1.                  INTRODUCTION

 

1.1              Project Background

 

1.1.1        At present, the average daily and weekend patronage volumes that are required to be handled at Lo Wu, Boundary Crossing are 200,000 and 235,000 respectively. The Ching Ming Festival and the Easter holiday in 1999 saw a record high throughput of 317,262 passengers. The high patronage volumes are about to stretch the operation of Lo Wu to its limit.

 

1.1.2        Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Spur Line) was originated by Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) East Rail to relieve the envisaged congestion at the Lo Wu Boundary Crossing. Given the continued surge of cross boundary traffic, the railway and immigration facilities will reach their limits on a daily basis in the near future, to the extent only seen on festival days at present. The overcrowding will cause serious safety concerns and unsatisfactory service.

 

1.2              Purpose of the EIA

 

1.2.1        As described in the EIA Study Brief issued by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for the Spur Line (ESB-026/1999), the purpose of the EIA is to provide information on the nature and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the proposed designated project and related activities taking place concurrently. This information will contribute to decisions by EPD 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.

 

1.2.2        Mitigation measures will be identified to enable the EIA to demonstrate that the Spur Line Project is environmentally viable.

 

1.2.3        At the time of this Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA), two planning studies are in progress, one for North-West New Territories (NWNT), one for North-East New Territories (NENT). There will be a close interface between the Spur Line and the NENT Planning and Development Study. The proposed Kwu Tung Strategic Growth Area (SGA) has recently been publicized under the NENT Planning Study, although the full details of the proposals (such as sensitive receivers etc.) are not yet available.

 

1.2.4        The Spur Line is being designed to maximise noise attenuation and therefore minimize constraints to developments along the alignment. In the absence of full details of the Kwu Tung SGA, the present assessment has indicated development which can be implemented within the constraints of the Spur Line.

 

1.2.5        The EIA report will form the basis for a decision by EPD for approval of the scheme under the EIA Ordinance, to facilitate the public inspection process of the report and obtain the Environmental Permit for the construction and operation of the Spur Line.

 

1.2.6        The EIA report addresses all issues identified in the Study Brief as described in Table 1.1.

 

Table 1.1

Environmental Issues Addressed in this EIA Report

 

Environmental Issue

Description

Noise

Identifies sensitive receivers during the construction phase of Spur Line, and presents practical mitigation measures to minimize impacts.

Identifies the nearest sensitive receivers along the alignment and determines mitigated noise levels. Where noise levels exceed ANLs, mitigation measures will be developed and proposed.

Ecology

Collates all ecological information within the Study Areas and evaluates the impacts of the Spur Line on ecological resources. Mitigation measures developed to minimize residual impacts.

Visual and Landscape

Identifies sensitive receivers and assesses the potential visual impacts on them and on surrounding landscape. Appropriate mitigation measures are designed to mitigate impacts.

Water quality

Describes construction activities which may impact water quality in receiving water bodies, and mitigation measures to alleviate impacts.

Quantifies as far as possible, the potential impacts from stormwater and sewage from Lok Ma Chau Station. Develops the mitigation required to meet Zero Discharge Policy requirements.

Air quality

Identifies sensitive receivers which may be affected by dust impacts during construction and air quality impacts during operation. Presents mitigation measures to minimize impacts.

Waste

Describes and quantifies types of waste generated during construction and operation of the Spur Line and draws up a waste management plan for handling, transport and disposal of wastes generated.

Contaminated land

Identifies areas of potentially contaminated land within the Spur Line Study Area, likely contaminants present, and presents a sampling and analysis programme and remediation measures for mitigation where necessary.

Fisheries

Identifies and describes the potential impacts on fish farming activities in the Study Area, and presents mitigation measures for alleviation of impacts.

Cultural Heritage

Identifies sites of cultural importance within the Study Area, including historical buildings and archaeological remains. Where impacts occur, mitigation measures are proposed.

 

1.3              The Approach

 

1.3.1    The need for the Spur Line was originally established in the Railway Development Study, which was completed in 1993.  The project was further progressed as part of the West Rail project until the sudden increase in patronage crossing the Lo Wu Boundary Crossing required the Spur Line to be progressed as an independent East Rail extension.  Subsequently a Preliminary Project Feasibility Study (PPFS) was conducted in 1998 based on a balanced approach to the various competing requirements. These include project requirements, engineering constraints, environmental, planning and various other considerations necessary to determine the feasible alignment. The resulting alignment has since then been subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study.

 

1.3.2    This EIA report has been prepared for the selected alignment in accordance with the technical requirements of the EIA Study Brief for the Spur Line and the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIA TM). Environmental monitoring and audit requirements are presented in a separate section, for each of the issues assessed in this report.

 

1.3.3        During the EIA process, there have been significant concerns from the public and interest groups to identify and address alternative routes to avoid the ecologically sensitive area of Long Valley.  To address the public concerns and in accordance with the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIA TM), this EIA report examines the alternative routes in greater detail following a similar approach as described in Section 1.3.1.