Introduction
9.1 This section further elaborates the requirements of environmental monitoring and auditing (EM&A) for the construction and operation phases of the Project, based on the assessment results of the various environmental issues. The objectives of carrying out EM&A for the Project include the following:
·
provide a database against which any short or
long term environmental impacts of the Project can be determined;
·
provide an early indication should any of the
environmental control measures or practices fail to achieve the acceptable
standards;
·
monitor the performance of the Project and the
effectiveness of mitigation measures;
·
verify the environmental impacts predicted in
the EIA Study;
·
determine project compliance with regulatory
requirements, standards and government policies;
·
take remedial action if unexpected problems or
unacceptable impacts arise; and
·
provide data to enable an environmental audit.
9.2
The following section summarizes the
recommended EM&A requirements for the Project. Details of the specific requirements are provided in a
stand-alone EM&A Manual. Although
the proposed Project is small in scale with a short-term construction
programme, the implementation of an EM&A programme is considered important
in view of this being a Designated Project under the EIAO (Cap. 499) with
dredging and building works proposed within a Marine Park.
Water Quality Impact
9.2 A marine water quality monitoring and audit programme will be conducted during the dredging works to verify whether or not impact predictions are representative, and to ensure that the dredging works do not result in unacceptable impacts. If monitoring shows unacceptable water quality impact, appropriate mitigation measures, such as changes in the operation of dredging works, will be introduced.
9.3 Details of the EM&A programme will be presented in the EM&A Manual, which will be released as a separate document. Water quality monitoring will be carried out at selected locations to monitor off-site dispersion of the sediment plume generated during dredging works. The Manual includes site-specific monitoring and auditing protocols for baseline and impact monitoring of marine water quality. Such protocols include but are not limited to the locations of monitoring stations, parameters and frequencies for monitoring, monitoring equipment, data management procedures, and reporting of monitoring results.
9.4 As no adverse water quality impact will be generated from the operation of the jetty (Section 3), operational water quality monitoring and audit is not considered necessary. However, post-construction water quality monitoring is recommended to be carried out on completion of marine works.
Ecological Impact
9.5 The proposed terrestrial ecology mitigation measures for the construction phase of the Project are described in Section 4. These measures comprise good construction practices to be undertaken by the Contractor. Measures are also recommended in Section 4 to minimize the impact on dolphins during the construction phase. It is recommended that the site audits should check the strict implementation of these mitigation measures.
9.6 It is anticipated that recommendations specific to monitoring of marine ecology will not be required since potential impacts on marine ecology are primarily the result of changes in water quality. The environmental mitigation of water quality impacts, in particular elevations in suspended solids concentrations, will mitigate these potential indirect impacts on marine ecology.
Cultural Heritage Impact
9.7 As discussed in Section 6, the assessment of potential impact on cultural heritage has concluded that the proposed construction works for the Project will not cause any adverse impact to cultural heritage within the boundary of the works area. As such, monitoring and auditing will not be required during the construction phase of the Project. The MAI concluded that there are no archaeological resources present within the study area. Since there is no need for further marine archaeological investigation nor mitigation measures, as described in Section 6, monitoring and audit will not be required.
Waste Management Impact
9.8 Waste management will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all wastes produced during the construction of the Project are handled, stored and disposed of in accordance with the recommended good waste management practices and EPD’s regulations and requirements. The mitigation measures recommended in Section 7 should form the basis of the site Waste Management Plan to be developed by the Contractor at the construction stage. In particular, stockpiling of materials should not be permitted at Lung Kwu Chau and all wastes, unused construction materials and construction equipment should be removed from the Island after the works are completed.
9.9 It is recommended that the waste arisings generated during the construction activities should be audited periodically 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, transport and disposal. An appropriate audit programme would be to undertake a first audit near the commencement of the construction works, and then to audit on a monthly basis thereafter. In addition, the regular site inspections should check the strict implementation of the recommended good site practices and other waste management mitigation measures.
Landscape and Visual Impact
9.10 The proposed landscape and visual mitigation measures for the operation phase of the Project are described in Section 8. These measures are design measures to be incorporated in the detailed design of the jetty. Independent checking of the design should be undertaken to ensure that the mitigation measures are satisfactorily incorporated into the design.