12.       ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS

           

An Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual detailing the monitoring schedules and requirements is included in a separate document. This will be the basis for carrying out relevant monitoring and auditing procedures during the construction period.

 

Hong Kong environmental regulations together with the HKPSG have served as environmental standards and guidelines in the preparation of the EM&A Manual. In addition, the EM&A Manual will be prepared in accordance with the requirements stipulated in Annex 21 of the Technical Memorandum on the EIA Process.

 

The EM&A Manual will include, but not be limited to, the following:

 

a)        responsibilities of the Contractor, the Engineer or Engineer's Representative (ER), the Environmental Team (ET) Leader and the Independent Checker (Environmental) (IC(E)) with respect to the environmental monitoring and audit requirements during the course of the project;

 

b)        information on project organisation and management structure and programming of construction activities for the project;

 

c)        the hypotheses of potential impacts, the basis for and description of the broad approach underlying the environmental monitoring and audit programme;

 

d)        requirements with respect to the construction schedule and the necessary environmental monitoring and audit programme to track the varying environmental impacts;

 

e)        full details of the methodologies to be adopted, including all field, laboratory and analytical procedures, and details on quality assurance and quality control programme;

 

f)         the rationale on which the environmental monitoring data will be evaluated and interpreted and the details  of the statistical procedures that will be used to interpret the data;

 

g)        definition of Action and Limit levels (AL Levels) for each of recommended monitoring parameters;

 

h)        establishment of Event and Action Plans for impact and compliance monitoring;

 

i)          requirements for reviewing pollution sources and working procedures required in the event of non-compliance of the environmental criteria and complaints;

 

j)          requirements for presentation of environmental monitoring and audit data and appropriate reporting procedures and frequency; and

 

k)        requirements for review of EIA predictions and effectiveness of the environmental monitoring and audit programme.

 

12.1     Air Quality

 

Full compliance with the AQOs during construction will likely achieved at all air sensitive receivers with the implementation of mitigation measures such as regular watering twice a day the requirements of mitigation measures. Therefore, routine dust monitoring during construction is not required but regular site audits are recommended to be conducted to ensure the implementation of good site practice and appropriate mitigation measures.

 

12.2     Noise

 

Laying underground cables is a typical installation and CLP has established good trade practices for this work such that they minimise the construction noise and dust impacts. With the implementation of noise mitigation measures and scheduling the construction activities in front of the school, full compliance with the environmental criteria is expected to be achieved. Therefore, routine environmental monitoring for construction noise is not required during the construction phase. Regular site audits are however recommended to be conducted to ensure the effectiveness of these good site practices and appropriate mitigation measures.

 

12.3     Water Quality

 

            Marine Water

 

To confirm compliance with the WQO’s it is proposed that an environmental monitoring and audit programme is established. This will focus on confirmatory monitoring for the direct burying option, and compliance monitoring in the event dredging is proposed.

 

Water quality monitoring should include locations at Cheung Sha Wan Fish Culture Zone, Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter, Tai Kwai Wan, Tai Long Wan, South of Hei Ling Chau Typhoon Shelter and Pui O Beach and Adamasta Channel.  The locations and number of the monitoring points shall be agreed with EPD before undertaking any works. Details of the water quality monitoring and their monitoring locations are presented in the section 4 of Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual.

 

Ground Water

 

In order to ensure no ground water loss during the cable tunnelling work, monitoring of ground water table as specified in section 4 of the EM&A Manual and the monitoring requirements as defined below will be specified in the Contract Document. The monitoring requirements during construction period include:-

 

·            The contractor is required to submit a layout plan showing the proposed locations groundwater monitoring points to the satisfaction of EPD;

 

·            The contractor is required to submit method statements for the proposed mitigation measures to prevent further ground water inflow into the proposed cable tunnel to the satisfaction of EPD, the mitigation measures are:-

 

(i)      pre-injection system using approved cement grout and any equivalent approved methods and/or proprietary products which could achieve the same performance and purpose; and

(ii)    lining and waterproof membrane for the cable tunnel.

 

Ground Water

 

In order to ensure no ground water loss during the cable tunnelling work, monitoring of ground water table as specified in section 4 of the EM&A Manual and the monitoring requirements as defined below will be specified in the Contract Document. The monitoring requirements during construction period include:-

 

·The contractor is required to submit a layout plan showing the proposed locations groundwater monitoring points to the satisfaction of EPD;

 

·The contractor is required to submit method statements for the proposed mitigation measures to prevent further ground water inflow into the proposed cable tunnel to the satisfaction of EPD, the mitigation measures are:-

 

(i)pre-injection system using approved cement grout and any equivalent approved methods and/or proprietary products which could achieve the same performance and purpose; and

(i)lining and waterproof membrane for the cable tunnel.

With the implementation of the water quality mitigation measures, no exceedance of WQO of suspended solids is anticipated at the monitoring locations. However, a robust environmental monitoring and audit will be implemented to ensure that the general mitigation measures are effective and the actual water quality impacts during the installation of submarine cables and the reclamation works at Pui O Beach are acceptable.

 

Details of the water quality monitoring will be presented in the Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual.

12.4     Fisheries

 

There are no monitoring and audit requirements for fisheries.

 

12.5     Ecology

 

Terrestrial Ecology

 

The implementation of the terrestrial ecological mitigation measures stated in Section 6.3.5 should be checked regularly (e.g. on a monthly basis) as part of the environmental monitoring and audit procedures during the construction period as presented in the separate Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual.

 

Marine Ecology

 

Mitigation measures to controlConstraints on controlling impacts to water quality to within acceptable levels during construction are expected to also control impacts on marine ecology.  No unacceptable impacts are expected to occur during the operation phase of the Project.  Hence, monitoring and auditing of marine ecological resources during the construction and operation of the Project is deemed not necessary.

 

12.6     Cultural Heritage

 

If the avoidance of reaching the `no dig’ zone below existing ground level at both Site A and Site B is not possible, archaeological monitoring should be undertaken in this section during construction to preserve the archaeological deposit, if any, by record and take environmental samples for future study if necessary.  The construction contractor should cooperate with a qualified archaeologist appointed to undertake the monitoring to allow sufficient time for recording archaeological deposit and take environmental samples if necessary. The recommended mitigation measure of avoiding the cultural layer in sites A and B is expected to prevent damage to the existing archaeological deposits.  However, as a precautionary measure arising from the possibility that the level of the cultural layer may vary from point-to-point it is recommended that archaeological monitoring is undertaken in the sections within the Pui O Archaeological Site during construction to preserve the archaeological deposit, if any, by record and take environmental samples for future study if necessary.  The construction contractor should cooperate with a qualified archaeologist appointed to undertake the monitoring to allow sufficient time for recording archaeological deposit and take environmental samples if necessary.

 

 

12.7     Landscape and Visual

 

There is no monitoring requirement for the landscape and visual parameters.

 

12.8     Waste Management

 

It has been recommended that auditing of each waste stream should be carried out periodically by the contractor to determine if wastes are being managed in accordance with approved procedures and the site waste management plan.  The audits should look at all aspects of waste management including waste generation, storage, recycling, treatment, transport, and disposal.  An appropriate audit programme would be to undertake a first audit at the commencement of the construction works, and then to audit quarterly thereafter.

 

12.9          Health

 

The measurement of similar design circuits and calculations of EMF for the proposed overhead lines and underground cables, cable in tunnel and submarine cables demonstrated that the predicted values would be well under the stipulated guideline limits issued by ICNIRP. In order to verify compliance with the ICNIRP guideline levels, filed measurements will be carried out within six months after commissioning of this circuit.

 

12.10      Marine Archaeology

 

There are no monitoring and audit requirements for the marine archaeological parameters.