are presented in Appendix 9B and it will
be subject to further design at later stage.
Mariculture
activities, such as management of fish raft / cages and fish stocks within the
Project site will be undertaken during operation phase. Limited numbers of small power generators
will be used on fish raft to support the daily mariculture activities. The transportation of fish stock, fish feed,
fish raft equipment and workforce as well as occasional visitors will occur
with the use of small marine vessels such as sampans and speed boats for a few
trips a day. No maintenance dredging or
sediment removal is anticipated during FCZ operation under the Project.
As
mentioned in Section 9.4.1, the construction of the Project would take a few
weeks for the assembly and anchoring of each fish raft. No heavy PME is required and no noisy
activities will take place during the construction phase. The main components of the fish rafts and
cages will be manufactured off-site. The
construction works are marine-based with limited air-borne noise impact, i.e.
installation of the fish raft mooring system and anchoring on the seabed.
NSR N1 for
Country Park is identified within the 300 m Assessment Area, however, specific
noise limit for Country Parks is not available from relevant legislation and
guidelines, including EIAO-TM and GW-TM. The area of Sai Kung East Country
Park within 300m of the Project is not accessible by any hiking trail and the
nearest accessible hiking trail is more than 300m away from the Project. Other NSRs N2 and N3 are located at more than
1.1 km away from the Project Site. In
view of the small scale of the Project with limited numbers of PME required for
the construction and noisy activities are not required, adverse noise impact
during construction phase is not anticipated.
As
mentioned in Table 9.5, the area of Sai Kung East Country Park within 300 m
of the Project are not accessible by any hiking trail due to steep slope. The nearest accessible hiking trail is more
than 300 m from the Project. There is no
specific operation phase noise criteria for Country Parks in the relevant
guidelines and TMs. Other NSRs N2 and N3 are
located at more than 1.1 km away from the Project Site. With small number of marine vessel trips /
day for transportation, limited numbers of small power generators and no noisy
operational activities within the Project site, adverse noise impact due to
operation of the Project is not anticipated.
In
view of no adverse noise impact is anticipated due to the construction and
operation of the Project, mitigation measures are therefore not required for
both construction and operation phases.
Adverse residual impacts are not anticipated.
Although
adverse construction noise impact is not expected, Recommended Pollution Control Clauses for Construction Contracts issued
by EPD will be included in the Contract for future contractor(s) to
follow. Good construction site
practice and noise management could also be considered to reduce the noise
impact from the construction activities as follows:
§ Only well-maintained plant will be operated on-site and plant will be
serviced regularly during the construction phase;
§ Silencers or mufflers on construction equipment will be utilised and
will be properly maintained during the construction phase;
§ Mobile plant, if any, will be sited as far away from NSRs as possible;
§ Machines and plant that may be in intermittent use will be shut down between
work periods or will be throttled down to a minimum;
§ Plants known to emit noise strongly in one direction will, wherever
possible, be orientated so that the noise is directed away from the nearby
NSRs; and
§ Other structures will be effectively utilised, wherever practicable, in
screening noise from on-site construction activities.
No
existing or committed project is identified in the vicinity of the Project
site. Cumulative impacts are therefore
not expected during both construction and operation phases of the Project.
No
adverse noise impacts are anticipated during construction and operation of the
Project. No environmental monitoring and
audit (EM&A) requirements related to noise are considered necessary during
both construction and operation phases.
The
area of Sai Kung East Country Park within 300 m from the Project site
are not accessible by any hiking trail due to steep slope. The nearest accessible hiking trail is more
than 300 m from the Project. No specific
construction noise limit for Country Parks is available from the relevant
legislation and guidelines including EIAO-TM
and GW-TM. The nearest representative NSRs are located at
more than 1.1 km from the Project site. In
view of the small scale of the Project with limited numbers of marine
vessel trips / day and noisy activities are not required, adverse
noise impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project are
not anticipated. Mitigation measures are
therefore not considered to be required.