1.1
According
to the Territorial Development Strategy Review in 1996, the housing supply
capacity of approved plans and programmes would not be adequate to meet the
estimated housing demand after 2001. In response to the estimated shortfall in
flat supply, the Government identified a list of areas, including Tuen Mun Area
54, having potential for housing development.
1.2
The
New Territories West Development Office (NTWDevO) of Territory Development
Department (TDD) completed the “Planning and Development Study of Potential
Housing Site in Area 54, Tuen Mun” (the Study) in 1999 under Agreement No.
CE21/97. The Study put forward proposals on housing types, development
parameters and planning layouts and assessed the development impacts on
transport network, infrastructural capacities and environmental quality.
1.3
In
order to convey the sewage collected from Tuen Mun Area 54 to the existing
sewers at Ming Kum Road, a new sewage pumping station, close to Tsz Tin Road,
will be constructed and operated, with a capacity of about
1.4
The
proposed sewage pumping station is classified as a Designated Project under
Schedule 2, Part I, F3(b) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(EIAO), i.e. a sewage pumping station with an installed capacity of more than
1.5
Maunsell
Consultants Asia Limited (MCAL) was commissioned by the Government of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region, represented by the Director of Civil
Engineering and Development (DCED), on 19 December 2006 to undertake the
“Environmental Impact Assessment for the Tuen Mun Area 54 Sewage Pumping
Station” under Additional Services No. 2 of Agreement No. CE21/2005(CE)
(hereafter referred to as “the Assignment”).
1.6
Under
this Assignment, MCAL will carry out the Environmental Impact Assessment for the
Tuen Mun Area 54 Sewage Pumping Station so as to establish the environmental
constraints of the proposed works and to identify appropriate measures to
overcome the constraints. The
location of the proposed sewage pumping station is shown in Figure 1.1.
1.7
The
main objective of the Assignment is to satisfactorily complete the EIA Study
for the Project as required by the Brief in accordance with the EIAO. The EIA Report will be prepared so as
to:
(i)
to describe the Project and associated works
together with the requirements for carrying out the Project;
(ii)
to identify and describe the elements of the
community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to
cause adverse impacts to the Project, including both the natural and man-made
environment;
(iii)
to present the considerations of alternatives to
avoid and minimise the potential adverse environmental impacts on the sensitive
uses; to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of the options; to
provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) and to describe the part
of environmental factors played in the selection;
(iv)
to identify and quantify emission sources, to
determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential
affected uses and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(v)
to identify and quantify any potential impacts from
point and non-point pollution sources on the identified water systems and
sensitive receivers and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(vi)
to identify any potential landscape and visual
impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(vii)
to identify any potential impacts on any
archaeological resources and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
(viii)
to propose the provision of mitigation measures to
minimise pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction
and operation of the Project;
(ix)
to investigate the feasibility, practicability,
effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;
(x)
to identify, predict and evaluate the residual
environmental impacts (i.e. after practicable mitigation) and the cumulative
effects expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the
Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(xi)
to identify, assess and specify methods, measures
and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and
operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these environmental
impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
(xii)
to investigate the extent of the secondary
environmental impacts that may arise from the proposed mitigation measures and
to identify constraints associated with the mitigation measures recommended in
the EIA study, as well as the provision of any necessary modification; and
(xiii)
to design and specify the environmental monitoring
and audit requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the
recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures.
1.8
The
Assessment Area for the EIA Study, as specified in the EIA Study Brief (Ref.
No. ESB-157/2006) issued by EPD on 21 November 2006, is presented below:
(i)
Air quality impact assessment – area within a
distance of
(ii)
Noise impact assessment – areas within
(iii)
Water quality impact assessment – cover an area
within
(iv)
Waste management implications – cover an area
within the Project site boundary.
(v)
Landscape and visual impact assessment – the
assessment area for landscape impact assessment will include areas within a
500m distance from the site boundary of the work areas while the assessment
area for the visual impact assessment will be defined by the visual envelope of
the Project.
(vi)
Cultural heritage assessment – cover an area within
the Project site boundary.
1.9
The
structure of the EIA Report is set out below:
• Section 2 provides a description of the Project and its need.
• Section 3 identifies and assesses the potential air quality impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project.
• Section 4 identifies and assesses the potential noise impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project.
• Section 5 identifies and assesses the potential water quality impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Project.
• Section 6 identifies and assesses the potential waste management implications associated with the construction and operation of the Project.
• Section 7 presents the landscape and visual impact assessment of the construction and operation of the Project.
• Section 8 presents the potential impact on any archaeological site during construction of the Project.
• Section 9 outlines the environmental monitoring and audit (EM&A) requirements for the Project. The scope and methodology are presented in detail in a stand-alone EM&A Manual.
• Section 10 summarises and concludes the findings of the EIA Study.
• Section 11 presents the Implementation Schedules for mitigation of the various environmental issues addressed in the EIA Study.