1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

1.1.1 The Frontier Closed Area (FCA) is an integral part of the package of measures for maintaining the integrity of the Hong Kong SAR’s boundary with the Mainland and for combating illegal immigration and other cross-boundary criminal activities. Following a recent review, the Government has concluded that with the erection of a secondary boundary fence (SBF) along the boundary patrol road (BPR) and construction of new sections of the BPR and primary boundary fence (PBF) at certain sections along the boundary, the FCA coverage can be substantially reduced without affecting the objective of maintaining the integrity of the boundary. The PBF and SBF will be erected along the northern and southern curbs of the realigned BPR respectively to facilitate the Police in combating cross-boundary criminal activities. The reduced FCA will comprise a narrow strip of land covering the realigned BPR and areas to its north, together with the points of crossing the boundary (i.e. the Boundary Control Points and Sha Tau Kok town). Areas south of the SBF will generally be excised from the FCA.

1.2 The Project

1.2.1 The Project mainly comprises the construction of an SBF along the southern edge of the existing BPR (approximately 21.7km) from west (Pak Hok Chau) to east (Sha Tau Kok). For sections where the existing PBF runs along the southern edge of the BPR, a new fence with sensor alarm system will be constructed on the northern edge of the BPR as part of the PBF whereas the existing PBF will become the SBF. The project also includes the conversion of the existing maintenance services road along the Shenzhen River bank to the north of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hoo Hok Wai into a new section of the BPR with a PBF and an SBF; and construction of two new sections of the BPR with a PBF and an SBF along the Shenzhen River side to the north of Pak Fu Shan and northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village. In addition, the Project includes the construction of a checkpoint at the entrance to the Sha Tau Kok town (i.e. location of “Gate One”) and replacement of the existing checkpoint at Pak Hok Chau, removal of the existing checkpoints at Lok Ma Chau, Sha Ling, Ping Che and Shek Chung Au, and removal of the existing PBF along those sections of the existing BPR which will be replaced by new sections of the BPR.

1.3 EIAO and Designated Projects

1.3.1 The Project is a designated project (DP) under item Q.1, Part I, Schedule 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) (Cap. 499) which reads "All projects including new access roads, railways, sewers, sewage treatment facilities, earthworks, dredging works and other building works partly or wholly in an existing or gazetted proposed country park or special area, a conservation area, an existing or gazetted proposed marine park or marine reserve, a site of cultural heritage, and a site of special scientific interest."

1.4 Scope

1.4.1 The entire length of the Project is about 21.7km from west of Pak Hok Chau to east of Sha Tau Kok and is divided into four sections as shown in Figure 1.1. The project scope of each section is described below.

Section 1 – Mai Po to Lok Ma Chau Control Point

(i) To erect an SBF along the existing BPR (approximately 4.1km); and

(ii) To replace the existing checkpoint at Pak Hok Chau.

Section 2 – Lok Ma Chau Control Point to Ng Tung River

(i) To convert the maintenance services road of Drainage Services Department along the Shenzhen River bank to the north of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hoo Hok Wai into a new section of the BPR (approximately 5.6km);

(ii) To erect a new PBF with the sensor alarm system and an SBF respectively along the northern and southern side of the converted road;

(iii) To remove the original PBF and the sensor alarm system thereon along the existing BPR south of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hoo Hok Wai; and

(iv) To remove the existing checkpoint at Lok Ma Chau Road.

Section 3 – Ng Tung River to Lin Ma Hang Village

(i) To erect an SBF along the existing BPR except the sections to the north of Pak Fu Shan and northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village (approximately 7.5km);

(ii) To construct new sections of the BPR along the Shenzhen River side to the north of Pak Fu Shan and northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village without necessitating river training (approximately 4.0km);

(iii) To erect a new PBF with the sensor alarm system and an SBF along the northern and southern sides of the new sections of BPR respectively;

(iv) To remove the original PBF and the sensor alarm system thereon along the existing BPR near Pak Fu Shan and Lin Ma Hang Village; and

(v) To remove the existing checkpoints at Sha Ling and Ping Che.

Section 4 – Lin Ma Hang Village to Sha Tau Kok

(i) To erect an SBF from the entrance of the Sha Tau Kok town (i.e. the location of “Gate One”) to the Sha Tau Kok Control Point (approximately 0.5km);

(ii) To provide a new checkpoint at “Gate One”; and

(iii) To remove the existing checkpoint at Shek Chung Au.

1.4.2 Typical cross sections of the proposed PBF, SBF, BPR and checkpoint are presented in Appendix B.

1.4.3 Apart from normal boundary patrol operation conducted by the Police, no significant operational or decommissioning activities would be involved in association with the proposed SBF, PBF and BPR.

1.4.4 Security Bureau is the project proponent, Police is the end-user of the boundary fences and the realigned BPR and Architectural Services Department is the works agent responsible for the management, planning, design and implementation of the Project.

1.5 Need for the Project and Consequences of not Proceeding with the Project

1.5.1 While the coverage of the Frontier Closed Area (FCA) will be substantially reduced, it would still be necessary to maintain the integrity and security of the boundary area. The construction of new sections of PBF and SBF is considered to be essential to ensure effective law enforcement to safeguard boundary integrity and security and to prevent and combat illegal immigration and other cross-boundary crimes.

1.5.2 Without the implementation, the above purpose cannot be achieved.

1.6 Consideration of Alternative Alignment

1.6.1 The alignment generally runs along the southern boundary of the reduced FCA, the coverage of which has taken account of the comments received during the consultation exercise conducted in September to November 2006.

1.6.2 For mitigating impacts on important habitats and wildlife in the order of priority of ‘Avoidance, Minimizing, Compensation’, the alignments are proposed along the existing boundary patrol road avoiding the environmentally sensitive areas as far as possible. Other alternatives are considered not feasible as they could only be established by creating new pathways in the adjacent natural habitats. The impacts would be minimized if the alignments stay along the existing boundary patrol road. In addition, mitigation measures have also been considered to minimize the environmental impacts. For example, special type of footing would be adopted to retain the existing trees if necessary.

1.6.3 For Section 2, it was originally proposed in the FCA review to retain all the land north of the existing BPR in the FCA. This covered about 100 hectares in the Lok Ma Chau Loop and about 300 hectares in the adjacent Hoo Hok Wai. During the consultation, the local community suggested that these areas should be excluded from the FCA. After consideration, Government decided to accept the suggestion and reduce the FCA coverage accordingly. To this end, the existing maintenance road of the Drainage Services Department to the north of the Lok Ma Chau Loop and Hoo Hok Wai will be used as the boundary patrol road, with a primary boundary fence to be constructed along the northern edge of the road and a secondary boundary fence along the southern edge of the road. To mitigate the environmental impacts, the proposed works would avoid the environmentally sensitive areas, e.g. fish ponds and marshes along Hoo Hok Wai, as far as possible.

1.6.4 The alignments to the north of Pak Fu Shan and northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village are originally proposed along the existing boundary patrol road in Section 3. The relevant Rural Committee requested that two patches of land northwest of Lin Ma Hang and north of Pak Fu Shan be excised from the FCA to release their development potential. After consideration, the alignment is amended to run along the Shenzhen River bank to the north of the two areas in accordance with the views of the local community.

1.6.5 The latest alignment is shown in Figure 1.1. The alignment along the existing boundary patrol road and new sections of boundary patrol road is denoted in blue and red in Figure 1.1 respectively.

1.7 Alternative / Preferred Construction Methods and Sequence of Works

1.7.1 The major construction works of the Project is provision of the secondary and primary boundary fences. The fences mainly comprise the reinforced concrete footing and the steel fence. For the reinforced concrete footing, precast footing had been considered to minimize the concreting works on site. However, it was found that the precast option is not feasible due to the limited road width which hinders the transportation of the precast units. In addition, the longitudinal and horizontal alignment of the boundary patrol road varies significantly. Thus, standard precast concrete units cannot be applied and cast-in-situ option is necessary to match the site condition.

1.7.2 Apart from the boundary fences, the Project also involves provision of two checkpoints. Since the size of the proposed Pak Hok Chau Checkpoint is comparatively small, it is proposed to adopt prefabricated house instead of traditional reinforced concrete structure to minimize the environmental impact.

1.8 Interface with Concurrent Projects

1.8.1 There are three potential interface projects identified.

Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point in Section 3

1.8.2 A new Boundary Control Point (BCP) is proposed to be constructed at Heung Yuen Wai. Civil Engineering and Development Department, the works agent of the new BCP, has been informed that the construction of the BPR, the PBF and the SBF in Section 3 not affected by the new BCP will be completed by end 2012.

Advance Works for River Training in Section 3

1.8.3 In association with the proposed BCP at Heung Yuen Wai, Drainage Service Department (DSD) will carry out advance works for the river training from Ping Yuen River to Pak Fu Shan. As advised by DSD, the works will commence in mid-2012 and its exact extent could only be confirmed after a study at the end of 2009. Since the advance works would involve realignment of certain sections of the Shenzhen River, the existing BPR and the existing PBF, it would result in abortive works if the SBF were to be provided along the originally proposed alignment in the affected section. ArchSD is liaising with DSD on the inclusion of the construction of the affected section of the SBF under DSD’s advance works. The proposed works from Ping Yuen River to Pak Fu Shan would hence be excised from this Project. Given that DSD’s advance works are still at a preliminary stage and the realignment of the affected sections of the Shenzhen River, the existing BPR and the existing PBF is subject to DSD’s further study, this EIA Report is done based on the originally proposed alignment of the BPR, PBF and SBF in Section 3 set out in Figure 1.1.

Proposed New Wave Wall / Modification to Existing Wave Wall in Section 2

1.8.4 The works in Section 2 will have interface with DSD’s proposed modification of the existing wave wall and construction of a new wave wall alongside the Shenzhen River in Section 2. Liaison with DSD is on-going to resolve the interface issue and the entrustment approach may be adopted. This EIA Report has already taken into account the potential entrustment of works of the existing wave wall from DSD.

1.9 Objectives of the EIA Study

1.9.1 The objectives of the EIA study are as follows:

(i) to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements for carrying out the Project;

(ii) to identify and describe elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including natural and man-made environment, and the associated environmental constraints;

(iii) to provide information on the consideration of alternatives to avoid and minimize potential environmental impacts to environmentally sensitive areas and other sensitive uses; to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits of each of different options; to provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) and to describe the part environmental factors played in the selection of preferred option(s);

(iv) to identify and quantify all environmental sensitive receivers, emission sources and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

(v) to identify and quantify any potential losses or damage to flora, fauna and natural habitats;

(vi) to identify and quantify any potential landscape and visual impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

(vii) to identify and quantify any potential archaeological and cultural heritage and propose measures to mitigate these impacts;

(viii) to propose provision of mitigation measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of Project;

(ix) to investigate the feasibility, practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;

(x) to identify, within the study area, any individual project(s) that fall under Schedule 2 and/or Schedule 3 of the EIAO; to ascertain whether the findings of this EIA study have adequately addressed the environmental impacts of those projects; and where necessary, to identify the outstanding issues that need to be addressed in any further detailed EIA study;

(xi) 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 sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;

(xii) 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 level;

(xiii) 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

(xiv) to design and specify environmental monitoring and audit requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures.

1.10 The Assessment Area

1.10.1 The works are mainly located along the existing BPR from west of Pak Hok Chau to east of Sha Tau Kok, the Shenzhen River side at Lok Ma Chau Loop, Hoo Hok Wai, north of Pak Fu Shan and northwest of Lin Ma Hang Village within the FCA. Access to these areas is controlled by Closed Area Permits issued under Section 37(2) of the Public Order Ordinance. The location of the fence alignment, the new sections of BPR, the new checkpoint, the four existing checkpoints to be removed and the replacement checkpoint to be constructed are shown in Figure 1.1.

1.11 Programme

1.11.1 The Project is being planned and designed by the Consultant appointed by ArchSD. The works will be implemented by the Contractors appointed by ArchSD and the first Construction Contract is expected to be awarded in late 2009. The construction works are expected to commence in late 2009 for completion in late 2012 subject to the potential adjustment due to the project of Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control point and its advance river training works as described in Sections 1.8.2, 1.8.3 and 1.8.4. The tentative construction programme is shown in Appendix A.

1.12 Structure of the EIA Report

1.12.1 The EIA has been prepared to contain all the findings of the Study as follows:

· Section 2 presents the Air Quality Impact Assessment;

· Section 3 presents the Noise Impact Assessment;

· Section 4 presents the Water Quality Impact Assessment;

· Section 5 presents the Waste Management Implications;

· Section 6 presents the Ecological Impact Assessment;

· Section 7 presents the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment;

· Section 8 presents the Impact on Cultural Heritage;

· Section 9 provides a summary of the Environmental Outcomes;

· Section 10 presents the Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Requirements;

· Section 11 presents an Implementation Schedule; and

· Section 12 presents a summary of the Conclusions of the EIA.

2 Air Quality

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 This section describes the potential air quality impacts associated with the construction and operation of the proposed secondary boundary fences, new sections of primary and secondary boundary fences and boundary patrol roads as discussed in Section 1.4. The major air emission will be the dust generation from the construction of the boundary fences and patrol roads. During the operation phase, the patrol police cars on the new boundary patrol roads will be subject to the vehicular emission.

2.1.2 Representative Air Sensitive Receivers (ASRs) within 500m of the study area have been identified and extended to include off-site air quality impact along the boundary patrol roads. Suitable mitigation measures, where necessary, are recommended to protect the ASRs and to ensure that the legislative criteria are complied with. The study area for the air quality impact assessment is shown in Figure 2-1.

2.2 Legislation, Standards, Guidelines and Criteria

2.2.1 Legislation, Standards, Guidelines and Criteria relevant to the consideration of air quality impacts under this study include the following:

· Hong Kong Air Pollution Control Ordinance;

· Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation; and

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process.

Hong Kong Air Pollution Control Ordinance

2.2.2 Hong Kong’s air quality is regulated through the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 311) (“APCO”). The APCO specifies Air Quality Objectives (“AQOs”), which are the statutory limits for a number of pollutants and the maximum allowable number of times that these may be exceeded over specified periods – these pollutants are defined as Criteria Pollutants (“CP”). The Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) that have been defined for these pollutants (CP) are given in the following table.

Table 2‑1 Hong Kong Air Quality Objectives (mg/m³)⁽ⁱ⁾

Pollutant	1 Hour ⁽ⁱⁱ⁾	8 Hours ⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾	24 Hours ⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾	3 Months ^(iv)	1 Year ^(iv)
Sulphur Dioxide	800	N.A.	350	N.A.	80
Total Suspended Particulates	500^(vii)	N.A.	260	N.A.	80
Respirable Suspended Particulates ^(v)	N.A.	N.A.	180	N.A.	55
Carbon Monoxide	30,000	10,000	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Nitrogen Dioxide	300	N.A.	150	N.A.	80
Photochemical Oxidants (as ozone) ^(vi)	240	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Lead	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	1.5	N.A.

Notes:

(i) Measured at 298K(25 ^oC) and 101.325 kPa (one atmosphere).

(ii) Not to be exceeded more than three times per year.

(iii) Not to be exceeded more than once per year.

(iv) Yearly and three monthly figures calculated as arithmetic means.

(v) Respirable suspended particulates means suspended particles in air with nominal aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometres and smaller.

(vi) Photochemical oxidants are determined by measurement of ozone only.

(vii) This is not an AQO but a criterion for construction dust impact assessment under Annex 4 of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process.

Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation

2.2.3 Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation stipulates the construction dust control requirements for both notifiable (e.g. site formation) and regulatory (e.g. road opening) works to be carried out by the Contractor. The requirements for various notifiable and regulatory works are given in Parts 1 and 2 of the Regulation respectively. Part 3 of the Regulation stipulates the general control requirements (e.g. site boundary and entrance) for construction dust. The control requirements for individual activities (e.g. stockpiling of dusty material) are given in Part 4 of the Regulation.

Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process

2.2.4 The criteria for evaluating air quality impacts are stated in Annexes 4 and 12 of the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM). The EIAO-TM states that the hourly Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) level should not exceed 500mg/m³ (measured at 25^oC and one atmosphere) for construction dust impact assessment

2.3 Baseline Conditions and Air Sensitive Receivers

Baseline Conditions

2.3.1 The project mainly comprises the construction of a secondary boundary fence along the southern edge of the existing boundary patrol road from west (Pak Hok Chau) to east (Sha Tau Kok).

2.3.2 The nearest EPD air quality monitoring station (AQMS) is located at Yuen Long and Tap Mun. Taking into account data for 2003 – 2007, the annual average air quality data collected at the monitoring station is presented in Table 2‑2.

Table 2‑2 Annual Average Background Air Quality (2003 – 2007)

Air Pollutants	Annual Average Background Concentration at Yuen Long Monitoring Station (ug/m³)	Annual Average Background Concentration at Tap Mun Monitoring Station (ug/m³)	HKAQO (ug/m³)
Total Suspended Particulates (TSP)	103	-	80
Respirable Suspended Particulates (RSP)	64	50	55
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)	60	14	80
Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)	26	15	80

Representative Air Sensitive Receivers

2.3.3 The selected ASRs, represent the closest distance from the proposed project site boundary or patrol road alignment, have been identified within the study area of 500m of the proposed alignment of the secondary boundary fence in accordance with the criteria as set out in Annex 12 of the EIAO-TM by means of site inspections and reviews of land use plans.

2.3.4 Identified ASRs with horizontal distances from the proposed alignment of the boundary fences are summarized in Table 2‑3. The locations of the ASRs for each section (Sections 1 – 4) are shown in Figures 2-2 to 2-5.

Table 2‑3 Representative Air Sensitive Receivers

ASR ID	Description	Type of Use	Separation Distance between the ASRs and the Project Site Boundary
Section 1
ASR 1	Mai Po Village House	Residential	101.4
ASR 2	Mai Po Village House	Residential	63.6
ASR 3	Mai Po San Tsuen	Residential	346.7
ASR 4	Lin Barn Tsuen	Residential	441.1
Section 2
ASR 5	Ha Wan Tsuen	Residential	13
ASR 6	Lok Ma Chau San Tsuen	Residential	21.7
ASR 7	Lok Ma Chau Village House	Residential	77.9
ASR 8	Ping Hang Village House	Residential	23.1
ASR 9	Ma Tso Lung Village House	Residential	15.6
ASR 10	Liu Pok	Residential	117.9
ASR 11	Temple	Worship	188.5
ASR 12	Tak Yuet Lau, House No. 4	Residential	18.7
Section 3
ASR 13	Lo Wu, House No. 3	Residential	100.4
ASR 14	Lo Wu Public School, House No. 39	Educational	58.5
ASR 15	Temple	Worship	111.8
ASR 16	Muk Wu, House No. 125	Residential	155
ASR 17	Sam Wo Public School	Educational	341.8
ASR 18	Muk Wu Chuen Yiu, House No. 11	Residential	75.8
ASR 19	Ta Kwu Ling, House No. 10	Residential	56.3
ASR 20	Kiu Liu Village	Residential	67.7
ASR 21	Chuk Yuen, House No. 19	Residential	110
ASR 22	Tsz Tong	Worship	198.1
ASR 23	Wang Lek Village House	Residential	55.8
ASR 24	Wang Lek Village House	Residential	6.5
ASR 25	Lin Ma Hang, House No. 1A	Residential	199.5
Section 4
ASR 26	Cannan English & Chinese Kindergarten	Educational	88
ASR 27	Ha Tam Shui Hang, House No. 221	Residential	67
ASR 28	Sha Tau Kok Estate, Block 1	Residential	88.2
ASR 29	Ha Tam Shui Hang, House No. 128	Residential	121
ASR 30	Kong Ha Village	Residential	126.7
ASR 31	Shan Tsui Village	Residential	88.2

2.4 Identification and Evaluation of Air Quality Impact

Construction Phase

2.4.1 The construction and demolition of the boundary fences and patrol road will be divided into four sections, from which the major construction activities include the excavation, footing construction, fence installation, road construction, the demolition of existing boundary fence and the check points at Pak Hok Chau and Sha Tau Kok. There is no consolidated demolition programme, but it is expected the demolition will be commenced after the completion of the construction of secondary boundary fence.

2.4.2 Refer to the tentative construction programme in Appendix A, some construction activities will be carried out at the same period of time. However, in real situation, each construction activity will be carried out separately at different road sections.

2.4.3 The soil materials will be mainly generated from the construction activities including site clearance, construction and demolition, excavation and the waste generated from the construction works. The total amount of soil materials generated each day from the project site will be in the range of 88m³/day to 248m³/day, which depends on the sections and the construction activities which will be carried out. As such, an average number of trucks hauling on the site will be in the range of 11-30 trucks/day so as to remove the soil materials generated from the construction activities. Given the Border Patrol Road is narrow (~4m to 8m), the number of trucks hauling around the road would be limited and hence the air quality impact is predicted minimal.

2.4.4 The likely air quality impacts arising from the construction of the secondary boundary fences include dust nuisances and gaseous emissions from Powered Mechanical Equipment (PMEs) and construction vehicles. It is anticipated that fugitive dust would also be generated from construction of concrete footing and fences, material handling and wind erosion from the site.

2.4.5 As the PMEs used for each section will not be operating concurrently as the construction works for the four sections are anticipated to be carried out in phases, fugitive dust impacts and gaseous emissions will be minimal. In addition, fugitive dust impacts from the construction vehicles will be further minimised with the implementation of the appropriate dust suppression measures stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation. As such, air quality impacts resulting from the proposed construction works are considered to be insignificant.

Operational Phase

2.4.6 Based on site observation during October 07 to August 08 and the confirmation from the Border District Police Headquarter, the traffic flow along the Border Patrol Road (BPR) observed is less than 50 veh/hr. The main function of BPR is for boundary patrol, the Border District Police (BDP) is the main user of the BPR, the BPR would not be opened to the public except permit holders and there is no plan to revise this policy. Based on such assumption, it is anticipated that the traffic flow of the BPR would not exceed 50 veh/hr in 15 years after its commissioning. Hence, there will be limited gaseous emissions from the cars on the patrol roads, the potential air quality impacts are considered to be insignificant during operation.

2.5 Mitigation Measures

Construction Phase

2.5.1 Construction dust impacts should be controlled within the 1-hour TSP criterion of 500 mg/m³and 24-hour TSP AQO of 260 mg/m³. Therefore, effective control measures and good site practices should be implemented to meet the requirements of the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation and to minimize construction dust impact.

2.5.2 During construction phase, the Contractor shall make reference, but not limited, to the following measures:

· any excavated dusty materials or stockpile of dusty materials should be covered entirely by impervious sheeting or sprayed with water so as to maintain the entire surface wet, and recovered or backfilled or reinstated within 24 hours of the excavation or unloading;

· the working area of excavation should be sprayed with water immediately before, during and immediately after the operations so as to maintain the entire surface wet;

· dusty materials carried by vehicle leaving a construction site should be covered entirely by clean impervious sheeting;

· the area where vehicle washing takes place and the section of the road between the washing facilities and the exit point should paved with concrete, bituminous materials or hardcores;

· the portion of road leading only to a construction site that is within 30m of designated vehicle entrance or exit should be kept clear of dusty materials;

· all dusty materials should be sprayed with water prior to any loading, unloading or transfer operation;

· vehicle speed should be limited to 10kph except on completed access roads; and

· every vehicle should be washed to remove any dusty materials from its body and wheels before leaving the construction sites.

Operational Phase

2.5.3 As the gaseous emission from the operation of the secondary boundary fences and new boundary patrol roads are considered to be insignificant, air quality mitigation measures during the operational phase are not required.

2.6 Potential Concurrent Projects

2.6.1 As mentioned in Section 1.8, there are three potential concurrent projects within the assessment area. The proposed works at Section 3 will be completed at the end of 2012, prior to the construction of the new Boundary Control Point (BCP) at Heung Yuen Wai, and hence no interface will be occurred.

2.6.2 The advance works from River Trainings in Section 3 and proposed new wave wall or modification to existing wave wall in Section 2 will be carried out concurrently with the project work. However, it is recommended that the proposed works from the two projects would be exercised from this project to avoid any duplications. At such, an entrustment approach for the concurrent projects would be adopted, and the cumulative impacts from the concurrent project are considered to be minimal.

2.7 Environmental Monitoring and Audit

2.7.1 Full compliance with the air quality criteria will be achieved at all ASRs with the implementation of dust suppression measures stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation. Dust monitoring is considered not necessary during the construction phase but weekly site audits are required to ensure that the dust control measures are properly implemented. No operational monitoring is considered to be necessary for this project.

2.8 Conclusion

2.8.1 The construction works for the four sections will be carried out in phases, the potential air quality impacts will not be anticipated. Air quality impacts resulting from the construction works of the Project are considered to be insignificant to air sensitive receivers.

2.8.2 Gaseous emissions from the operation of the secondary boundary fence and the new boundary patrol roads are considered to be insignificant, no air quality impact will be anticipated during the operational phase.

3 NOISE IMPACT

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 The noise impact assessment evaluated the impact quantitatively using standard acoustic principles and making reference to the approach and methodology documented in Annexes 5 and 13 of Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance – Technical Memorandum and EIAO Guidance Note No. 9/2004 – Preparation of Construction Noise Impact Assessment under EIAO for construction phase and EIAO Guidance Note No. 12/2005 – Road Traffic Noise Impact Assessment under the EIAO for operational phase.

3.2 Relevant Legislations, Standards & Guidelines

General Construction Activities during Non-Restricted Hours

3.2.1 Noise impacts arising from general construction activities other than percussive piling during the daytime period (07:00-19:00 hours of any day not being a Sunday or general holiday) shall be assessed against the noise standards tabulated in Table 3-1 below.

Table 3‑1 Noise Standards for Daytime Construction Activities

Noise Sensitive Uses	0700 to 1900 hours on any day not being a Sunday or general holiday, Leq (30 min), dB(A)
All domestic premises including temporary housing accommodation	75
Hotels and Hostels	75
Educational institutions including kindergarten, nurseries and all others where unaided voice communication is required	70 65 during examination

Source: EIAO-TM, Annex 5, Table 1B - Noise Standards for Daytime Construction Activities.

Note:

· The above standards apply to uses, which rely on opened windows for ventilation.

· The above standards shall be viewed as the maximum permissible noise levels assessed at 1m from the external facades.

General Construction Activities during Restricted Hours

3.2.2 Noise impacts arising from general construction activities (excluding percussive piling) conducted during the restricted hours (19:00-07:00 hours on any day and anytime on Sunday or general holiday) and percussive piling during anytime are governed by the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO).

3.2.3 For carrying out general construction activities involving the use of Powered Mechanical Equipment (PME) within restricted hours, a Construction Noise Permit (CNP) is required from the Authority under the NCO. The noise criteria and the assessment procedures for issuing a CNP are specified in Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work Other Than Percussive Piling (GW-TM) under the NCO.

3.2.4 The use of Specified PME (SPME) and/or the carrying out of Prescribed Construction Work (PCW) within a Designated Area (DA) under the NCO during the restricted hours are also prohibited without a CNP. The relevant technical details can be referred to Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work in Designated Areas (DA-TM) under NCO.

3.2.5 Designated areas, in which the control of SPME and PCW shall apply, are established through the Noise Control (Construction Work Designated Areas) Notice made under Section 8A(1) of the NCO.

3.2.6 All sections of the construction works except the Sha Tau Kok section have been checked to fall outside the Designated Areas defined under the NCO (with effective from 1 January 2009). Moreover, no percussive pilling will be involved in this Project.

3.2.7 As such, the application for CNP for any general construction activities involving the use of any PME shall refer to the GW-TM and DA-TM. However, the Contractor has the responsibility to check the latest status and coverage of the Designated Areas at the time of construction of the project.

3.2.8 Regardless of the description or assessment made in this chapter, the assessment of a filed application for a CNP by the Authority will be guided by the relevant Technical Memoranda. The Authority will consider all the factors affecting their decision taking contemporary situations/ conditions into account. Nothing in this Report shall pre-empt the Authority in making their decisions, and there is no guarantee that a CNP will be issued. If a CNP is to be issued, the Authority may include any conditions they consider appropriate and such conditions are to be followed while the works covered by the CNP are being carried out. Failing to do so may lead to the cancellation of the permit and prosecution action under the NCO.

Road Traffic Noise

3.2.9 Relevant criteria for road traffic noise levels at the affected sensitive façade are given in Table 3-2 below.

Table 3‑2 EIAO-TM Road Traffic Noise Criteria

Noise Sensitive Uses	Road Traffic Noise, Peak Hour Traffic, L_{10 (1-hr)} dB(A)
All domestic premises including temporary housing accommodation	70
Hotel and Hostels	70
Educational institutions including kindergarten, nurseries and all others where unaided voice communication is required	65

Source: EIAO-TM, Annex 5, Table 1 - Noise Standards for Planning Purposes

Note:

· The above standards apply to uses, which rely on opened windows for ventilation.

· The above standards shall be viewed as the maximum permissible noise levels assessed at 1m from the external facades.

3.3 Study Area and Construction Programme

3.3.1 As stated in Clause 3.4.2.2(i) of the EIA Study Brief, the Study Area shall include all areas within 300m (the 300m envelope) from the Project Boundary. Although the study area can reach 300m from the work sites, the first-tier NSRs are usually selected as representative NSRs in the noise impact assessment. Other NSRs further away from these first-tier NSRs are expected to be less affected by comparison. The assessment area of noise impact assessment is shown in Figure 3-1.

3.3.2 A tentative construction programme is shown in Appendix A. The construction programme shows that the construction activities including the excavation, footing construction, fence installation, road construction and the check point superstructure at Sha Tau Kok of all sections are in phases. However, in real situation, each construction activities will be carried out in segment by segment, the length of each segment is estimated to be 50m, which is a normal practice of construction.

3.3.3 Given that the narrow and long construction works area of Section 1 to Section 3 (~4m to 8m in width), the construction activities would be constructed sequentially along each Section. The construction works would start from the west end of each Section and cumulative impact from the concurrent works could be avoided as the length of each Section is more than 2km. Hence, the construction noise impact would be dominated by the construction activity of any one Section for each NSR.

3.3.4 Moreover, there is currently no firmed demolition programme of existing boundary fence and the check points at Lok Ma Chau, Sha Ling, Ping Che and Shek Chung Au. It is expected the demolition activities will be commenced after the secondary boundary fence is constructed. Hence, the noise impact of construction and demolition activities could be assessed separately.

3.4 Noise Sensitive Uses

3.4.1 Representative Noise Sensitive Receivers (NSRs) have been identified in accordance with Annex 13 of the EIAO-TM. The NSRs include existing, planned/ committed noise sensitive developments and relevant uses earmarked on the relevant Outline Zoning Plans, Development Permission Area Plans, Outline Development Plans, Layout Plans and other relevant published land use plans, including plans and drawings published by Lands Department, where applicable.

3.4.2 There are numerous villages situated along the proposed alignment which are identified as NSRs. For the purpose of this construction noise assessment, representative NSRs of each village close to the site have been selected within the Study Area for prediction of the levels of construction noise impact. Descriptions of selected representative existing NSRs are tabulated in Table 3-3 to Table 3-6 below and the respective locations are shown in Figure 3-2 to Figure 3-8. The shortest distance between the noise source, construction of boundary fence/ road construction, demolition of existing boundary wall and check points, which are the footing foundation of the fence and the receivers are measured and listed in Table 3-3 to Table 3-6 below. Photos of existing noise sensitive receivers are shown in Figure 3-9 and Figure 3-10.

T able 3‑3 Locations of the Existing Representative NSRs for Construction of Boundary Fence/ Road Construction/ Check Point Superstructure

NSR ID	Description	Usage	Shortest Distance (m)
Section 1
Mai Po
VH01	Village House	Residential	44
VH02	Village House	Residential	59
VH03	Village House	Residential	147
Section 2
Ha Wan Tsuen
HAT01	Village House	Residential	206
Lok Ma Chau San Tsuen
LMC01	Village House	Residential	>300
LMC02	Village House	Residential	>300
LMC03	Village House	Residential	>300
Ping Hang
PH01	Village House	Residential	>300
Ma Tso Lung
MTL01	Village House	Residential	>300
Liu Pok
LP01	House No. 1B, Liu Pok	Residential	>300
Tak Yuet Lau
TYL01	House No. 4, Tak Yuet Lau	Residential	204
Section 3
Lo Wu
LW01	House No. 3, Lo Wu	Residential	103
LW02	House No. 39, Lo Wu	Residential	60
Muk Wu
MW01	House No. 125, Muk Wu	Residential	130
MW02	House No. 11, Muk Wu Chuen Yiu	Residential	78
Ta Kwu Ling
TKL01	House No. 10, Tak Kwu Ling	Residential	43
Kaw Liu Village
KL01	Village House	Residential	18
Chuk Yuen
CY01	House No. 19, Chuk Yuen	Residential	106
Wang Lek
WL01	Village House	Residential	101
WL02	Village House	Residential	85
WL03	House No. 1A, Lin Ma Hang	Residential	155
Section 4
Sha Tau Kok
STK01	House No. 221, Ha Tam Shui Hang	Residential	42 (Boundary Fence) 132 (Checkpoint superstructure)
STK02	House No. 128, Ha Tam Shui Hang	Residential	100 (Boundary Fence) 235 (Checkpoint superstructure)
STK03	Block 1, Sha Tau Kok Estate	Residential	16 (Boundary Fence) 73 (Checkpoint superstructure)