An existing twin 400mm diameter submarine gas pipelines across the Victoria Harbour were constructed by Hong Kong China Gas Company Limited in the early 1970s to supply town gas from Kowloon to the Hong Kong Island. The existing twin 400mm diameter submarine gas pipelines are currently aligned 200m west of and parallel to the Former Kai Tak Airport (KTA) runway between a gas pigging station at the existing seawall at Ma Tau Kok (MTK) and a gas pigging station at North Point (NP). The submarine gas pipelines are buried in a trench beneath the seabed and protected with rockfill. Owing to the proposed Cruise Terminal Development (CTD) and Central Kowloon Route (CKR) projects, the existing twin 400mm diameter submarine gas pipelines were requested to be diverted.
Mott
MacDonald Hong Kong Ltd. was appointed by the
The purpose of this EIA report is to provide information on the nature and extent of environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the proposed Project and related activities taking place concurrently and to contribute to decisions on:
¡ the overall acceptability of the Project, after the implementation of proposed mitigation measures;
¡ the conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever practicable; and
¡ the acceptability of residual impacts after the proposed mitigation measures are implemented.
As per the requirement in Section 3.4 of the EIA Study Brief, the EIA has been conducted using the best and latest information available during the course of the EIA study. The cumulative environmental impacts from the Project with other interacting projects were assessed, including details of the construction programme and methodologies.
1.3 Scope and Objectives of the EIA Study
The scope of the EIA covers the Project proposed in the Project Profile and the works and facilities mentioned in Section 1.1 above. The EIA study addresses the key issues described below, together with any other key issues identified during the course of the EIA study and the cumulative environmental impacts of the Project, through interaction or in combination with other existing, committed, and planned and known potential developments in the vicinity of the Project:
i. the potential water quality, marine
ecological and fisheries impacts arising from the dredging, backfilling and other
associated activities of the Project;
ii. the potential impacts of various types of
waste to be generated from the Project;
iii. the potential impacts on the landscape
characters and resources caused by the proposed development and associated
facilities, including the land gas pipelines and pigging stations to the nearby
environment during the construction and operation of the Project;
iv. the
potential hazard to life arising from
the construction and operation of the Project;
v. the potential cultural heritage impact on
marine archaeological deposit likely to be affected by the dredging activities
of the Project;
vi. the potential construction noise and dust
impacts arising from the Project;
vii. the potential cumulative environmental
impacts of the Project through interaction or in combination with other
concurrent existing, committed and planned developments in the vicinity of the
Project. Particular attention shall focus on those impacts identified to have a
direct bearing on the environmental acceptability of the Project.
The objectives of the EIA Study as detailed in the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-171/2007) are as follows:
i. to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements for carrying out the Project;
ii.
to
provide information on the consideration of alternatives/options for (a)
alignments of the submarine gas pipelines and (b) locations of the associated pigging
stations; and to compare the environmental benefits and dis-benefits in
selecting the preferred alternative/option;
iii.
to provide
information for any proposed above ground structures to demonstrate that the
proposed above ground structures would avoid/minimize any adverse visual
impacts to the surrounding areas;
iv.
to identify
and describe elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the
Project under/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including
natural and man-made environment;
v.
to
identify and assess water quality impact, waste management implication, marine
ecological impact, fisheries impact, landscape impact, hazards to life,
cultural heritage impact, construction noise impact and dust impact; and
determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential
affected uses;
vi.
to provide
the provision of infrastructure or mitigation measures so as to minimize
pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and
operation of the Project;
vii.
to identify,
predict and evaluate the residual (i.e. after practicable mitigation)
environmental impacts 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;
viii.
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 reducing them to
acceptable levels;
ix.
to
investigate the extent of the secondary environmental impacts that may arise
from the proposed mitigation measures, and to identify the constraints
associated with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA study as well as
the provision of any necessary modification;
x.
to
identify any individual project elements and associated works of the Project
that fall under Schedule 2 of the EIA Ordinance; 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; and
xi.
to design
and specify environmental monitoring and audit requirements, if required, to
ensure the implementation and the effectiveness of the environmental protection
and pollution control measures adopted.
Particular attention has been given to the following documents when undertaking this EIA Study:
¡ Final EIA Report, Dredging Works for Proposed Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak (EIAO Register No.: EIA-138/2007) and Environmental Permit No. EP-328/2009
¡ Final EIA Report, Wan Chai Development Phase II and Central-Wan Chai Bypass (EIAO Register No.: EIA-141/2007) and Environmental Permit No. EP-356/2009