3.1.1
The Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) requires all
designated projects to be subject to the EIA process and applies to most of the
major infrastructure projects. This
Project involves demolition of the Existing Crematorium (which processed
pathological waste from 1994 to 2001) as well as construction and operation of
the New Crematorium. Under the
definition of EIAO, the Project is considered to be designated projects under Schedule 2, Part II (Item 3) (for demolition of the Existing Crematorium) and Part I (N.4) (for construction and
operation of the New Crematorium).
This EIA report covers both designated projects in a single document. Since this Project is a Government
project, reference to ETWB 13/2003
Guidelines and Procedures for Environmental Impact Assessment of Government
Projects and Proposals should be made.
3.1.2
A Technical
Memorandum on EIA Process issued under Section 16 of the EIAO (EIAO-TM)
sets out the principles, procedures, guidelines requirements and criteria for
preparing and reviewing an EIA report.
3.2.1
The criteria for evaluating air
quality impacts and the guidelines for air quality assessment are laid out in Annexes 4 and 12 of the Technical
Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM),
respectively, whereas the Guidance Note on the Best Practicable Means for
Incinerators (Crematoria) (BPM 12/2) governs the stack emission of the New
Crematorium.
3.2.2
The Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) provides the statutory
authority for controlling air pollutants from a variety of sources. The Hong Kong Air Quality Objectives
(AQOs) should be satisfied at the Hong Kong SAR. The AQOs stipulate the maximum allowable concentrations for
typical pollutants, of which total suspended particulates (TSP), respirable
suspended particulates (RSP), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide are relevant to this EIA
Study. The relevant AQOs are listed
in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1 Hong Kong Air Quality Objectives
Pollutant
|
Maximum Average Concentration (mg m-3) (1)
|
1-Hour (2)
|
8-Hour (3)
|
24-Hour (3)
|
Annual (4)
|
TSP
|
-
|
-
|
260
|
80
|
RSP (5)
|
-
|
-
|
180
|
55
|
SO2
|
800
|
-
|
350
|
80
|
NO2
|
300
|
-
|
150
|
80
|
CO
|
30,000
|
10,000
|
----
|
----
|
Notes: (1)
Measured at 298 K
and 101.325 kPa
(2) Not to be
exceeded more than three times per year.
(3) Not to be
exceeded more that once per year
(4) Arithmetic mean.
(5) Suspended
particulates in air with a nominal aerodynamic diameter of 10 mm or smaller.
3.2.3
The State of Connecticut, USA
stipulated the Primary Ambient Air
Quality Standard for chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans (expressed as
2,3,7,8 – TCDD) at 1 pgI-TEQ/m3 (annual average). This is adopted for this Study for assessing dioxin
impact.
3.2.4
To follow the acceptable criteria as
stipulated at Annex 4 of the EIAO-TM, chronic and acute criteria from
international organizations, including the World
Health Organization (WHO), United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) and California Air Resources
Board (CARB), are employed for this Study. The air quality criteria for non-AQO pollutants employed for
this Study are shown in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2 Air Quality Criteria for non-AQO Pollutants
Parameter
|
Unit
|
Criteria
|
1 Hour
|
Annual
|
Dioxins
|
pgI-TEQ/m3
|
Not
applicable
|
1 (1)
|
Hydrogen chloride (HCl)
|
mg/m3
|
2,100
(2)
|
20(3)
|
Mercury (Hg)
|
mg/m3
|
1.8
(2)
|
1 (4)
|
Notes (1) Primary Ambient
Air Quality Standard for Dioxin, Department of Environmental Protection, State
of Connecticut, USA, http://dep.state.ct.us/air2/regs/mainregs.htm
(2)
Reference Exposure Limits, Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment, California, USA
(3)
Integrated Risk Information System, USEPA
(4)
WHO Air Quality Guideline
3.2.5
The EIAO-TM also stipulates that the hourly
TSP level should not exceed 500 mgm-3
(measured at 25oC and one atmosphere) for construction dust impact
assessment. Mitigation measures
from construction sites have been specified in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation.
3.2.6
In accordance with the EIAO-TM, odour level
at a sensitive receiver should not exceed 5 odour units based on an averaging
time of 5 seconds.
3.2.7
Under the Air Pollution Control (Specified Process) Regulation, incinerator
(including cremator) with installed capacity exceeds 0.5 tonne per hour, is
classified as a specified process, and a Specified Process licence is required
for its operation.
3.2.8
The Air Pollution Control Ordinance provides legislative control on the
removal of asbestos-containing materials.
Under the APCO, the owner of premises which contain or may reasonable be
suspected of containing asbestos containing material shall engage a registered
asbestos consultant to curry out an asbestos investigation report and, if
asbestos containing material is found, an asbestos abatement plan shall be
submitted to Environmental Protection Department (EPD) at least 28 days before
the commencement of the asbestos abatement work. The EPD endorses the asbestos investigation report (AIR) and
asbestos abatement plan (AAP) prepared in accordance with the relevant codes of
practice by registered asbestos consultant. The AAP specifies the proper asbestos abatement procedure
that has incorporated mitigation measures to check the asbestos fiber release
and hence to minimize the potential impact. Moreover, the APCO requires registered professionals to
supervise, audit and air-monitor the asbestos abatement work.
3.2.9
Risk guidelines for the assessment of
health risk from exposures to air toxics are given by California Air Resources Board, California Environmental Protection
Agency (CARB). Guidelines
value on acceptability of increased cancer risk from a lifetime exposure to air
toxics have been provided and are shown in Table 3.3.
Table 3.3
Health Risk Guidelines for Exposure to Air Toxics (1)
Acceptability of Cancer Risk
|
Estimated Individual Lifetime Cancer Risk Level (2)
|
Significant
|
> 10-4
|
Risk
should be reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP)
|
> 10-6 – 10-4
|
Insignificant
|
10-6
|
Notes: (1) California Air Resources Board, California
Environmental Protection Agency (CARB)
(2) Assumed as 70 years recommended by World
Health Organization (WHO)
3.3.1
The principal legislation for the
control of construction and operational noise is the Noise Control Ordinance
(NCO) (Cap 400). Guidelines for assessment of construction and operational
noise are given in the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO).
Various Technical Memoranda (TMs), which stipulate the control approaches and
criteria, were issued under the NCO and EIAO. The following TMs are applicable
to the control of noise from construction activities and operation of fixed
noise sources:
l
Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process
(EIA-TM)
l
Technical Memorandum on Noise from Percussive Piling (PP-TM)
l
Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work other than
Percussive Piling (GW-TM)
l
Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work in Designated
Areas (DA-TM)
l
Technical Memorandum for the Assessment of Noise from Places other than
Domestic Premises, Public Places or Construction Sites (IND-TM)
3.3.2
Noise arising from general
construction works at daytime is governed by the EIA-TM. The noise standards
are dependent on the uses of the NSRs. The daytime construction noise, during
0700 to 1900 hrs on any day not being a Sunday or general holiday, should be
limited to 75 dB(A) at the sensitive residential buildings with openable
windows and, 70 dB(A) and 65 dB(A) (during examinations) at the school and
educational buildings in the neighborhood, as given in Table 3.4.
Table 3.4 EIA-TM Noise Standard for Daytime
Construction Activities
Uses
|
Daytime Construction Noise Standards, Leq(30 mins), dB(A)
|
Domestic Premises
|
75
|
Educational Institutions (normal periods)
|
70
|
Educational Institutions (during examination periods)
|
65
|
3.3.3
The EIA-TM specifies that noise from
fixed sources under planning should be 5dB(A) below the ANL listed in Table 2
of the IND-TM or the prevailing background noise level. Therefore, the ANLs of
a fixed source shall be 5dB(A) less than the values given in IND-TM and are
shown in Table 3.5.
Table 3.5
Acceptable Noise Levels for Fixed Noise Sources
Area Sensitivity Ratings
Time Period
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
Day and
Evening (0700-2300 hrs)
Night
(2300-0700 hrs)
|
55 (60)
45 (50)
|
60 (65)
50 (55)
|
65 (70)
55 (60)
|
Figures in brackets indicate the noise standards
stipulated in IND-TM.
3.3.4
In any event, the ASR assumed in this
EIA is for indicative assessment only. It should be noted that fixed noise
sources are controlled under section 13 of the NCO. At the time of
investigation, the Noise Control Authority shall determine noise impact from
concerned fixed noise sources on the basis of prevailing legislation and
practices being in force, and taking account of contemporary conditions /
situations of adjoining land uses. Nothing in the EIA report shall bind the
Noise Control Authority in the context of law enforcement against all the fixed
noise sources being assessed.
3.4.1
Assessment of land contamination and
the potential impacts are guided by EPD’s document Practice Note for Professional Persons (ProPECC PN 3/94) Contaminated Land Assessment and Remediation,
the EIAO-TM, and EPD’s Guidance Notes for
Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Sites of Petrol Filling Stations,
Boatyards and Car Repair / Dismantling Workshops (1999).
3.4.2
Under the EIAO TM, Annex 19: Guidelines for Assessment of Other
Impacts, consideration shall be given to a number of potentially
contaminating land uses, including petrol filling station, shipyards/boatyards,
car repair and dismantling, power plants and gas works. If these land uses are identified, then
the applicant is required to generate, based on Annex 19 of EIAO-TM, a Contamination Assessment Plan (CAP),
Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and Remediation Action Plan (RAP) for
land with a high contamination potential.
3.5.1
The following legislation covers the
handling, treatment and disposal of waste in the Hong Kong Special
Administration Region (HK SAR), and will be considered in the assessment.
·
Waste
Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354)
·
Waste
Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation
(Cap. 354)
·
Land
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap.
28)
·
Public
Health and Municipal Services Ordinance
(Cap. 132) – Public Cleansing and
Prevention of Nuisances (Urban Council) and (Regional Council) By-laws
3.5.2
Other ‘guideline’ documents which
detail how the contractor should comply with the regulations are as follows:
·
Waste
Disposal Plan for Hong Kong (December 1989), Planning,
Environment and Lands Branch Government Secretariat
·
Environmental
Guidelines for Planning In Hong Kong (1990),
Hong Kong Planning and Standards Guidelines, Hong Kong Government
·
New
Disposal Arrangements for Construction Waste (1992),
Environmental Protection Department & Civil Engineering Department
·
Code
of Practice on Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Wastes (1992), Environmental Protection Department
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular No. 12/2000, Fill Management; Works Branch, HK SAR
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular 32/92, The Use of Tropical Hard Wood on
Construction Site; Works Branch, Hong Kong Government
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular No. 2/93, Public Dumps
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular No. 2 /93B, Public Filling Facilities
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular No. 16/96, Wet Soil in Public Dumps
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 4/98 & 4/98A, Use of Public Fill in
Reclamation and Earth Filling Projects;
Works Bureau, HK SAR Government
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 5/98, On-site Sorting of Construction Waste on
Demolition Site
·
Waste
Reduction Framework Plan, 1998 to 2007, Planning,
Environment and Lands Bureau, Government Secretariat, 5 November 1998
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 21/2002, Trip-ticket System for Disposal of
Construction and Demolition Material
·
Works
Branch Technical Circular No. 19/99, Metallic Site
Hoardings and Signboards
·
Environment,
Transport and Works Bureau Technical Circular (Works) 15/2003, Waste Management
On Construction Sites
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 25/99, Incorporation of Information of
Construction and Demolition Material Management in Public Works Sub-committee
Papers
·
Works Bureau Technical Circular No.
29/2000, Waste Management Plan
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 33/2002, Management of Construction/Demolition
Materials including Rock
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 12/2002, Specifications Facilitating the use of
Recycled Aggregates
·
Code
of Practice on Asbestos Control: Preparation Work Using Full Containment or
Mini Containment Method
·
Code
of Practice on Asbestos Control: Asbestos Work Using Glove Bag Method
·
Code
of Practice on Asbestos Control: Safe Handling of Low Risk Asbestos Containing
Material
·
Code
of Practice on the Handling, Transportation and Disposal of Asbestos Waste
·
Code
of Practice on Asbestos Control: Preparation of Asbestos Investigation Report,
Asbestos Management Plan and Asbestos Abatement Plan
·
ProPECC
PN2/97 Handling of Asbestos Containing Materials in Buildings
3.5.3
Chemical waste is defined under the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General)
Regulations, which includes any
substance being scrap material, or unwanted substances specified under Schedule 1 of the Regulation. Producers
of chemical wastes must treat their wastes, utilizing on-site plant licensed by
the EPD or have a licensed collector take the wastes to a licensed
facility. The regulation also
prescribes the storage facilities to be provided on site, including labeling
and warning signs, and requires the preparation of written procedures and
training to deal with emergencies such as spillage, leakage or accidents
arising from the storage of chemical wastes.
3.5.4
The handling of C&D materials is
governed by Works Branch Technical
Circular No. 2/93, Public Dumps. Inert C&D materials (i.e. public
fill) should not be disposed of at landfills, but to be taken to public filling
areas which usually form part of reclamation schemes. The Land
(Miscellaneous Provision) Ordinance requires that dumping licences are
obtained by individuals or companies who deliver public fill to public filling
areas. The licences are issued by
the Civil Engineering Department (CED) under delegated powers from the Director
of Lands.
3.5.5
In addition to the Works Branch
Technical Circular, EPD and CED have produced a leaflet entitled ‘New Disposal Arrangements for Construction
Waste’ (1992) which states that C&D material with less than 30% by weight
(or 20% inert material by volume) of inert material (i.e. public fill) will be
accepted at landfill. If the
material contains more than 30% inert material, the waste must be sorted and
sent to a public filling area and the non-inert material (i.e. C&D waste)
can be sent to landfill for final disposal.
3.6.1
Environmental legislation in relation
to landscape and visual aspects is guided by the EIAO. The criteria for
evaluating Landscape and Visual Impacts are laid out in the EIAO-TM. The relevant criteria for Landscape and
Visual Impacts are defined in the EIAO-TM as well as in other documents as
listed below:
·
Annex
10: Criteria for Evaluating Visual and Landscape Impact,
and Impact on Sites of Cultural Heritage
·
Annex
18: Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact
Assessment
·
EIAO
Guidance Note 8/2002, Preparation of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
·
Works
Bureau Technical Circular No. 7/2002, Tree Planting in Public Places
·
Works Bureau Technical
Circular No. 14/2002, Management and Maintenance of Natural Vegetation and
Landscape Works, and Tree Preservation
3.7.1
The following relevant legislation and
associated guidance are applicable to the evaluation of water quality impacts
associated with the construction and operation phases of this Project:
·
Water
Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) (Cap. 358)
·
Technical
Memorandum (TM) – Standards for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and Sewerage
Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters
·
Environmental
Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499 S. 16), Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact
Assessment Process (EIAO-TM), Annexes
6 and 14
3.7.2
The Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 358) provides the major
statutory framework for the protection and control of water quality in Hong
Kong. According to the Ordinance
and its subsidiary regulations, all Hong Kong waters are divided into ten Water
Control Zones (WCZ). Each WCZ has
a designed set of statutory Water Quality Objectives (WQOs). For this Study, the waters of the
Victoria Harbour Phase 2 WCZ are applicable.
3.7.3
All discharges during the construction
phase are required to comply with the TM
– Standards for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and Sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters issued under Section 21 of the WPCO which defines
acceptable discharge limits to different types of receiving waters. Under the TM, effluents discharged into
foul sewers, storm water drains, inland and coastal waters are subject to
pollutant concentration standards for particular volumes of discharge. These are defined by EPD and specified
in licence conditions for any new discharge within a WCZ.
3.7.4
Apart from the above statutory
requirements, the Practice Note for
Professional Persons, Construction Site Drainage (ProPECC PN 1/94), issued
by ProPECC in 1994, also provides useful guidance on the management of
construction site drainage and prevention of water pollution associated with
construction activities.
3.8.1
The following legislation, standards,
guidelines and criteria are relevant to control and evaluation of hazards:
·
Hong
Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG)
·
EIAO-TM Annexes 4 and 22
·
Dangerous
Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295)
·
Dangerous
Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulations
3.8.2
The risk assessment requirement for the
potentially hazardous installation (PHI) is described in Chapter 11 of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG). According to the definition, a PHI is
an installation for the storage of hazardous material with quantities equal to
or greater than a substance-specified threshold quantity. The threshold quantity related to this
Study is petrol or naphtha storage which is 10,000 tonnes. As the diesel storage on site for the
new crematorium is much less than the threshold quantity, the new crematorium
is not a PHI.