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To ascertain and verify the assumptions implicit to and accuracy of EIA study predictions, an environmental and audit (EM&A) programme would be required. This section presents the requirements of EM&A for the construction and operation of the Project, based on the assessment results of the various issues.
The following sections summarize the recommended EM&A requirements. Details of the EM&A programme are presented in a stand-alone EM&A Manual released separately.
13.2.1 Construction Phase
Regular dust monitoring is
considered necessary during the construction phase of the Project and regular
site audits are also required to ensure that the dust control measures are
properly implemented. Details of the environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A)
programme will be presented in the stand-alone EM&A Manual.
13.2.2 Operational Phase
Since it has been assessed that there will be no adverse air quality impacts due to vehicular emissions or odour from the sewage treatment works during the operational phase, EM&A is considered not necessary.
13.3.1 Construction Phase
With the recommended mitigation measures, no
residual noise impacts are predicted at all representative NSRs during the construction phase. However, EM&A is recommended to ensure the mitigation
measures and good site practice have been implemented properly, and to minimize
the potential noise impact during the construction phase.
13.3.2 Operational Phase
Prior to the operation phase of the Project,
a commissioning test should be conducted for all major fixed noise sources to
ensure compliance of the operational airborne noise levels with the EIAO-TM
noise criteria.
Road traffic noise levels should be
monitored at representative NSRs, which are in the vicinity of the recommended
direct noise mitigation measures, during the first year after road opening.
Adverse water quality impact is not predicted during the construction and operation phase of the Project. Nevertheless, appropriate mitigation measures are recommended in Section 5.6 to minimize potential water quality impacts.
Water quality monitoring is recommended during the course of construction works near Kong Yiu Channel, River Ganges, River Indus, Ma Wat Channel and streams at Kau Lung Hang to obtain a robust, defensible database of baseline information of water quality before construction, and thereafter, to monitor any variation of water quality from the baseline conditions or exceedances of WQOs during construction phase and to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented.
Regular
audit of implementation of the recommended mitigation measures during the
construction phase at the works areas should also be undertaken during the
construction phase to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly
implemented.
Groundwater monitoring on tunnel groundwater ingress is recommended from the engineering perspective during construction phase. Baseline data would be obtained prior to commencement of construction works.
With the full implementation of the recommended mitigation measures during operation phase, no adverse water quality impact is anticipated. Operation phase water quality monitoring is not considered necessary.
13.5 Sewerage and Sewage Treatment Implications
It is recommended to
conduct regular monitoring of the quality of treated effluent discharged from
the proposed sewage treatment work in order to ensure compliance with the no
net increase in pollutant loading requirement as well as the relevant licence
requirements under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance.
13.6 Waste Management Implications
Waste management would be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all wastes produced during the construction phase are handled, stored and disposed of in accordance with good waste management practices and EPD’s regulations and requirements. The recommended mitigation measures should form the basis of the site Waste Management Plan to be developed by the Contractor in the construction phase. The Waste Management Plan shall be prepared and implemented in accordance with ETWB TC(W) No. 19/2005 Environmental Management on Construction Site.
During construction phase, regular site inspection as part of the EM&A procedures should be carried out to determine if wastes are being managed in accordance with approved procedures and the Waste Management Plan. Different aspects of waste management including waste generation, storage, recycling, treatment, transport and disposal would be included in the programme.
In view of the desktop review results and the site reconnaissance findings, bulk excavation of soil for land remediation is not expected at this stage. As such, any environmental monitoring in relation to land remediation is not required.
However, during construction phase, EM&A is to be carried out in the form of regular site inspection. All related procedures and facilities for handling or storage of chemicals and chemical wastes should be audited regularly to make sure they are in order and intact and reported in the EM&A reports as such.
The
ecological impact assessment in the EIA study has evaluated the ecological
impacts of the proposed Project and has concluded that the overall impacts
would be of minor significance with the implementation of mitigation measures. The proposed mitigation measures to
avoid, minimize and compensate the identified impacts arising from the proposed
Project should be checked as part of the environmental monitoring and audit programme during the construction phase. Major ecological mitigation measures
recommended to be implemented during the construction and operational phases
are summarised below:
¡
Transplanting
affected floral species of conservation interest Aquilaria sinensis and Euonymus
kwangtungensis;
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Provision
of Woodland Compensation Area as shown in Figure 9.26; and
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Provision
of Wetland Compensation Area as shown in Figure 9.27.
The ecological monitoring and audit should
be conducted as set out in the EM&A Manual. The implementation of the
transplanting of floral species of conservation interest and the provision of
The requirements for the ecological
monitoring of Woodland Compensation are formulated in Appendix
9.4 Woodland Compensation Plan. The requirements for the ecological
monitoring of Wetland Compensation Area will be formulated in a Habitat
Creation and Management Plan during the detailed design stage.
Pond fish culture resources and activities were not
identified within the Study
Area. With the effluent control measures
recommended in section
13.10 Landscape, Visual and Glare Impact
It is recommended that
EM&A for landscape and visual resources is undertaken in accordance with the
Technical Memorandum on EIA Process (EIAO TM), Annex 21 (Contents of an
Environmental Monitoring and Audit [EM&A] Programme). The EM&A should
be undertaken during the design, construction and operation stages of the Project. The
design, implementation and maintenance of landscape and visual mitigation
measures are key aspects of the Project and their implementation and
maintenance should be checked to ensure that they are fully realised such that they
mitigate landscape and visual impacts to their full potential. Possible
conflicts between the proposed landscape and visual mitigation measures and any
operational requirements should be resolved at the earliest possible date and
without compromise to the intention of the mitigation measures. In addition to
specific monitoring (e.g. of plants during establishment period),
implementation of relevant mitigation measures recommended by the EIA should be
monitored through the site audit programme throughout construction and
operation phases.
13.11 Impact on Cultural Heritage
13.11.1
Archaeological Resources
The two known sites of archaeological interest are
situated outside the works boundary of the Project, and therefore no
environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A) for these two sites is required.
In
Section between Ping
Beside
the above mitigation measure, an archaeological survey should be carried out
after land resumption before commencement of the construction works of the
Project to complete the outstanding survey proposed for the EIA Study as listed
in Table 12.28 in Section 12.6.1.8.
The Survey-cum-Rescue
Excavation and the outstanding archaeological survey should be conducted by a professional
archaeologist who should obtain a licence to Excavate and Search for
Antiquities from the Antiquities Authority under the AM Ordinance. An Archaeological Action Plan (AAP) following
the Guideline for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment should be submitted to
Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO). The project proponent should appoint
qualified and experienced archaeologist(s) with sufficient funding, time and
personnel arrangements to implement the AAP. Details of the proposal plan with
specification for further archaeological survey and survey-cum-rescue
excavation should be agreed with AMO. The AAP should include, but not limited
to, the following information:
¡
a detailed
plan for further archaeological survey at inaccessible areas in Section between
Lin Ma Hang and Frontier Closed Area Boundary, Section between Ping
¡
a detailed
plan for survey-cum-rescue excavation at the Section between Ping
¡
a
contingency plan to address possible arrangement if significant archaeological
findings are unearthed during the further archaeological survey and
survey-cum-rescue excavation.
13.11.2
Built Heritage Sites
Prior to removal of impacted graves, built heritage and landscape
feature (i.e. GR01, GR02, GR05,
GR06, GR08, GR10, GR13, GR15, GR16, GR17, GR18, GR19, GR20, BS64, BS65, LF08), photographic and cartographic
records are recommended to be conducted to preserve them by record. Although access of the grave GR03
will temporarily be affected by the proposed works during construction phase, temporary
access division will be provided during the construction phase so that access
to the grave will not be blocked as a result of the construction works. After
completion of construction works, the affected access route is required to be re-provided.
During detail design stage of the Project, in
case any potential vibration impact on any nearby built heritage features are
identified due to the change of the Project design, it is recommended that
prior to commencement of the construction works, a baseline condition survey
and baseline vibration impact assessment should be conducted by a qualified
building surveyor and a qualified structural engineer to define the vibration
limit and to evaluate if construction vibration monitoring and structural
strengthening measures are
required during construction phase to ensure the construction performance meets
with the vibration criteria to be agreed with the AMO.