As stated in the Study Brief, the main objective of the Project is to dredge approximately 5.5 million cubic metres of sediment from the seabed of Kwai Tsing Container Basin, as well as from portions of the Northern Fairway and the Western Fairway, to provide sufficient water depth in the container basin and approach channel to Kwai Tsing Container Port (KTCP) for safe navigation of Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS).
The Project is a designated project under item C.12 of
Schedule 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), which
encompasses ”a dredging operation
exceeding 500 000 m3 or a dredging operation which
a.
is
less than 500m from the nearest boundary of an existing or planned
i.
Site
of special scientific interest;
ii.
Site
of cultural heritage;
iii.
Bathing
beach;
iv.
Marine
park or marine reserve;
v.
Fish
culture zone;
vi.
Wild
animal protection area;
vii.
Coastal
protection area; or
viii.
Conservation
area; or
b.
Is
less than 100m from a seawater intake point.”
Application for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study Brief (Application No. ESB-198/2008) under section 5(1)(a) of the EIAO was submitted by the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) on 22 October 2008, along with Project Profile No. PP-369/2008. The EIA Study Brief, No. ESB-198/2008, was subsequently issued by EPD on 4 December 2008.
1.2 Purpose and Scope of the EIA Study
¡ The overall acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely to arise as a result of the Project;
¡ 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.
1. to describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements, implementation programme and any phasing programme for carrying out the Project;
2. to identify and describe elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the Project and associated works and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project and associated works, including both the natural and man-made environment and the associated environmental constraints;
3. to provide information on the consideration of alternatives (such as various dredging methods/technologies and mitigation measures) with a view to avoiding or minimizing the potential environmental impacts to the environmentally sensitive areas and other sensitive uses, in particular Tsing Yi, Ma Wan, Kwai Chung, Green Island, Lamma Island, Kau Yi Island, Peng Chau, Siu Kau Yi Chau, Sunshine Island, Hei Ling Chau, Sandy Bay, Pak Kok, Shek Kok Tsui, Ap Lei Chau, Tsuen Wan, etc.;
4. to compare the environmental benefits and disbenefits of each of the alternative options and to provide reasons for selecting the preferred option(s) by means of describing the role environmental factors played in the selection;
5. to identify and quantify emission sources, including air and gaseous emission, noise emission, dredged mud and waste generation, and to determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
6. to identify and quantify any potential loss or damage and other potential impacts to ecological and fisheries resources, flora, fauna and natural habitats and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
7. to identify any potential visual and glare impacts and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
8. to identify any negative impacts on marine archaeological resources and to propose measures to mitigate these impacts;
9. to propose measures to avoid or the provision of infrastructures or mitigation measures to minimize risk, visually intrusive sediment plume dispersion, pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the Project and associated works;
10. to investigate the feasibility, practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation measures;
11. 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 of the Project and associated works, taking into account the relevant programmes on re-provisioning of the affected facilities, in relation to the sensitive receivers and potentially affected uses;
12. to identify, assess and specify methods, measures and standards to be included in the detailed design, construction and operation of the Project and associated works which are necessary to mitigate these environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
13. 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
14. to design and specify environmental monitoring and audit requirements to check the effective implementation of the recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures adopted.
1.3 Structure of this EIA Study Report
The EIA Report is divided into a total of 14 sections, viz.:
¡ Section 2 - Project Description
¡ Section 3 - Water Quality Impact
¡ Section 4 - Waste Management Implications
¡ Section 5 - Marine Ecological Impact
¡ Section 6 - Fisheries Impact
¡ Section 8 - Landscape, Visual and Glare Impact
¡ Section 9 - Cultural Heritage Impact
¡ Section 11 - Air Quality Impact
¡ Section 12 - Environmental Monitoring and Audit Requirements
¡ Section 13 - Implementation Schedule