Improvements to
San Tin Interchange (Contract No. HY/2004/09)
Monthly
Environmental Monitoring & Audit Report
Report No. 1532
August January 2008
Improvements to
San Tin Interchange (Contract No. HY/2004/09)
Monthly
Environmental Monitoring & Audit Report
Report No. 1532
August January 2008
1.1 Works undertaken during the Reporting Period
1.2 Environmental Permit and Licences
1.3 Environmental
Document Submissions to EPD
1.4 Environmental
Monitoring Locations
2 Environmental Measures and Implementation Status
3.3 Landscape and
Visual Resources
3.4 Ad-hoc Air
Quality Monitoring
4.3 Environmental
Non-compliance
4.4 Environmental Complaint and Prosecution
5.1 Key Issues for the Coming Months
5.2 Monitoring Schedules for the Next Month
List of Annexes
Annex A Contractor’s Works Programme
Annex B Mitigation Measures Checklist
Annex C Calibration Certificates
Annex D Noise Monitoring Results
Annex E Water Quality Visual Inspection Reports
Annex F Landscape & Visual Resources Inspection Reports
Annex G Site Inspection Reports
Annex H Notification
of Environmental Exceedances and Non-Compliance Forms
Annex I Action and Limit Levels
Annex J Cumulative Statistics on Complaints, Notifications of Summons and Successful Prosecutions
List
of Tables
Table 1.1 Summary of Environmental Submissions to EPD in January 2008
Table 1.2 Noise Monitoring Stations
Table 3.1 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Normal Working Hours
Table 5.1 Proposed Noise Monitoring Schedule for February 2008
List
of Figures
Figure 1 Site Plan & Locations of Noise and Air Quality Monitoring Stations
Executive Summary
Atkins
China Limited (ACL) has been appointed by Chun Wo Construction &
Engineering Co., Ltd. to implement the Environmental Monitoring and Audit
(EM&A) programme for the construction works under Contract No. HY/2004/09
Improvements to San Tin Interchange (hereinafter, the Project).
The
construction of the Project commenced since 21st June 2005. This report is the fourteenth fifthirty-first monthly EM&A
report for the Project which summarises the monitoring results and audit
findings during the reporting period from 1st January 2008 to 331st
1st AugustJanuary
2008.
Environmental
Monitoring and Audit Progress
The
monthly EM&A programme was undertaken in accordance with the EM&A Manual. A summary of the monitoring activities
in this reporting period is listed below:
· Site inspections were undertaken jointly with the Contractor and Engineer’s Representative (ER) on 9th and 23rd January 2008. The Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) undertook the site inspection on 23rd January 2008.
·
Noise
monitoring at three designated monitoring stations was undertaken on 16th
and 28th January 2008 during normal working hours, and on 11th
January 2008 during the restricted hours. Also, o One ad-hoc monitoring was
undertaken on 12th August 2006 in response to
following
an exceedance of lLimit lLevel recorded on 11th August
2006.
·
Visual
site surveillance for water quality was undertaken on 9th, 16th,
23rd and 28th January 2008.
·
Site
inspection for landscape and visual resources was undertaken on 16th
January 2008.
Breaches
of Action and Limit Levels
There was one environmental
exceedance during the the reporting period, of which six were recorded
during restricted hours noise monitoring on 11th
January31st August
2008. However,, and one was recorded
during normal working hours noise monitoring on 11th August
2006.
For the
restricted hours noise monitoring, the
exceedance was proved not to have been caused by the site activities of the
Contractor and was considered to be attributable to the high ambient traffic
noise from San Tin Highway.
Environmental
Non-Compliance
No environmental non-compliances were received during this reporting period.
There was
one The environmental
exceedance recorded during and one
non-compliance regarding to the normal working hours noise monitoring was due to
the measured Leq (30min) at on Monitoring Station CM1
was found to exceeding the Limit Level of
75dB(A), which was not in compliance with the requirements mentioned in EIA
Report and EM&A Manual. During the measurement period, concrete breaking
using a breaker was being undertaken at the Slip Road
A works area at side of San Tin Highway. The Contractor was advised to stop the
concrete breaking works in the concerned area immediately to avoid further exceedances. Following the Event and Action Plan for
construction noise, additional noise measurement was conducted on the following
day (12th August 2006) during which no concrete breaking activity
was being undertaken. The measured Leq (30min) noise level was found to be
67dB(A). Thus, the Contractor was advised to provide mitigation measures as necessary such as and
reminded that movable noise barriers should be provided to avoid exceedances caused
by prior to any further site concrete breaking works in
the concerned area following the recommendations in Section 3.47 and Figure 3.5
of the Project EIA Report. Further to discussion with the Contractor, no
further concrete breaking activities will be required in the concerned area.
Following the Event and Action Plan for construction noise, additional noise
measurement was conducted on the following day (12th August
2006) in which no concrete breaking activity was being undertaken. The measured
Leq (30min) noise level was found to be 67dB(A).
Complaint
Log
No
environmental complaints were received during this reporting period.
Notifications
of Summons and Prosecutions
No
notifications of summons or prosecutions were received during this reporting
period.
Reporting
Changes
This
report has been developed in compliance with the reporting requirements for the
subsequent monthly EM&A reports as required by the Project EM&A Manual.
Future
Key Issues
The key issues with respect to the works in the
forthcoming 2 months include landscaping works and road paving.
1.1
Works undertaken during the Reporting
Period
The
major construction activities undertaken during this reporting period are
summarised below:
·
Bored piling;
· Road widening works;
· Landscaping works;
· Road paving; and
·
Installation of railings.
The
site plan of the Project is shown in Figure 1. The Contractor’s works programme is provided in Annex A.
1.2
Environmental Permit and Licences
There were no changes or clarification to the Environmental Permit (EP-190/2004) during the reporting period.
Seven There were no Construction Noise
Permits (CNP) issued in January 2008.
1.3
Environmental
Document Submissions to EPD
A
summary of the status of the submissions to EPD as provided during the month of
August
January 2008 is presented in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1 Summary of Environmental Submissions to EPD in August January 2008
|
Item No. |
Document
Title |
Date of Submission |
|
1 |
Monthly
EM&A Report No. 31 for December 2007 |
15th January 2008 |
1.4
Environmental Monitoring Locations
Noise monitoring was undertaken at three monitoring stations CM1, CM2 and CM3. The locations are shown on Figure 1. Description of these monitoring stations is provided in Table 1.2.
Table 1.2 Noise Monitoring Stations
|
Monitoring
Station ID |
Description |
Easting |
Northing |
|
CM1 |
Village house near San Tin
Highway |
826133 |
839839 |
|
CM2 |
Village house near San Tin
Highway |
826291 |
839918 |
|
CM3 |
Village house near Kwu Tung Road |
826605 |
840076 |
The
mitigation measures listed in the Project EIA Report, EM&A Manual and
Environmental Permit and the implementation status are provided in Annex B.
In this reporting period, the trees planting were progressing at the area in South Division (M6 and M2 works area). Landscape works were progressing at the N1 Division (near the site office) and South Division (M6 and M2 works area).
Based on site inspection findings, the
Contractor has implemented the required mitigation measures during construction works to date in general.
3.1.1 Noise Monitoring Equipment
Details
of the noise monitoring equipment are listed below and the calibration
certificates are presented in Annex C:
· Sound level meter ONO-SOKKI LA-5110
· Acoustical calibrator ONO-SOKKI SC-2110
· Hand-held anemometer
3.1.2 Noise Monitoring Methodology
The
sound level meter was calibrated with an acoustical calibrator prior to each
measurement. It was set on a
tripod at 1.2 m above local ground level at the monitoring station. Measurement of the A-weighted Leq(30
minutes) noise level for normal daytime hours was undertaken. Three consecutive A-weighted Leq(5
minutes) noise levels were measured for restricted hours monitoring. Wind speed was checked during the
monitoring period using the hand-held anemometer to ensure steady wind speed
did not exceed 5 m/s, or gusts did not exceed 10 m/s. After the noise measurement the sound level meter was
re-calibrated using the acoustical calibrator.
3.1.3 Noise Monitoring Results
Noise monitoring was
undertaken on a biweekly basis when noise generating activities were
underway. The noise monitoring
results obtained in August January 2008, during the
normal working hours, and night-time restricted hours (2300 to 0700 hours of
next day) and restricted hours from 2300 to 0700 hours of
next day are summarised in Table 3.1 and Table 3.2,3
respectively. There were no
construction activities during restricted hours from 1900 to 2300 hours on
normal working days and 0700 to 1900 hours on general holidays within this
reporting period.
There was were no environmental
exceedances of the Actione and Limit Levels for environmental exceedance of
the Action and Limit Levels for noise monitoring recorded during
the normal daytime hours within the reporting period but six one notification of
exceedance during the rrestricted hours was reported.
Details of the monitoring time period and weather condition during the monitoring period and the graphical presentation of the noise monitoring results are provided in Annex D.
Table 3.1 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Normal Working Hours
|
Date
of Monitoring |
Measured Noise Level Leq(30
minutes) dB(A) |
||
|
CM1 |
CM2 |
CM3 |
|
|
16th January 2008 |
66 |
74 |
54 |
|
28th January 2008 |
65 |
73 |
56 |
Remark:
(1) CM2
is a non-façade measurement location.
A positive correction of 3 dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise
level at CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.
Table 3.2 Summary of Noise Monitoring Results during Restricted Hours – All Days during Night-time (2300-0700 hours)
|
Date
of Monitoring |
Measured Noise Level Leq(15
minutes) dB(A) |
||
|
CM1 |
CM2 |
CM3 |
|
|
11th January 2008 |
* |
71 |
49 |
(1) CM2
is a non-façade measurement location.
A positive correction of 3 dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise
level at CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.
(2)
Underlined figure indicates an exceedance of the Limit
Level of 50 dB(A).
(3)
* Noise measurement at CM1 was cancelled due to the
unsafe condition at the time (stray dogs constantly barking at the monitoring
location, and staff could be attacked).
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
CM2 is a non-façade measurement location. A
positive correction of 3dB(A) has been applied to the measured noise level at
CM2 according to EPD’s guideline.
(1)
Underlined figure indicates exceedance of the Limit
Level of 50dB(A).
(1)
Time of
measurement at CM3 started after 23:59 hours (midnight) of Tthe “Date of
Monitoring” stated in the table. Therefore, the “Date of Monitoring” for CM3 refers to 18th and 1st September 2006,
respectively refers to the date of which nighttime noise
monitoring started.
Visual site surveillances for water quality were undertaken on 9th, 16th, 23rd and 28th January 2008. Based on the visual inspection results, the Contractor has followed all necessary site practices for the maintenance of the site drainage system, including:
·
removal
of the rubbish regularly and keep the drainage system free of deposited debris
in the B12 works areas and near the pedestrian subway in the South Division.
The details of the water quality visual inspection reports are provided in Annex E.
3.3
Landscape and
Visual Resources
One site inspection on the
landscape and visual resources was undertaken in August January
2008.
During the inspections, transplanted trees at N1 Division (near the site office) and South Division (near M2 and M6 works area) were found to be in poor
condition. The contractor was
reminded to closely monitor these trees (with regular watering) to ensure their
survival. Two newly planted trees
in M2 were seen to be slanting and lack of support. The contractor was advised to provide support for the tree
trunk. Three newly planted trees at the opposite area of M6 works area appeared
to be dead. The contractor was
reminded to provide compensation for all dead trees that have been newly
planted.
Sandbags barrier encircling
the transplantation nursery in the N1 Division area was seen to have been
damaged. Some construction materials were seen to have accumulated on top of
the soil surface inside the nursery. The Contractor was reminded to clear up
the construction materials and place them in an appropriate storage area.
Damaged sandbags should be replaced by new ones to contain the soil
inside the nursery and prevent soil erosion.
Several trees inside the transplantation nursery in
the N2 Division aArea were
found to have fallen down during the inspection on 15th September 2006 due to the
typhoon event in early August 2006 and mid-September 2006. The Contractor
was reminded to replant these trees in the nursery to ensure their survival. The fallen trees were
observed to have been replanted during
inspection on 27th September 2006.
The details of the landscape
and visual resources inspection reports are provided in Annex F.
3.4
Ad-hoc Air
Quality Monitoring
No ad-hoc air
quality monitoring was required during the reporting period.
The Contractor has adopted a trip ticket system for the disposal of construction wastes. Due to the Chinese New Year break, the record of disposal of construction waste within January 2008 could not be made available by the Contractor at the time of preparation of this monthly report. However, the records will be included in the next monthly EM&A report.
Site inspections were undertaken on 9th and 23rd January 2008. The Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) undertook the site inspection on 23rd January 2008. Specific locations within the site were identified during the inspection for improvements in proper implementation of the environmental mitigation measures. These include:
· Removal of debris and sediment in the U-channel in B12 works area near San Tin Highway and near the pedestrian subway in South Division.
· Covering the stockpile properly after the daily works.
· Watering in the site regularly to prevent the dust emissions from the dusty works areas.
The
record of the site inspection findings is provided in Annex G.
4.2
Environmental Exceedance
During the reporting period,
there was one exceedance
of the Limit Level. Six of which were noise exceedances of the lLimit lLevel
during restricted hours noise monitoring at CM2 on 11th January
2008.
Further to investigation and discussion with ER, the major construction activity during
the time of measurement was road re-surfacing at San Tin Highway which was far
away (at least 500 m) from CM2. The
exceedances were due to the high ambient background noise caused by road
traffic on San Tin Highway. Thus, the noise exceedances
recorded were found not to be attributable to the project worksthe Contractor, no further
concrete breaking activities will be required in the Slip Road A works
area. Nonetheless, the Contractor
was advised to implement necessary noise mitigation measures such as and
reminded that movable noise barriers (as recommended in the
Project EIA Report) of 3 to 5m high with skid
footing should be provided to avoid further exceedances that would be caused
by potential noisy prior to any further site
works in the concerned area following the
recommendations in Section 3.47 and Figure 3.5 of the Project EIA Report.
Further to discussion with the Contractor, no further concrete breaking
activities will be required in the concerned area.
Records of the notification of environmental exceedances and the
non-compliance forms are provided in Annex H. The Action and Limit
Levels for impact monitoring are provided in Annex I.
4.3
Environmental
Non-compliance
During
the reporting period, no environmental non-compliance was recorded.
4.4
Environmental Complaint and Prosecution
During
the reporting period, no environmental complaints, prosecutions or summons were
received. Cumulative statistics on complaints,
notifications of summons and successful prosecutions for the Project are
provided in Annex J.
5.1
Key Issues for the Coming Months
The
key issues with respect to the works in the forthcoming 2 months include:
·
Road paving.
5.2
Monitoring Schedules for the Next
Month
The proposed schedule
for noise monitoring in September February 2008 is provided in
Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Proposed Noise
Monitoring Schedule for September February 2008
|
Date |
Noise
Monitoring Station |
|
4th
|
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
|
19th
February 2008 (Tuesday) |
CM1, CM2 and CM3 |
There
was no environmental non-compliance attributable to the Project works during
reporting period.
There
was six
one exceedance of the noise Limit Level during the reporting
period. However, it was not attributable to the Project
works.
There was one exceedance
non-compliance
of the Limit Level recorded during the normal hours
noise monitoring due to concrete breaking activities in project works area
during the reporting period.
No
environmental complaints, prosecutions or summons was received during the
reporting period.