Quality of Coastal Waters | Environmental Protection Department

Overview

Following the full commissioning of Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) Stage 2A in December 2015, all sewage generated from both sides of Victoria Harbour is conveyed to Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works for centralized treatment and disinfection, the water quality in the Harbour has improved further.

However, the residual pollutions that discharge into the urban coastal waters, i.e. those not collected by our sewerage system due to various factors such as drain misconnections, and polluted surface run-offs from streets etc.,are still causing near shore pollution and frequent complaints on odour and visual impacts, in particular at areas that are easily accessible by the public and close to population and business centres. Following the commissioning of HATS Stage 2A, near shore pollution in Victoria Harbour has become our priority water quality problem. To deal with it will require measures that can effectively reduce or collect the many residual discharges from a wide range of small sources that are large in numbers in the urban area. A consultancy study on Further Enhancing Quality of Coastal Waters of Victoria Harbour was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Department in January 2016 to formulate recommendations and strategy to enhance the quality of the coastal waters of Victoria Harbour.

Based on the findings, actions are being taken to rectify the sewer misconnections identified. A number of dry-weather flow interceptors are being built to reduce the amount of pollutant discharged from the stormwater drainage system into the coastal water. A major territory-wide sewer rehabilitation programme is also underway to prevent the leakage of sewage from ageing sewers. Upon completion of these projects, further improvements can be made to the Victoria Harbour’s water quality.

Milestones

Year	Achievements and events
2013	Announcement of the Government’s plan to study ways to further enhance the water quality of the urban coastal waters in the 2013 Policy Address.
2014	Announcement of commissioning a consultancy study with the long-term objective of enhancing the leisure and amenity value of the coastal areas of Victoria Harbour in the 2014 Policy Address.
2015	The 2015 Policy Address further mentions the provision of venues for water activities along waterfront areas. Funding application for the consultancy study was approved by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council on 26 Jun 2015.
2016	A consultancy study on Further Enhancing Quality of Coastal Waters of Victoria Harbour was commissioned in January 2016.
2017	Preliminary findings of the study on Further Enhancing Quality of Coastal Waters of Victoria Harbour was reported to Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs.