10. Summary of Environmental Outcomes

10.1. Summary of Environmental Outcomes

10.1.1. This section summarises the overall environmental outcomes due to construction and operation of the proposed WHS Crematorium in accordance with Section 3.6 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study Brief No.: ESB-362/2023. As stated in Section 1 and Section 2, environmental considerations have been the key considerations throughout the development of the Project. Alternative options for designs and construction methodologies have been duly considered. Besides, all the options considered have ensured that environmental impacts could be avoided or minimised where practicable and mitigated by implementation of suitable mitigation measures to fulfil all the statutory requirements. The technical assessments conducted (Section 3 to Section 7) have demonstrated that the requirements in the EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023) and Technical Memorandum of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO-TM) have been met.

10.1.2. This EIA report predicted that, with the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, construction and operation of the proposed WHS Crematorium would be environmentally acceptable with no adverse residual impacts on the population and environmentally sensitive resources. Table 10.1 summarises the key environmental outcomes arising from the EIA study. The summary of environmental impacts and the summary of key assessment assumptions, limitation of assessment methodologies etc. are presented in Table 10.2 and Table 10.3, respectively.

Table 10.1 Summary of Key Environmental Outcomes

Issue	Environmental Outcome
Population and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Protected	- Population and environmental sensitive areas in the vicinity of the Project site have been protected through the avoidance and/or minimisation of environmental impacts from the construction and operation of the Project. - Duly selected to locate away from the densely urbanised areas. It is situated within the existing WHS Cemetery, with the nearest residential noise sensitive receiver (i.e. the village houses in Nam Wa Po) about 370m away from the Project Boundary, outside the 300m noise impact assessment area. - Population protected from air quality impacts include air sensitive receivers within 500m from the Project Boundary including approximately 80 residential dwellings at Nam Wa Po, Blossom Villa and approximately 20 residential dwellings at Wo Hop Shek Village. - Based on cumulative air quality impacts of the proposed crematorium, vehicular emissions and existing WHS crematorium, no exceedance of the Air Quality Objectives (AQO) pollutants and other relevant pollutants are predicted and no adverse operation phase impacts are expected to occur. As such, the total affected population has been minimised as much as practicable. - The proposed use is compatible with the surrounding cemetery landscape. In addition, the Project is situated within the bottom of a trough area where the natural terrain could provide shielding and the visual impact would be minimised. - Slope works have to be carried out at the eastern corner of the Project Boundary for slope safety reason which the slope works would encroach onto the Water Gathering Ground (WGG). With the recommended mitigation measures implemented properly, no adverse environmental impact is anticipated on the WGG. - No recognized sites of conservation importance are identified within the 500m Assessment Area. Lam Tsuen Country Park and the Ecologically Important Stream at Kau Lung Hang are the closest recognized sites of conservation importance, with the former located at more than 1.4 km to the southwest of the Project Boundary and the latter flowing through the lowland area at Nam Wa Po outside the Assessment Area.
Environmentally Friendly Options Considered and Incorporated in the Preferred Option	- The Project is located within a trough area. The surrounding slopes partially screens the building structure of the proposed crematorium including the chimneys from the sensitive uses and hence minimise its visual impact. - Minimise the extent of slope cutting and site formation works and generate less amount of inert and non-inert C&D materials. - Less fugitive dust generated during construction works. - There are existing access roads leading to the Project site where construction of new roads are not required and hence less associated environmental pollutions.
Environmental Designs Recommended	- Locate the cremator room on 1/F and service halls scattered around to make use of site topology and avoid extensive excavation work would generate less amount of inert and non-inert C&D materials, and hence substantially reduce the amount of deep excavation. - Optimise heights of chimneys at a level similar to the ridge to be better screened by natural terrain. - Choose nine standard 170kg cremators and one large 250kg cremator over all ten large cremators to balance the need to handle heavier bodies while promote energy efficiency and reduce air pollutant emission. - Choose Towngas as the fuel for the cremators to emit negligible SO₂ and less CO₂and CO and to avoid construction of underground fuel tanks.
Key Environmental Problems Avoided	- Avoid locating the Project near sensitive receivers. The air and noise sensitive receivers are about 370m from the Project Boundary. - Avoid direct impact on landscape with distinctive character/resources and would not induce pronounced visual change from key public viewing points or on existing visually sensitive areas and major visual resources enjoyed by the public being affected. - Avoid direct loss of habitats of higher ecological value, such as perennial natural water courses and mixed woodland of moderate ecological value.
Compensation Areas Included	- Terrestrial and aquatic habitat are mainly of low ecological value. Hence, compensation is considered not necessary.
Environmental Benefits of Environmental Protection Measures Recommended	- The recommended environmental protection and mitigation measures for the Project are summarised in Appendix 9.1 of this EIA Report. The measures focus on minimizing air quality, noise, water quality, waste and ecological impacts during design, construction, and operation phases. - For air quality, the measures propose to use appropriate pollution control systems, maintain specific temperatures during cremation, use Towngas as fuel for cremation for reduced emissions, and treat flue gas generated from joss paper burning. These measures ensure the air quality of the proposed WHS Crematorium is acceptable during construction and operation phases. - Noise control measures involve using quieter construction methods, movable noise barriers, noise enclosures, and implementation of good site practices to limit noise emissions at source. These measures aim to minimize noise pollution, thereby reducing disturbance to NSRs in the area. - Water quality mitigation measures include controlling site runoff, connecting to new and existing public sewers for treatment at existing sewage treatment works(STW), and handling sewage effluent from the workforce, etc. These measures aim to ensure compliance with relevant environmental protection standards and regulations, minimize potential impact to the identified WSRs, thereby protecting water quality and aquatic ecosystems. - Design of site drainage and disposal of various site effluents generated during operation of the WHS Crematorium facilities should follow the relevant guidelines and practices as given ProPECC PN 1/23. - Sewage to be generated by working staff and the public during the operation phase will be diverted to a new public sewer connected to the existing sewers at Kiu Tau Road and Ming Yin Road, which will eventually be conveyed to the Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works. - Surface runoff generated during the operation of the Project will be discharged to the nearby existing government drainage system, which could cope with a design return period of 1 in 50 years. Peripheral drain will be provided to collect all surface runoff across the site. - Waste management measures involve exploring alternatives to reduce, reuse and recycle waste generated during the construction and operation of the proposed WHS Crematorium and implementing good site practices such as obtaining necessary permits, preparing waste management plans, employing licensed waste collectors, adopting trip ticket systems, staff training, separating and recycling waste, and maintaining proper records. The measures aim to reduce the amount of waste generated and ensure proper disposal of waste, thereby reducing landfill usage, conserving resources, and minimizing pollution. - Ecological mitigation measures include avoidance of direct loss of floral/ faunal species of conservation importance, avoidance/ minimization of the potential indirect disturbance to natural watercourses and associated wildlife, and minimization measures for potential light glare and sky glow. Furthermore, good site practices from an ecological perspective have also been recommended to avoid and minimize the potential disturbance to the wildlife and habitat nearby. The benefits of these measures include but are not limited to preserving biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem health, and protecting species of conservation importance.

Table 10.2 Summary of Environmental Impacts

Sensitive Receiver/ Assessment Point	Impact Prediction Result (without Mitigation)	Key Relevant Standard/ Criterion	Extent of Exceedance (without Mitigation)	Impact Avoidance Measure/ Mitigation Measure	Residual Impact (after Implementation of Mitigation Measure)
Air Quality Impact
Construction Phase
ASRs located within 500m from the Project Boundary include the following: § Cheung Kee Stoneworks § Kin Fuk Stone Factory § Village house no. 168 at Nam Wa Po § Village house no. 50A at Nam Wa Po § Temporary structures	§ Limited dust impact § No exceedances of other relevant criteria are anticipated	§ Annexes 4 and 12 of the EIAO-TM § Hong Kong AQO § APCO Cap. 311	§ N/A	§ Implementation of dust control measures stipulated in Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation § Implementation of controls stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Fuel Restriction) Regulations § Adhere to the guidelines recommended in DEVB’s TC No. 1/2015 Emissions Control of NRMM in Capital Works Contracts of Public Works and the Air Pollution Control (Non-road Mobile Machinery (NRMM)) (Emission) Regulation § Adhere to the guidelines recommended in DEVB’s TC No. 13/2020 Timely Application of Temporary Electricity and Water Supply for Public Works Contract and Wider Use of Electric Vehicles in Public Works Contracts § Adhere to the guidelines recommended in EPD’s Recommended Pollution Control Clauses for Construction Contracts	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Operation Phase
ASRs located within 500m from the Project Boundary include the following: § Cheung Kee Stoneworks § Kin Fuk Stone Factory § Village house no. 168 at Nam Wa Po § Village house no. 50A at Nam Wa Po § Temporary structures	§ No exceedances of AQO at the ASRs would be caused by the Project	§ Annexes 4 and 12 of the EIAO-TM § Hong Kong AQO § APCO Cap. 311 § OEHHA Acute Reference Exposure Level § OEHHA Chronic Reference Exposure Level § WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Europe § OEHHA Cancer Potency Information § USEPA Reference Concentration for Inhalation Exposure § Ammonia Fact Sheet, AERISA	§ N/A	§ Design, operation, and maintenance of cremators shall adhere to the guidelines stipulated in BPM 12/2 (2020) § Design, operation, and maintenance of joss paper burners shall follow Guidelines on Air Pollution Control for Joss Paper Burning at Chinese Temples, Crematoria and Similar Place	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Noise Impact
Construction Phase
§ No noise sensitive receiver (NSR) is identified in the 300m assessment area § Nearest village houses in Nam Wa Po which are located outside the assessment area	§ Construction noise impact due to the Project would be minimal	§ Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM § Leq _(30mins) 75 dB(A) at 1m from the external façade of domestic dwellings	§ N/A	§ Standard noise control measures such as adoption of quieter construction method, use of QPME, use of movable noise barriers and noise enclosure to screen noise from PMEs § Implementation of good site practices to limit noise emissions at source would be implemented through standard contract document clauses, which include the “Recommended Pollution Control Clauses for Construction Contracts”, to ensure the construction noise impact would be minimised during the construction phase	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Operation Phase
§ No noise sensitive receiver (NSR) is identified in the 300m assessment area § Nearest village houses in Nam Wa Po which are located outside the assessment area	§ Fixed plant noise - No exceedances of fixed plant noise criteria § Road traffic noise - The small percentage increase (less than 6.9%) in flows on the Kiu Tau Road and Ming Yin Road during both normal day and festive day, would not be expected to significantly increase the noise levels (i.e. less than 1.0dB(A)) at surrounding sensitive receivers	§ Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM § IND-TM under NCO § 5 dB(A) below the appropriate ANL shown in Table 3 of the IND-TM, or the prevailing background noise levels (whichever is lower) § Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM	§ N/A	§ M&E equipment of the Project will meet the maximum permissible SWL (i.e., 108 dB(A) and 100 dB(A) during daytime/evening (0700-2300 hrs) and nighttime (2300-0700 hrs) respectively) to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and guidelines at NSR. § No mitigation measure is required.	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Water Quality Impact
Construction Phase
WSRs within 500m assessment area include the following: § A very small portion of Water Gathering Ground § Sand trap with retained water within Project Boundary § Watercourse within Project Boundary § Watercourses to the north of the Project Boundary § Watercourses to the east and south of the Project Boundary	§ General construction works for the Project would be land-based only. § Potential water pollution arising from: - General construction works; - Sewage from workforce; - Accidental spillage of chemicals.	§ Annexes 6 and 14 of the EIAO-TM § Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 358) § TM-DSS § HKPSG Ch 9 § ProPECC PN 2/23 § “Conditions of Working within Water Gathering Ground” by WSD § Code of Practice on the Packaging Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes, and Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354C)	§ N/A	§ Mitigation measures and good site practices in ProPECC PN 2/23 Construction Site Drainage § Measures in WSD’s Conditions of Working within Water Gathering Ground § Discharge of effluent should comply with the standards as stipulated in the TM-DSS § Sufficient portable toilets shall be provided and maintained by licensed contractor who shall be responsible for proper sewage collection and disposal § Notices at conspicuous locations to remind the construction team not to discharge any sewage or wastewater into the surrounding environment during the construction phase § Mitigation measures to reduce the potential water quality impact due to accidental spillage of chemicals	§ No residual impact anticipated
Operation Phase
WSR within 500m assessment area include the following: § A very small portion of Water Gathering Ground § Sand trap with retained water within Project Boundary § Watercourse within Project Boundary § Watercourses to the north of the Project Boundary § Watercourses to the east and south of the Project Boundary	§ Potential water pollution arising from: - Wastewater generated by the operation of the crematorium facilities - Sewage from visitors and staff - Surface runoff generated from the proposed WHS Crematorium site	§ Annexes 6 and 14 of the EIAO-TM § Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 358) § TM-DSS § HKPSG Ch 9. § ProPECC PN 1/23	§ N/A	§ Guidelines in ProPECC PN 1/23 Drainage Plans subject to Comment by the EPD § Surface runoff will be discharged to the nearby existing government drainage system. Peripheral drain will be provided to collect all surface run § Sewage to be generated by visitors and staff will be diverted to new public sewer connected to the existing sewers in the vicinity § Wastewater generated by the operation of the crematorium facilities (i.e. joss paper burner) should comply with WPCO and will be discharged to the manhole provided by the Project and conveyed to the sewage treatment works for further treatment	§ No residual impact anticipated
Waste Management Implication
Construction Phase
§ The waste transportation routes and the waste disposal sites / facilities assessed.	§ 254,410,000 kg of inert C&D materials and 7,950 m³ of non-inert C&D materials would be generated during the construction phase § 19,340,000kg of inert materials would be re-used on site while the remaining 235,070,000 kg would be transported to PFRF for the reuse in other projects § 150 m³ of non-inert C&D materials would be re-used before disposed to landfill while 7,800 m³would be disposed of at designated landfill § Less than 50L of chemical waste will be generated per month § 200 kg per day of general refuse would be generated from the on-site workers	§ EIAO-TM Annexes 7 and 15 § Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354) § Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap. 354C) § Waste Disposal (Charges for Disposal of Construction Waste) Regulation (Cap. 354N) § Public Health and Municipal Service Ordinance (Cap. 132BK) – Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisance Regulation § Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28) § Development Bureau Technical Circular (Works) (TC(W)) No. 6/2010 Trip ticket System for Disposal of Construction & Demolition Materials § Code of Practice on the Packaging Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes and Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354C)	§ N/A	§ Follow waste management hierarchy principles of waste avoidance, minimization, recycling/reuse, treatment and disposal § Implementation of good site practices and waste reduction measures § Implement trip-ticket system for surplus C&D materials disposal § Explore alternatives to eliminate the use of chemicals, reduce the generation quantities or to select a chemical type of less impact on environment, health and safety during planning stage § Collect chemical waste by licensed chemical waste collectors for proper disposal at licensed chemical treatment facilities § General refuse is collected by waste collector to minimize odour, pest and litter impacts § Three-color recycling bins should be provided for recycling of recyclable waste and collected by waste collector § A trip-ticket system will be implemented for surplus C&D materials disposal in accordance with ETWB TC(W) No.31/2004 and the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme. The surplus inert C&D materials should be delivered to a public fill reception facility. Copies or counterfoils of trip tickets will be kept for record purpose § Transportation of construction waste will be monitored by means of dump trucks equipped with real-time tracking and monitoring devices	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Operation Phase
§ N/A	§ 149.6 kg bone ash and 122.4 kg non-combustible residues are generated daily by the cremators § 30 kg/day fly ash would be generated from the APC equipment § A small amount of chemical waste in the form of cleaning fluids, solvents, lubrication oil and fuel would be generated during regular plant maintenance and servicing of transformer, switch room, hydraulic lifts, etc. § Small amount of general refuse would be generated by visitors and staffs	§ EIAO-TM Annexes 7 and 15 § Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354) § Code of Practice on the Packaging Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes and Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation (Cap 354C) § Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation and the Land (Miscellaneous Provision) Ordinance (Cap. 28)	§ N/A	§ Implementation of good site practices and waste reduction measures § Properly collect and handle bottom ash to avoid dust emissions § Optimize the effectiveness of combustion during cremation process § Chemical waste should be collected by drum-type containers and removed by licensed chemical waste contractor § Plant / equipment maintenance schedules should be planned in order to minimize the generation of chemical waste § Solid and liquid chemical wastes that cannot be recycled should be disposed of at an appropriate facility. Copies/ counterfoils from collection receipts issued by the licensed chemical waste collector shall be kept for a record purpose	§ No residual impact is anticipated
Ecological Impact
Construction Phase
§ Ecological sensitive receivers include habitats, flora and fauna species within 500m Assessment Area § Survey transects and sampling points presented in Figure 7.1	Potential ecological impacts with the predicted impact significance of Low to Moderate or above, in the absence of mitigation measures, include: § Direct loss of terrestrial species of conservation importance § Direct loss of aquatic/ wetland species of conservation importance § Glare and sky glow § Artificial lighting § Change of water quality Construction site runoff	§ Annex 8 and Annex 16 of the EIAO-TM	§ N/A	§ Avoidance of direct loss of floral/ faunal species of conservation importance, and translocation and transplantation measures before site clearance if necessary § Avoidance/ minimization of potential indirect disturbance to natural watercourses and associated wildlife § Minimization of potential light glare and sky glow § Good site practices from an ecological perspective to avoid and minimize the potential disturbance to the wildlife and habitats nearby	§ No residual impact
Operation Phase
§ Ecological sensitive receivers include habitats, flora and fauna species within 500m Assessment Area § Survey transects and sampling points presented in Figure 7.1	Potential ecological impacts with the predicted impact significance of Low to Moderate or above, in the absence of mitigation measures, include: § Deterioration in quality of terrestrial habitats and disturbance to Wildlife due to light glare and sky glow § Deterioration in quality of aquatic habitats and potential disturbance to wildlife resulted from change of water quality	Annex 8 and Annex 16 of the EIAO-TM	N/A	§ Discharge surface runoff to the nearby government drainage system § Provide peripheral drains to collect surface runoff § Minimisation of the amount of artificial lighting, esp. upward-facing lighting to avoid impacts on nearby woodland habitats	No residual impact

Table 10.3 Key Assessment Assumptions and Limitation of Assessment Methodologies

Assessment Methodology	Key Assessment Assumption	Limitation of Assessment Methodologies/ Assumptions	Prior Agreement with Authority	Proposed Alternative Assessment Tools/ Assumptions
Air Quality Impact
Construction Phase
§ Annexes 4 and 12 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023)	§ N/A	§ N/A	§ N/A	§ N/A
Operation Phase
§ Annexes 4 and 12 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023) § Guidelines on Assessing the 'TOTAL' Air Quality Impacts § Guidelines on Choice of Models and Model Parameters § Guidelines on the Estimation of 10-minute Average SO₂ Concentration for Air Quality Assessment in Hong Kong § Technical Notes on Air Quality Modelling	§ Receptors on other FEHD premises in the 500m assessment area are considered as on-site population and have been excluded from the assessment. § Joss paper burners of the Project and existing WHS crematorium will have insignificant impact to air quality as their design, operation and maintenance adheres to the guidelines stipulated in Guidelines on Air Pollution Control for Joss Paper Burning at Chinese Temples, Crematoria and Similar Place. As such, emissions from joss paper burners have not been modelled. § AERMOD was utilized for the modelling of all emissions in cumulative assessment. § PATH background concentration at year 2030 was adopted. § In the emergency operation scenario, only the Project will operate for 24-hours continuously whereas the existing WHS crematorium will still operate under the normal hours of 08:30 to 23:00. § Only the short-term air quality impact (e.g. hourly and daily average values) has been assessed for the emergency operation scenario. Based on past experience at other crematoriums, the circumstances leading to emergency operation are rare and therefore will have minimal impact to long term pollutant concentrations (e.g. annual average values). § Emissions of the proposed WHS Crematorium follows the requirements stipulated in BPM 12/2 (2020).	§ The feasibility of adopting lower emission limits for the cremators would be explored at a later stage of the Project when more design details are available (e.g. during application for an SP licence).	§ Target emission levels for the cremators	§ N/A
Noise Impact
Construction Phase
§ Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023) § GW-TM under NCO	§ Assumptions made in the assessment are based on the latest design which may be subject to detailed design.	§ The programme and plant inventory for proposed construction works adopted in the assessment might vary in future.	§ Assessment methodology	§ N/A
Operation Phase
§ Annexes 5 and 13 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023) § IND-TM under NCO	§ Assumptions made in the assessment are based on the latest design which may be subject to detailed design.	§ The noise performance of the proposed fixed plants would be reviewed during detailed design stage with due regard to the characteristics of tonality, impulsiveness and intermittency. If the noise exhibits characteristics of tonality, intermittency or impulsiveness during the detailed design or the commissioning of the plant, the SWL should be reduced in accordance with the recommendation given in Section 3.3 of IND-TM to ensure noise compliance at the NSRs. § As the maximum allowable SWLs are adopted, which the SWL of each equipment may be lower in actual case, overestimation is considered.	§ Assessment methodology	§ N/A
Water Quality Impact
§ Annexes 6 and 14 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023)	§ Types and quantities of waste water to be generated from the Project are based on the Project design, engineering assessments, and construction details available at the time of this EIA Study.	§ N/A	§ N/A	§ N/A
Waste Management Implication
§ Annexes 7 and 15 of the EIAO-TM § EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023)	§ The amount and types of wastes to be generated were estimated based on best available information, relevant studies or engineering judgement.	§ N/A	§ N/A	§ N/A
Ecological Impact
§ EIA Study Brief (ESB-362/2023) § Annex 8 and Annex 16 of the EIAO-TM § EIAO Guidance Notes No. 6/2010, No. 7/2023 and No. 10/2023	§ N/A	§ The evaluation and assessment of ecological impact were undertaken based on the results of literature review and ecological field survey.	§ N/A	§ N/A