Environmental
Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) Section 5 (7)
Environmental
Impact Assessment Study Brief No. ESB-148/2006
Project
Title: West Kowloon Reclamation Road D1A(S) and Road D1 between Jordan Road
and Road D12; and Road D12 between Canton Road and Lin Cheung Road (hereinafter known as the “Project”)
(hereinafter
known as the “Applicant”)
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 An
application (No. ESB-148/2006) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
study brief under section 5(1) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(EIAO) was submitted by the captioned Applicant on 6 April 2006 with a project profile
No. PP-287/2006 (the Project Profile).
1.2 The proposed
Project is to construct and operate Roads D1A(S), D1 and D12 in the West
Kowloon Reclamation area. The locations of the proposed roads are shown in
Appendix A of this study brief and they comprise the following:
(i)
Road D1A(S) – section between
(ii)
Road D1 – section between
(iii)
Road D12 – section between
1.3 The Project
is a designated project under Item A.1 of Part 1 Schedule 2 of the EIAO: “A
road which is an expressway, trunk road, primary distributor road or district
distributor road including new roads, and major extensions or improvements to
existing roads”.
1.4 Pursuant to
section 5(7)(a) of the EIAO, the Director of Environmental Protection (the
Director) issues this Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study brief to the
Applicant to carry out an EIA study.
1.5
The purpose of
this EIA study is to provide information on the nature and extent of
environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the Project
and related activities taking place concurrently. This information will contribute to
decisions by the Director on:
(i) the
overall acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely
to arise as a result of the proposed project;
(ii) the
conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the proposed project to
mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable; and
(iii)
the acceptability of residual impacts
after the proposed mitigation measures are implemented.
2. OBJECTIVES
OF THE EIA STUDY
2.1 The
objectives of the EIA study are as follows:
(i)
to describe the Project and associated
works together with the requirements for carrying out the Project;
(ii)
to identify and describe elements of
community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to
cause adverse impacts to the Project, including natural and man-made
environment and the associated environmental constraints;
(iii)
to provide information on the consideration
of alternatives to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts to
sensitive uses; to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of each
of different options; to provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s)
and to describe the part environmental factors played in the selection of
preferred option(s);
(iv)
to identify and quantify emission
sources and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and
potential affected uses;
(v)
to identify and quantify any potential
landscape and visual impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(vi)
to propose the provision of mitigation
measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance
during construction and operation of the Project;
(vii)
to investigate the feasibility,
practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation
measures;
(viii)
to identify, predict and evaluate the
residual environmental impacts (i.e. after practicable mitigation) and the
cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation
phases of the Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential
affected uses;
(ix)
to identify, assess and specify methods,
measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and
operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these environmental
impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
(x)
to investigate the extent of the
secondary environmental impacts that may arise from the proposed mitigation
measures and to identify constraints associated with the mitigation measures
recommended in the EIA study, as well as the provision of any necessary
modification; and
(xi)
to design and specify environmental
monitoring and audit requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the
recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures.
3. DETAILED
REQUIREMENTS OF THE EIA STUDY
3.1
The Purpose
The
purpose of this study brief is to scope the key issues of the EIA study and to
specify the environmental issues that are required to be reviewed and assessed
in the EIA report. The Applicant
has to demonstrate in the EIA report that the criteria in the relevant sections
of the Technical Memorandum on the Environmental Impact Assessment Process of
the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (hereinafter referred to as “the
TM”), are fully complied with.
3.2
The Scope
The scope of this
EIA study shall cover the Project proposed in the
Project Profile and the works mentioned in Section 1.2 above. In addition, the
EIA study shall cover the cumulative impacts of the adjacent project “West
Kowloon Reclamation, Road D1A(N) between
(i)
the potential noise and air quality
impacts on sensitive receivers from the construction and operation of the
Project, taking into account the cumulative impact from the operation of
existing and planned roads and developments in the study area of the Project;
(ii)
potential water quality impact on the
relevant water system(s) from the construction and operation of the Project;
(iii)
waste arising as a result of the construction and operation
activities of the Project; and
(iv)
potential
landscape & visual impacts from construction and operation of the project.
3.3 Consideration of
Alternatives
3.3.1 The
Need of the Project
The
Applicant shall study and review the need of the Project and provide information
to justify the need. The Applicant
shall explain clearly the purpose and objectives of the Project and describe
the scenarios with and without the Project.
3.3.2 Consideration
of Different Alignment Options, Built-forms and
In
addition to the proposed alignment option, the Applicant shall consider other
feasible alignment options for the Project, provide justification regarding how
the proposed scheme is arrived at, including the descriptions of the
environmental factors considered in the option selection. Alternative built-forms (such as tunnel
along part or all of the proposed alignment) and design of the road shall be
reviewed and investigated. A
comparison of the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of the possible
alignment options and alternative built-forms and design shall be made with a
view to recommending the preferred option to avoid/ minimize adverse
environmental effects to the maximum practicable extent. In particular, consideration shall be given to avoid or minimize the operational noise and air quality
impacts. Consideration shall also be given to propose alternative land use
arrangement(s) in areas significantly affected by adverse environmental impacts
as a practicable mitigation measure.
3.3.3 Consideration of Alternative Construction Methods and
Sequences of Works
Taking
into consideration the combined effect with respect to the severity and
duration of the construction impacts to the affected sensitive receivers, the
EIA study shall explore alternative construction methods and sequences of works
for the Project, with a view to avoid prolonged adverse environmental impacts
to the maximum practicable extent.
A comparison of the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of applying
different construction methods and sequence of works shall be made.
3.3.4 Selection
of Preferred Scenario
Taking
into consideration of the findings in sub-sections 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 above, the
Applicant shall recommend/ justify the adoption of the preferred scenario that will
avoid or minimize adverse environmental effects arising from the Project, and adequately describe the part that environmental
factors played in arriving at the final selection.
Technical
Requirements
3.4
The Applicant shall conduct the EIA
study to address all environmental aspects of the activities as described in Sections
3.2 and 3.3 above. The assessment shall be based on the best and latest
information available during the course of the EIA study. The Applicant shall assess the
cumulative environmental impacts from the Project with other interacting
projects. The Applicant shall include
in the EIA report details of the construction programme and methodologies.
3.5
The Applicant shall review previously
approved studies or EIA reports which are relevant to the Project and extract
those relevant information for the purpose of this EIA study. The following EIA report shall be
referred to:
-
3.6
The EIA study shall meet the following
technical requirements on specific impacts:
3.6.1 Noise Impact
3.6.1.1 The Applicant shall follow the criteria and guidelines for
evaluating and assessing noise impact as stated in Annexes 5 and 13 of the TM,
respectively.
3.6.1.2 The noise impact assessment shall include the
following:
(i) Determination
of Assessment Area
The study
area for the noise impact assessment shall generally include all areas within
300m from the Project shown in Annex A or other Project alignments as
identified in the EIA. Subject to
the agreement of the Director, the assessment area could be reduced accordingly
if the first layer of noise sensitive receivers (NSRs), closer than 300m from
the outer Project limit, provides acoustic shielding to those receivers at
distances further away from the Project.
Subject to the agreement of the Director, the assessment area shall be
expanded to include NSRs at distances over 300m from the Project, which are
affected by the construction and operation of the Project.
(ii) Provision
of Background Information and Existing Noise Levels
The
Applicant shall provide all background information relevant to the Project,
e.g. relevant previous or current studies.
Unless required for determining the planning standards, e.g. those for
planning of fixed noise sources (such as ventilation systems of traffic noise
enclosures), no existing noise levels are particularly required.
(iii) Identification
of Noise Sensitive Receivers
(a)
The
Applicant shall refer to Annex 13 of the TM when identifying the NSRs. The NSRs shall include all existing NSRs
and all planned/ committed noise sensitive developments and uses, including but
not limiting to residential developments at the Airport Express Kowloon Station,
future developments at the Comprehensive Development Area next to Airport
Express Kowloon station, Man Cheong Street residential area, residential developments along Canton Road &
Austin Road, future developments above the KCRC’s West Kowloon Station and noise
sensitive uses within the West Kowloon Cultural District, as earmarked
on the relevant Outline Zoning Plans, Outline Development Plans, Layout Plans
and other relevant published land use plans. Photographs of all existing NSRs shall
be appended to the EIA report.
(b)
The
Applicant shall select assessment points to represent all identified NSRs for
carrying out quantitative noise assessment described below. The assessment points shall be agreed
with the Director prior to the quantitative noise assessment. A map showing the location and
description such as name of building, use, and floor of each and every selected
assessment point shall be given.
For planned noise sensitive land uses without committed site layouts,
the Applicant can use the relevant
planning parameters to work out representative site layouts for operational
noise assessment purpose. However, such assumption
together with any site specific constraints identified, such as setback of
building, building orientation and extended podium, shall be considered
practicable, feasible and agreeable for implementation by relevant parties including
the Planning Department and Lands Department as per section 6.3, Annex 13 of
EIAO-TM.
(iv) Provision
of an Emission Inventory of the Noise Sources
The
Applicant shall provide an inventory of noise sources including representative
construction equipment for construction noise assessment, and traffic flow/
fixed plant equipment (e.g. ventilation systems of traffic noise enclosures),
as appropriate, for operational noise assessment. Confirmation of the validity of the
inventory shall be obtained from the relevant government
departments/authorities and documented in the EIA report.
(v)
Construction Noise Assessment
(a)
The assessment shall cover the
cumulative noise impacts due to the construction works of the Project and other
concurrent projects identified during the course of the EIA study.
(b)
The Applicant shall carry out assessment
of noise impact from construction (excluding percussive piling) of the Project
during daytime, i.e. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on weekdays other than general holidays
in accordance with the methodology in paragraphs 5.3. and 5.4 of Annex 13 of
the TM. The criteria in Table 1B of
Annex 5 of the TM shall be adopted in the assessment.
(c)
To minimize the construction noise
impact, alternative construction methods to replace percussive piling shall be
proposed as far as practicable. In
case blasting works is involved, it shall be carried out, as far as
practicable, outside the sensitive hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday to
Saturday and any time on a general holiday, including Sunday. For blasting that must be carried out
during the above-mentioned sensitive hours, the noise impact from the removal
of debris and rocks shall be fully assessed and adequate mitigation measures
shall be recommended to reduce the noise impact.
(d) If
the unmitigated construction noise levels are found exceeding the relevant
criteria, the Applicant shall propose practicable direct mitigation measures
(including movable barriers, enclosures, quieter alternative methods,
re-scheduling and restricting hours of operation of noisy tasks) to minimize
the impact. If the mitigated noise
levels still exceed the relevant criteria, the duration of the noise exceedance
shall be given.
(e) The
Applicant shall, as far as practicable, formulate a reasonable construction
programme so that no work will be required in restricted hours as defined under
the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO). In
case the Applicant needs to evaluate whether construction works in restricted
hours as defined under the NCO are feasible or not in the context of
programming construction works, reference shall be made to relevant technical
memoranda issued under the NCO. Regardless
of the results of construction noise impact assessment for restricted hours,
the Noise Control Authority will process Construction Noise Permit (CNP)
application, if necessary, based on the NCO, the relevant technical memoranda
issued under the NCO, and the contemporary conditions/situations. This aspect shall be explicitly stated in
the noise chapter and the conclusions and recommendations chapter in EIA
report.
(vi) Operational
Noise Assessment
(a) Road Traffic Noise
(a1) Calculation of Noise
Levels
The
Applicant shall analyse the scope of the proposed road alignment(s) to identify
road sections
within the meaning of Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO and other road sections for
the purpose of traffic noise impact assessment. Figures showing extents of road sections within the meaning of
Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO and other road sections shall be
provided in the EIA report. In determining whether the traffic noise impact due to a road improvement
project/ work is considered significant, detailed information with respect to
factors including change of nature of road, change of alignment and change of
traffic capacity or traffic composition etc. shall be assessed. The traffic noise impact shall be
considered significant if the traffic noise level with the road project is
greater than that without the road project at the design year by 1.0 dB(A) or
more.
The
Applicant shall calculate expected road traffic noise using methods described
in the U.K. Department of Transport's “Calculation of Road Traffic Noise”
(1988). Calculations of future road
traffic noise shall be based on peak hour traffic flow in respect of maximum
traffic projection within a 15 years period upon commencement of operation of
the Project. The Applicant shall calculate traffic noise levels in respect of
each road section and the overall noise levels from combined road sections (road sections within the meaning of
Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO and other road sections ) at
NSRs.
The EIA report shall contain sample calculations and input
parameters for at least 10 assessment points as requested by the Director. Also, the Applicant shall provide the
input data set of the traffic noise model in the format of electronic files in
the EIA. The Applicant shall
prepare and provide drawings (i.e., road-plots of the traffic noise model) of
appropriate scale to show the road segments, topographic barriers, and
assessment points of sensitive receivers input into the traffic noise model.
The Applicant shall provide input data sets of traffic
noise prediction model adopted in the EIA study as requested by the Director
for the following scenarios:
(1) unmitigated
scenario at assessment year;
(2) mitigated
scenario at assessment year; and
(3) prevailing
scenario for indirect technical remedies eligibility assessment;
The data shall be in electronic text file (ASCII
format) containing road segments, barriers and noise sensitive receivers
information. The data structure of
the above file shall be agreed with the Director. CD-ROM(s) containing the above data shall
be attached in the EIA report.
(a2) Presentation of
Noise Levels
The Applicant shall present the existing
and future noise levels in L10 (1 hour) at the NSRs at various representative floor levels
in (m P.D.) on tables and plans of suitable scale.
A quantitative assessment at the NSRs for road sections within the meaning of
Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO shall be carried out and compared against the criteria set
out in Table 1A of Annex 5 of the TM. The potential noise impact of road sections within the meaning of
Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO shall be
quantified by estimating the total number of dwellings, classrooms and other
noise sensitive elements that will be exposed to noise levels exceeding the
criteria set in Table 1A of Annex 5 in the TM.
(a3) Proposals
for Noise Mitigation Measures
The Applicant
shall propose, in accordance with Section 6 in Annex 13 of the
TM, direct technical remedies in all situations where predicted traffic
noise level due to the road sections within the meaning of Item A.1 of Schedule
2 of EIAO, exceeds the criteria in Table 1A of Annex 5 in the TM by 1 dB(A) or
more, and, under section 4.4.3 of the TM, noise from the road sections within
the meaning of Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO has significant contribution to
the cumulative environmental impacts which would exceed the criteria when
considered in conjunction with the existing or potential impacts from other
projects. The direct mitigation
measures listed under Section 6.1, Annex 13 of the EIAO-TM, including the
option of alternative land use arrangement, shall be thoroughly explored and evaluated
with a view to reducing the noise level at the NSRs concerned to the level
meeting the relevant noise criteria.
Also, the feasibility, practicability, programming and effectiveness of
the recommended mitigation measures should be assessed in accordance with
section 4.4.2(k) of the EIAO-TM. Reasons for not adopting certain direct technical remedies in the design
to reduce the traffic noise to a level meeting the criteria in the TM or to
maximize the protection for NSRs as far as possible shall be clearly and specifically
quantified and laid down in the EIA report.
Following the guiding principles set out in
the Legislative Council Paper (LC Paper no. CB(1)755/02-03(01), copy in Appendix
C) prepared by ETWB in January 2003, sections of barriers proposed to protect
existing NSRs shall be differentiated clearly from those proposed for the
protection of future or planned NSRs as the latter is only required to be
constructed before the occupation of the planned NSRs. To facilitate the phased
implementation of the barriers under this principle, a barrier inventory
showing intended NSRs (i.e. existing NSRs as distinct from planned NSRs) to be
protected by different barrier sections to achieve different extent of noise
reduction (by how many dB(A)) should be provided.
The total
number of dwellings, classrooms and other noise sensitive element that will
benefit from, and be protected by the provision of direct technical remedies shall be provided. In
order to clearly present the extents/locations of recommended noise mitigation
measures, plans prepared from 1:1000 or 1:2000 survey maps showing the
mitigation measures (e.g., enclosures/barriers, low noise road surfacing, etc.)
shall be included in the EIA report.
The total number
of dwellings, classrooms and other noise sensitive elements that will still be
exposed to noise levels above the criteria with the implementation of all
recommended direct technical remedies shall be quantified.
The Applicant
shall provide, in the EIA report information of recommended
noise mitigation measures (to include as least barrier
types, nominal dimensions at different cross-sections, extents/locations,
lengths, mPD levels of barriers) in the format as agreed
by the Director (including electronic format).
In
case where a number of NSRs cannot be protected by the recommended direct
technical remedies, the Applicant shall identify and estimate the total number
of existing dwellings, classrooms and other noise sensitive elements which may
qualify for indirect technical remedies under the Executive Council Directive “Equitable
Redress for Persons Exposed to Increased Noise Resulting from the Use of New
Roads”, the associated costs and any implications for such implementation. For the purpose of determining
eligibility of the affected premises for indirect technical remedies, reference
shall be made to the following set of three criteria :
(1) the predicted
overall noise level at the NSR from the road sections within the meaning of Item
A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO together with other traffic noise in
the vicinity must be above a specified noise level ( e.g. 70 dB(A) for domestic
premises and 65 dB(A) for education institutions, all in L10(1hr) );
(2)
the predicted overall noise level at the
NSR is at least 1.0 dB(A) more than the prevailing traffic noise level, i.e.
the total traffic noise level existing before the works to construct the road
were commenced; and
(3)
the contribution from the road sections within the meaning of
Item A.1 of Schedule 2 of EIAO to the increase in predicted overall
noise level at the NSR must be at least 1.0dB(A).
(b) Fixed Noise Sources
If the Project will cause any fixed noise sources,
such as the ventilation systems of enclosed road sections, if any, the
following assessment shall be followed.
(b1) Assessment
of Fixed Source Noise Levels
The
Applicant shall calculate the expected noise using standard acoustics
principles. Calculations for the expected
noise shall be based on assumed plant inventories and utilization schedule for
the worst-case scenario. The
Applicant shall calculate noise levels taking into account correction of
tonality, impulsiveness and intermittency in accordance with Technical
Memorandum for the Assessment of Noise from Places other than Domestic
Premises, Public Places or Construction Sites issued under the NCO.
(b2) Presentation
of Noise Levels
The
Applicant shall present the existing and future noise levels in Leq
(30 min) at the NSRs at various representative floor levels (in m P.D.) on
tables and plans of suitable scale.
A quantitative assessment at the NSRs for the proposed fixed noise
source(s) shall be carried out and compared against the criteria set out in
Table 1A of Annex 5 of the TM.
(b3) Proposals for
Noise Mitigation Measures
The
Applicant shall propose direct technical remedies within the Project limits in
all situations where the predicted noise level exceeds the criteria set out in
Table 1A of Annex 5 of the TM to protect the affected NSRs.
(vii) Assessment of
Side Effects and Constraints
The Applicant
shall identify, assess and propose means to minimize any side effects and to
resolve any potential constraints due to the inclusion of any recommended
direct technical remedies.
(viii) Evaluation of
Constraints on Planned Noise Sensitive Developments/ Land uses
For planned noise
sensitive uses which will still be affected even with all practicable direct
technical remedies in place, the Applicant shall propose, evaluate and confirm
the practicability of additional measures
including building setback within the planned noise sensitive uses
and shall make recommendations on how these noise sensitive uses will be
designed for the information of relevant parties.
The Applicant
shall take into account agreed environmental requirements / constraints
identified by the EIA study to assess the development potential of concerned
sites which shall be made known to the relevant parties
and/or potential developers.
3.6.2 Air Quality Impact
3.6.2.1 The Applicant shall follow the criteria and
guidelines for evaluating and assessing air quality impact as stated in section
1 of Annex 4 and Annex 12 of the TM, respectively.
3.6.2.2 The study
area for air quality impact assessment shall generally be defined by a distance
of 500 metres from the boundary of the Project site, yet it shall be extended to
include major emission sources that may have a bearing on the environmental
acceptability of the Project. Such
assessment shall be based on the best available information at the time of the
assessment. In particular, the
assessment for the operation stage shall take into account the impacts of major
emission sources whereas the assessment for the construction stage shall take
into account the impacts of major emission sources from other nearby concurrent
construction projects, if any.
3.6.2.3 The
Applicant shall assess the air pollutant concentrations in accordance with the
Guidelines for Local-Scale Air Quality Assessment Using Models given in
Appendices B1 to B3, or other methodology as agreed by the Director (The
Applicant shall note that the “Odour Impact” in sub-section 3.8 of Appendix B-1
is unlikely to be relevant to this Project unless there are major changes in
the Project or circumstances during the course of this EIA study).
3.6.2.4 The air quality impact assessment shall include
the following:
(i) Background and
Analysis of Activities
(a) Provide background
information relating to air quality issues relevant to the Project, e.g.
description of the types of activities of the Project that may affect air
quality during both construction and operation stages.
(b) Give an account, where
appropriate, of the consideration/measures that had been taken into
consideration in the planning of the Project to abate the air pollution impact.
That is, the Applicant shall consider alternative construction methods / phasing
programmes and alternative modes of operation to minimize the constructional
and operational air quality impact respectively.
(c) Present the background air
quality levels in the assessment area for the purpose of evaluating the
cumulative constructional and operational air quality impacts.
(ii) Identification of Air
Sensitive Receivers (ASRs) and Examination of Emission/Dispersion
Characteristics
(a) Identify
and describe representative existing and planned/ committed ASRs that would
likely be affected by the Project, including those earmarked on the relevant
Outline Zoning Plan(s), Outline Development Plans, Layout Plans and other
relevant published land use plans, including plans and drawings published by
Lands Department. The Applicant
shall select the assessment points of the identified ASRs such that they represent
the worst impact point of these ASRs.
A map showing the location and description including the name of
buildings, their uses and height of selected assessment points shall be
given. Separation distances of these
ASRs from the nearest emission sources shall also be given.
(b) Provide
an exhaustive list of air pollutant emission sources, including any nearby
emission sources which are likely to have impact related to the Project based
on the analysis of the constructional and operational activities in sub-section
3.6.2.4(i) above. Examples of
construction stage emission sources include stock piling, blasting, concrete
batching, and vehicular movements on unpaved haul roads on site, etc. Examples of operational stage emission
sources include exhaust emissions from vehicles etc. Confirmation regarding the validity of
assumptions and the magnitude of activities (e.g. volume of construction
material handled, traffic mix and volume on a road etc.) shall be obtained from
the relevant government departments/authorities and documented.
(iii) Construction Phase Air
Quality Impact
(a) The Applicant shall follow
requirements stipulated under Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust)
Regulation to ensure construction dust impacts are controlled within relevant
standards stipulated in section 1 of Annex 4 of the TM. A construction phase monitoring and
audit programme shall be devised to verify effectiveness of control measures to
ensure proper construction dust control.
(b) If the Applicant anticipates that
the Project will give rise to significant construction dust impacts likely to
exceed the recommended limits in the TM at the ASRs despite the incorporation
of dust control measures proposed in accordance with sub-section 3.6.2.4(iii)(a)
above, a quantitative assessment shall be carried out to evaluate the
construction dust impact at identified ASRs. The Applicant shall follow the
methodology set out in sub-section 3.6.2.4(v) below when carrying out the
quantitative assessment.
(iv) Operational Phase Air Quality
Impact
(a)
The Applicant shall calculate the expected air pollutant concentrations at the
identified ASRs based on an assumed reasonably worst-case scenario under normal
operating condition. The evaluation
shall be based on the strength of the emission sources identified in
sub-section 3.6.2.4(ii)(b) above.
The Applicant shall follow sub-section 3.6.2.4(v) below when carrying
out the quantitative assessment.
(b)
The air
pollution impacts of future road traffic shall be calculated based on the
highest emission strength from the road within the next 15 years upon
commencement of operation of the Project. The Applicant shall
demonstrate that the selected year of assessment represents the highest
emission scenario given the combination of vehicular emission factors and
traffic flow for the selected year.
The Fleet Average Emission Factors used in the assessment shall be
agreed with the Director. If necessary, the Fleet Average Emission Factors
shall be determined by a motor vehicle emission model such as EMFAC-HK model to
be agreed with the Director. All
the traffic flow data and assumptions that used in the assessment shall be
clearly and properly documented in the EIA report.
(c)
If full
enclosures are proposed in the Project, it is the responsibility of the Applicant
to ensure that the air quality inside these proposed structures shall comply
with EPD's “Practice Note on Control of Air Pollution in Vehicle Tunnels”. When assessing air quality impact due to
emissions from full enclosures, the Applicant shall ensure prior agreement with
the relevant ventilation design engineer over the amount and the types/kinds of
pollutants emitted from these full enclosures; and such assumptions shall be
clearly and properly documented in the EIA report.
(v) Quantitative Assessment
Methodology
(a) The Applicant shall conduct
the quantitative assessment with reference to relevant sections of the modelling
guidelines stated in section 3.6.2.3 or any other methodology as agreed with
the Director. The specific
methodology must be documented in such level of details (preferably with tables
and diagrams) to allow the readers of the EIA report to grasp how the model has
been set up to simulate the situation at hand without referring to the model
input files. Detailed calculation
of the pollutant emission rates for input to the model and a map showing all
the road links shall be presented in the EIA report. The Applicant shall ensure consistency
between the text description and the model files at every stage of submissions
for review. In case of doubt, prior
agreement between the Applicant and the Director on specific modelling details
shall be sought.
(b) The Applicant shall identify
the key/ representative air pollutant parameters (types of pollutants and the
averaging time concentrations) to be evaluated and provide explanation for
choosing such parameters for assessing the impact of the Project.
(c) The Applicant shall calculate
the cumulative air quality impact at the identified ASRs and compare these
results against the criteria set out in section 1 of Annex 4 in the TM. The predicted air quality impacts (both
unmitigated and mitigated) shall be presented in the form of summary table and
pollution contours, to be evaluated against the relevant air quality standards
and on any effect they may have on the land use implications. Plans of a suitable scale shall be used to
present pollution contour to allow buffer distance requirements to be
determined properly.
(d)
If there are any direct technical noise
remedies recommended in the study, the air quality implication due to these
technical remedies shall be assessed.
For instance, if barriers that may affect dispersion of air pollutants
are proposed, then the implications of such remedies on air quality impact
shall be assessed. If noise
enclosure is proposed, then portal emissions of the enclosed road section and
air quality inside the enclosed road section shall also be addressed. The Applicant shall highlight clearly
the locations and types of agreed noise mitigating measures (where applicable),
be they noise barriers, road enclosures and their portals, and affected ASR's,
on contour maps for easy reference.
(vi) Mitigation Measures for
Non-compliance
The Applicant
shall propose remedies and mitigating measures where the predicted air quality
impact exceeds the criteria set in section 1 of Annex 4 in the TM. These measures and any constraints on
future land use planning shall be agreed with the relevant government
departments/authorities and documented in the EIA report. The Applicant shall demonstrate
quantitatively that the resultant impacts after incorporation of the proposed
mitigating measures will comply with the criteria stipulated in section 1 of
Annex 4 in the TM.
(vii) Submission of Model Files
All
input and output file(s) of the model run(s) shall be submitted to the Director
in electronic format.
3.6.3 Water Quality Impact
3.6.3.1 The Applicant shall
follow the criteria and guidelines for evaluating and assessing water pollution
as stated in Annexes 6 and 14 of the TM respectively.
3.6.3.2 The Study Area shall include all
areas within 300m from the Project boundary, and shall cover relevant sensitive receivers that have a bearing on
the environmental acceptability of the Project within the Victoria Harbour
(Phase 2) Water Control Zone.
3.6.3.3 All
physical, chemical and biological disruptions of the Victoria Harbour (Phase 2) Water Control Zone and fresh/
storm water or ground water system(s) within the study area arising during the
construction and operation of the Project shall be identified.
3.6.3.4 The
water quality impact assessment shall address the following :
General
(i)
Collection and review of background
information on the
existing water system(s) and sensitive receivers which might be affected by the
Project.
(ii)
Characterization of water quality based
on existing information or site surveys/tests as appropriate.
(iii)
Identification and analysis of all
existing and planned future activities and beneficial uses related to the water
system(s) and identification of all water sensitive receivers.
(iv)
Identification
of pertinent water quality objectives and establishment of other appropriate
water quality criteria or standards for the water system(s) and all the
sensitive receivers.
(v)
Review the specific construction methods
and configurations, and operation of the Project. Identification of any alteration of
watercourses.
(vi)
Identification,
analysis and quantification of all existing and likely future water pollution
sources, including point discharges and non-point sources to surface water
runoff. Field investigation and laboratory tests shall be conducted as
appropriate. Establishment and provision of an emission inventory on the
quantities and characteristics of all these pollution sources.
Impact
Prediction
(vii)
Prediction and quantification of the impacts on the
water system(s) and the sensitive receivers due to those alterations and
changes identified in (v) and the pollution sources identified in (vi). The prediction shall take into account and include
likely different stages or sequences, different operation stages.
(viii)
Cumulative
impacts due to other projects, activities or pollution sources within a
boundary around the Study Area to be agreed by the Director shall also be
predicted and quantified.
Waste
Water and Non-point Sources Pollution
(ix)
Analysis
on the provision and adequacy of existing and planned future facilities to
reduce pollution arising from the non-point sources identified in (vi).
(x)
Proposal of effective and practicable
infrastructure upgrading or provision, water pollution prevention and
mitigation measures to be implemented during the construction and operation
stages so as to reduce the water quality impacts to within acceptable levels of
standards. Requirements to be
incorporated in the Project contract document shall also be proposed.
(xi)
Best management practices to reduce
storm water and non-point source pollution shall be investigated and proposed
as appropriate. Attention shall be made to the water quality control and
mitigation measures recommended in ProPECC Note 1/94 on construction site
drainage.
(xii)
Evaluation and quantification of
residual impacts on the water system(s) and the sensitive receivers with regard
to the appropriate water quality criteria, standards or guidelines.
3.6.4 Waste
Management Implications
3.6.4.1 The Applicant shall follow the criteria and
guidelines for evaluating and assessing waste management implications as stated
in Annexes 7 and 15 of the TM respectively.
3.6.4.2 The assessment of
waste management implications shall cover the following:
(i) Analysis
of Activities and Waste Generation
The
Applicant shall identify the quantity, quality and timing of the waste arising
as a result of the construction and operation activities of the Project, based
on the sequence and duration of these activities.
(ii) Proposal
for Waste Management
(a)
Prior to considering the disposal options for various types
of wastes, opportunities for reducing waste generation, on-site or off-site
re-use and recycling shall be fully evaluated. Measures which can be taken in the
planning and design stages e.g. by modifying the design approach and in the
construction stage for maximizing waste reduction shall be separately
considered.
(b) After considering all the opportunities for reducing waste
generation and maximizing re-use, the types and quantities of the wastes
required to be disposed of as a consequence shall be estimated and the disposal
options for each type of waste shall be described in detail. Pre-treatment
processes for slurry before disposal shall be addressed in details. The disposal method recommended for each
type of waste shall take into account of the result of the assessment in (c)
below.
(c)
The impact caused by handling (including labelling,
packaging & storage), collection, and disposal of wastes shall be addressed
in detail and appropriate mitigation measures shall be proposed. This
assessment shall cover the following areas :
- potential
hazard;
- air
and odour emissions;
- noise;
- wastewater
discharge; and
- public
transport.
(iii) Land
Contamination
(a)
The Applicant shall identify all land lots/sites within the Project
boundary which, due to their past or present land uses, are potentially
contaminated sites. A detailed
account of the present activities and past land use history in relation to
possible land contamination shall be provided.
(b)
The list of potential contaminants
which are anticipated to be found in these potentially contaminated sites shall
be provided and the possible remediation options shall be discussed.
3.6.5 Landscape
and Visual Impact
3.6.5.1 The Applicant shall follow the criteria and
guidelines as stated in Annexes 10 and 18 of the TM for evaluating and
assessing landscape and visual impacts of any above ground structures, for example
noise barrier proposed by the EIA Study, and work
areas associated with the Project.
3.6.5.2 Study areas for landscape impact assessment
shall include all areas within 100m from the Project. Study area for visual
impact assessment shall be defined by the visual envelope of the Project. The
defined visual envelope must be shown on a plan in the EIA report.
3.6.5.3 The Applicant
shall review relevant Outline Zoning Plans, Outline Development Plans, Layout Plans,
other relevant published land use plans, planning briefs and studies, approved
planning applications and rezoning proposals which may identify areas of high
landscape value, open space, amenity area and green belt designations. Any guidelines on landscape strategies,
landscape frameworks, urban design concepts, building height profiles, special
design areas, landmarks, designated view corridors, open space networks,
landscape links that may affect the appreciation of the Project shall also be
reviewed. The aim is to gain an
insight to the future outlook of the area so as to assess whether the project
can fit into surrounding setting. Any conflict with statutory town plan(s) and
any published land use plans shall be highlighted and appropriate follow-up
action shall be recommended.
3.6.5.4 The Applicant shall assess the visual impacts
of the Project, in particular the visual impact of any noise barrier proposed by the
EIA Study.
Clear illustrations including mapping of visual impact is required. The assessment shall include :
(i)
identification and plotting of visual envelope
of the Project;
(ii)
identification of the key groups of
sensitive receivers within the visual envelope with regard to views from both
ground level and elevated vantage points;
(iii)
description of the visual compatibility
of the Project with the surrounding and the existing and planned setting, and
its obstruction and interference with the key views of the adjacent areas;
(iv)
description
of the severity of visual impacts in terms of nature, distance and number of
sensitive receivers; and
(v)
recommendation of mitigation measures to
minimize adverse effects identified, including provision of a landscape design.
3.6.5.5 Annotated
illustration materials such as coloured perspective drawings, plans and
section/elevation diagrams, oblique aerial photographs, photographs taken at
vantage points, and computer-generated photomontage shall be adopted to fully
illustrate the landscape and visual impacts of the Project. In particular, the landscape and visual
impacts of the Project with and without mitigation measures shall also be
properly illustrated in existing and planned setting by computer-generated
photomontage so as to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mitigation
measures. All computer graphics
shall be compatible with Microstation DGN file format or as agreed with the
Director. The Applicant shall
record the technical details such as system set-up, software, data files and
function in preparing the illustration, which may need to be submitted for
verification of the accuracy of the illustrations.
3.6.6 Summary of Environmental Outcomes
The
EIA report shall contain a summary of the key environmental outcomes arising
from the EIA study, including the population and environmentally sensitive
areas protected, environmentally friendly designs recommended, key
environmental problems avoided, and the environmental benefits of environmental
protection measures recommended.
4. ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING & AUDIT (EM&A) REQUIREMENTS
4.1 The
Applicant shall identify in the EIA study whether there is any need for EM&A
activities during the construction phase of the project and, if affirmative, to
define the scope of the EM&A requirements for the project in the EIA study.
4.2 Subject to
the confirmation of the EIA study findings, the Applicant shall comply with the
requirements as stipulated in Annex 21 of the TM.
4.3 The
Applicant shall prepare a project implementation schedule (in the form of a
checklist) containing all the EIA study recommendations and mitigation measures
with reference to the implementation programme.
5. DURATION
OF VALIDITY
5.1 The
Applicant shall notify the Director of the commencement of the EIA study. If the EIA study does not commence
within 36 months after the date of issue of this EIA study brief, the Applicant
shall apply to the Director for a fresh EIA study brief before commencement of
the EIA study.
6. REPORT
REQUIREMENTS
6.1 In
preparing the EIA report, the Applicant shall refer to Annex 11 of the TM for
the contents of an EIA report. The Applicant shall also refer to Annex 20 of
the TM, which stipulates the guidelines for the review of an EIA report.
6.2 The
Applicant shall supply the Director with the following number of copies of the
EIA report and the executive summary:
(i) 40
copies of the EIA report in English and 50 copies of the executive summary
(each bilingual in both English and Chinese) as required under section 6(2) of
the EIAO to be supplied at the time of application for approval of the EIA
report.
(ii) when
necessary, addendum to the EIA report and the executive summary submitted in
(i) above as required under section 7(1) of the EIAO, to be supplied
upon advice by the Director for public inspection.
(iii) 20 copies
of the EIA report in English and 50 copies of the executive summary (each
bilingual in both English and Chinese) with or without Addendum as required
under section 7(5) of the EIAO, to be supplied upon advice by the Director for
consultation with the Advisory Council on the Environment.
6.3 In
addition, to facilitate the public inspection of the EIA Report via the EIAO
Internet Website, the applicant shall provide electronic copies of both the EIA
Report and the Executive Summary Report prepared in HyperText Markup Language
(HTML) (version 4.0 or later) and in DynaDoc Format (version 3.0 or later) [for
Chinese documents] and in Portable Document Format (PDF version 3.0 or later)
[for English documents], unless otherwise agreed by the Director. For the HTML version, a content page
capable of providing hyperlink to each section and sub-section of the EIA
Report and the Executive Summary Report shall be included in the beginning of
the document, and all graphics in the report shall be in interlaced GIF format.
6.4 The
electronic copies of the EIA report and the Executive Summary shall be submitted
to the Director at the time of application for approval of the EIA Report.
6.5 When
the EIA Report and the Executive Summary are made available for public
inspection under section 7(1) of the EIA Ordinance, the content of the
electronic copies of the EIA Report and the Executive Summary must be the same
as the hard copies and the Director shall be provided with the most updated
electronic copies.
7. OTHER
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
7.1 During the
EIA study, if there is any change in the name of the Applicant for this EIA
study brief, the Applicant mentioned in this study brief must notify the
Director immediately.
7.2 If there is
any key change in the scope of the project mentioned in Section 1.2 of this EIA
study brief and in Project Profile No. PP-287/2006, the Applicant must seek
confirmation from the Director in writing on whether or not the scope of issues
covered by this EIA study brief can still cover the key changes, and the
additional issues, if any, that the EIA study must also address. If the changes to the project
fundamentally alter the key scope of this EIA study brief, the Applicant shall
apply to the Director for another EIA study brief afresh.
--- END OF EIA
STUDY BRIEF ---
May 2006
Environmental
Assessment Division,
Environmental Protection Department