1.1.1
Environmental Protection Department (hereinafter referred as “EPD”)
is the Project Proponent for the Project “Organic Waste Treatment Facilities Phase 2” (hereinafter referred as “the
Project”). The Project is a Designated Project to be implemented
under Environmental Permit No. FEP-460/2013 (hereinafter referred as “the EP”).
The major
construction work of the Project included:
(i)
Demolition and removal of the existing above ground structures of
the Sha Ling Livestock Waste Composting Plant (SLCP);
(ii)
Construction of superstructure for an administration building and
enclosed waste reception area;
(iii)
Installation of treatment facilities including waste pre-treatment
equipment, digesters, biogas holding tanks, granulator/granulation building,
wastewater treatment, air treatment systems; and
(iv)
Facilities for biogas processing, utilization and transmission;
1.1.2
AJA Joint Venture (hereinafter referred as “AJAJV”) has
been awarded the EPD Contract No. EP/SP/86/15 “Organic Waste Treatment Facilities
Phase 2”.
In accordance with the Works Contract requirements, AJAJV shall take over the responsibility of the EP. Based on the requirement,
Further Environmental Permit application was submitted by AJAJV to EPD on 10 September 2019 and granted on 2 October 2019. A variation of Further Environmental
Permit was granted on 14 September 2020. The Further Environmental Permit is named as FEP-01/460/2013/A (hereinafter referred as “the FEP”).
1.1.3
According to the approved Environmental Monitoring
and Audit Manual (hereinafter referred as “the EM&A Manual”), AJAJV
employed Action-United
Environmental Services & Consulting (hereinafter
referred as “AUES”) as Environmental Team (hereinafter referred as “ET”) to implement
monitoring programme and as well as the associated duties.
1.1.4
According to the EM&A Manual, construction noise was
identified as the only key environmental issue during the construction phase of
the Project and it is required to carry out construction noise monitoring
throughout the construction phase.
Furthermore, baseline noise monitoring as part of the EM&A programmes shall be conducted prior to the commencement of the
construction works under the Project.
Thus, baseline noise monitoring
was conducted by ET
from 25
September 2019 to 8 October 2019. The baseline
monitoring report compiled by the ET was verified by Independent Environmental
Checker (hereinafter the “IEC’) and was submitted to EPD on 19th
November 2019 for endorsement.
1.1.5
The
Project works was commenced on 3rd December 2019. This is the 40th EM&A monthly report presenting the construction
noise monitoring results and site inspection findings from 1 to 31 March 2023 (hereinafter the “Reporting Period”).
1.
1.1
1.2.1 The Monthly
Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Report is structured into the
following sections:-
Section 1 Introduction
Section 2 Project
Organization and Construction Progress
Section 3 Summary
of Impact Monitoring Requirements
Section 4 Construction
Noise Monitoring
Section 5 Waste
Management
Section 6 Site
Inspections
Section 7 Environmental
Complaints and Non-Compliance
Section 8 Implementation
Status of Mitigation Measures
Section 9 Conclusions
and Recommendations
2.1.1
Organization structure and contact details of relevant parties
with respect to on-site environmental management are shown in Appendix B. The responsibilities of respective
parties are:
Engineer or Engineers
Representative (ER)
2.1.2
The ER is responsible for overseeing the construction works and
for ensuring that the works are undertaken by the Contractor in accordance with
the specification and contract requirements. The duties and responsibilities of
the ER with respect to EM&A include:
·
to monitor the Contractor’s compliance with Contract
Specifications, including the effective implementation and operation of the
environmental mitigation measures;
·
to employ an Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) to audit the
results of the EM&A works carried out by the Environmental Team (ET);
·
to monitor Contractors’, ET’s and IEC’s compliance with the
requirements in the Environmental Permit (EP) and EM&A Manual;
·
to facilitate ET’s implementation of the EM&A programme;
·
participate in joint site inspection by the ET and IEC;
·
to oversee the implementation of the agreed Event / Action Plan in
the event of any exceedance; and,
·
to adhere to the procedures for carrying out
complaint investigation.
The Contractor
2.1.3
The Contractor should report to the ER. The duties and
responsibilities of the Contractor include:
·
to comply with the relevant contract conditions and specifications
on environmental protection;
·
to employ an ET to undertake monitoring, laboratory analysis and
reporting of EM&A;
·
to facilitate ET’s monitoring and site inspection activities;
·
to participate in the site inspections undertaken by the ET and
IEC, and undertake any corrective actions;
·
to provide information / advice to the ET regarding works programme and activities which may contribute to the
generation of adverse environmental impacts;
·
to submit proposals on mitigation measures in case of exceedance
of Action and Limit levels in accordance with the Event / Action Plans;
·
to implement measures to reduce impact where Action and Limit levels
are exceeded; and,
·
to adhere to the procedures for carrying out
complaint investigation.
Environmental Team (ET)
2.1.4
The ET will be led and managed by the ET Leader. ET Leader should have relevant
professional qualifications in environmental control and possess at least 7
years of experience in EM&A. Suitably qualified staff should be included in
the ET, and resources for the implementation of the EM&A programme should be allocated in the time under the
Contract, to enable fulfilment of the Project’s EM&A requirements as
specified in the EM&A Manual during construction of the Project. The ET
should report to Project Proponent and the duties should include:
·
to monitor and audit various environmental parameters as required
in this EM&A Manual;
·
to analyse the environmental monitoring
and audit data, review the success of EM&A programme
and the adequacy of mitigation measures implemented, confirm the validity of
the EIA predictions and identify any adverse environmental impacts arising;
·
to monitor compliance with conditions in the EP, environmental
protection, pollution prevention and control regulations and contract
specifications;
·
to audit environmental conditions on site;
·
to report on the environmental monitoring and audit results to
EPD, the ER, the IEC and Contractor or their delegated representatives;
·
to recommend suitable mitigation measures to the Contractor in the
case of exceedance of Action and Limit levels in accordance with the Event and
Action Plans;
·
to liaise with the IEC on all environmental performance matters,
and ensure timely submission of all relevant EM&A pro forma for IEC’s
approval;
·
to provide advice to the Contractor on environmental improvement,
awareness and enhancement matters, etc on site;
·
to adhere to the procedures for carrying out complaint
investigation;
·
to prepare reports on the environmental monitoring data and the
site environmental conditions;
·
to submit the EM&A report to Director of Environmental
Protection (DEP) timely;
·
to review proposals of mitigation measures from the Contractor in
case of exceedance of Action and Limit levels, in accordance with Event and
Action Plan; and,
·
to carry out site inspection to investigate
and audit the Contractor’s site practice, equipment and work methodologies with
respect to pollution control and mitigation measures.
Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)
2.1.5
The IEC is empowered to audit the environmental performance of
construction, but is independent from the management of construction
works. As such, the IEC should not
be in any way an associated body of the Contractor or the ET for the Project.
The IEC should be a person who has relevant professional qualifications in
environmental control and at least 7 years’ experience in EM&A and
environmental management. The duties and responsibilities of the IEC are:
·
to provide proactive advice to the ER on EM&A matters related
to the project;
·
to review and verify the monitoring data and all submissions in connection
with the EP and EM&A Manual submitted by the ET;
·
to arrange and conduct regular, at least monthly site inspections
of the works during the construction phase, and to carry out ad hoc inspections
if significant environmental problems are identified;
·
to check compliance with the agreed Event / Action Plan in the
event of any exceedance;
·
to check compliance with the procedures for carrying out complaint
investigation;
·
to check the effectiveness of corrective measures;
·
to feedback audit results to the ET by signing off relevant
EM&A pro forma;
·
to check that mitigation measures are effectively implemented;
·
to report the works conducted, and the findings, recommendations
and improvements of the site inspections, after reviewing ET’s and Contractor’s
works, to the ER on a monthly basis;
·
to verify the investigation result of the environmental complaint
cases and the effectiveness of corrective measures;
·
to verify EM&A report that has been certified by ET leader;
and,
·
to audit EIA recommendations and requirements
against the status of implementation of environmental mitigation measures on
site.
2.
2.2
2.2.1
3-month rolling construction program of the Project is enclosed in Appendix D; and the major construction
activities undertaken in the Reporting Period is presented as below:
Ÿ
Granulation Building – Pre E&M installation
ABWF at CHP Area
Ÿ
Reception Building – Skylight installation
Ÿ
AD Tanks – AD1 & AD3 Mass fill tank; AD 4 steel
stair tower installation
Ÿ
Footbridge – ABWF Erecting bamboo scaffolding
Ÿ
Sitewide underground
utilities work –at Portion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Ÿ
Master Meter Room – Structure construction
2.3
2.3.1
Summary of the relevant permits, licenses,
and/or notifications on environmental protection for the Project of contract 1 are presented in Tables 2-1.
Table 2-1 Status of Environmental Licenses and Permits of the Project
|
Item
|
Description
|
License/Permit
Status
|
|
Permit no./ account
no./ Ref. no.
|
Valid Period
|
Status
|
|
From
|
To
|
|
1
|
Notification
pursuant to Air pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation
|
Application No. 448863
|
9 Sep 2019
|
NA
|
Valid
|
|
2
|
Chemical
Waste Producer Registration
|
Ref. No.
5211-641-A2957-01
|
9 Oct 2019
|
NA
|
Valid
|
|
3
|
Water
Pollution Control Ordinance - Discharge
License
|
Application No. 448913
|
--
|
--
|
Application made on 10 Sep 2019
|
|
4
|
Waste Disposal Regulation - Billing Account for Disposal
of Construction Waste
|
Account No.
7035307
|
2 Oct 2019
|
NA
|
Valid
|
|
5
|
Further Environmental Permit
|
FEP-01/460/2013/A
|
14 Sep 2020
|
NA
|
Valid
|
|
6
|
Construction Noise Permit
|
GW-RN1254-22
|
6 Jan 2023
|
5 Apr 2023
|
Valid
|
|
7
|
Waste Water Discharge License
|
WT00035196-2019
|
20 Mar 2020
|
31 Mar 2025
|
Valid
|
2.4
3.1.1
According
to Environmental Monitoring and Audit requirements set out in the Approved EM&A
manual, construction noise was identified as the only key environmental issues
during the construction phase of the Project.
3.1.2
The
construction noise monitoring requirement stated in the approved EM&A
Manual is summarized in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1 Summary
of EM&A Requirements
|
Environmental Issue
|
Parameters
|
|
Noise
|
Ÿ Leq(30min) in normal working
days (Monday to Saturday) 07:00-19:00 except public holiday
Ÿ Supplementary
information for data auditing, statistical results such as L10 and
L90 shall also be obtained for reference.
Ÿ Leq(5min) if construction works are extended to restricted
hours 19:00-07:00 including public holidays and Sundays
|
3.2.1
According to the EM&A Manual
Section 4.2.3, four (4) designated noise sensitive receivers (NSR) were recommended as construction
noise monitoring stations. Since
two
of the designated monitoring locations N2 and N3 were found not accessible, alternative
monitoring locations N2a and N3a were therefore proposed for the noise
monitoring and were approved by EPD on 1 June 2021. Details of the locations
for construction noise monitoring in the Reporting Period is listed in Table 3-2 and showed in Appendix C.
Table 3-2 Impact
Monitoring Stations – Construction Noise
|
ID
|
Location
|
|
N1
|
Village House No. 308, Sha Ling
|
|
N2a
|
Village House No. 318, Sha Ling
|
|
N3a
|
Village House No. 261, Sha Ling
|
|
N4
|
Village House in Sha Ling
|
3.3.1
Noise
monitoring shall be conducted at the all available designated monitoring
stations or alternative locations. The monitoring frequency shall depend on
scale of the construction activities.
According to EM&A manual, regular noise monitoring should be carried
out once a week when noise generating activities are underway and the
monitoring requirement is presented below:
Ÿ
one
set of Leq(30min) measurements between
07:00 and 19:00 hours on normal weekdays
3.3.2
If construction works are extended to restricted hours
19:00-07:00 in normal working days (Monday to Saturday), and 00:00-24:00 during
public holidays including Sunday, additional weekly impact monitoring should be
carried out during the respective restricted hour periods. Leq(5min) measurements should be employed during the restricted
hours.
3.
4.
4.2
4.3
3.4.1
Sound level meter in compliance with the International Electrotechnical Commission Publications 651: 1979 (Type 1)
and 804: 1985 (Type 1) specifications shall be used for carrying out the noise
monitoring. The sound level meter
shall be checked using an acoustic calibrator. The wind speed shall be checked with a
portable wind speed meter capable of measuring the wind speed in ms-1.
3.4.2
Equipment used for construction
noise monitoring is listed in Table 3-3.
Table 3-3 Construction
Noise Monitoring Equipment
|
Equipment
|
Model
|
|
Integrating Sound Level Meter
|
Rion NL-52
|
|
Calibrator
|
Rion NC-73
|
|
Portable Wind Speed Indicator
|
Anemometer
AZ Instrument 8908 Wind Speed Indicator
|
3.5.1
All noise measurements will be performed with the meter set to
FAST response and on the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (Leq). Leq(30 min) in six
consecutive Leq(5 min) measurements will be used as the
monitoring parameter for the time period between 07:00-19:00 hours on weekdays
throughout the construction period.
3.5.2
The sound level meter will be mounted on a tripod at a height of
1.2 m and placed at the assessment point and oriented such that the microphone
is pointed to the site with the microphone facing perpendicular to the line of sight. The windshield will
be fitted for all measurements. Where a measurement is to be carried out
at a building, the assessment point would normally be at a position 1 m from
the exterior of the building façade. Where a measurement is to be made for
noise being received at a place other than a building, the assessment point
would be at a position 1.2 m above the ground in a free-field situation, i.e.
at least 3.5 m away from reflective surfaces such as adjacent buildings or
walls.
3.5.3
Immediately prior to and following each noise measurement the
accuracy of the sound level meter will be checked using an acoustic calibrator generating a
known sound pressure level at a known frequency. Measurements will be accepted as valid
only if the calibration level from before and after the noise measurement
agrees to within 1.0 dB.
3.5.4
Noise measurements will not be made in fog, rain, wind with a
steady speed exceeding 5m/s or wind with gusts exceeding 10m/s. The wind speed will be checked
with a portable wind speed meter capable of measuring the wind speed in m/s.
3.5.5
The sound level meter and calibrator are
calibrated and certified by a laboratory accredited under HOKLAS or any other
international accreditation scheme at yearly basis. Calibration
certificates of all the noise monitoring
equipment used for the impact monitoring program will be provided in each EM&A
Monthly Report.
3.6.1
Action
and Limit levels for construction noise as stipulated in the approved
Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual are listed in Tables 3-4.
Table 3-4 Action
and Limit Levels for Construction Noise
|
Monitoring Location
|
Action Level
|
Limit Level in dB(A)
|
|
Time Period:
|
0700-1900 hours on normal
weekdays
|
|
N1
|
When
one or more documented complaints are received
|
75 dB(A)
|
|
N2a
|
|
N3a
|
|
N4
|
|
Time Period:
|
19:00-07:00 in normal working days
(Monday to Saturday), and 00:00-24:00 during public holidays including Sunday
|
|
N1
|
When
one or more documented complaints are received
|
60 dB(A)
|
|
N2a
|
|
N3a
|
|
N4
|
Note: If works are to be carried out during
restricted hours, the conditions stipulated in the construction noise
permit issued by the Noise Control Authority should be followed.
5.
5.2.1
3.6.2
Should non-compliance of the environmental quality
criteria occur, remedial actions will be triggered according to the Event and
Action Plan presented in Appendix E.
3.7.1 All monitoring data will be handled by the
ET’s in-house data
recording and management system.
The
monitoring data recorded in the equipment will be downloaded directly from the
equipment at the end of each monitoring day. The downloaded monitoring data will be
input into a computerized database properly maintained by the ET.
4.1.1
In the Reporting Period, construction noise monitoring
was performed at monitoring
location N1, N2a, N3a and N4. Additional weekly noise
monitoring during restricted hours were also performed due to construction works
were carried out during public holiday including Sunday. The noise monitoring schedule is presented in Appendix F.
4.1.2
Valid calibration certificates of monitoring equipment
are shown in Appendix G and the construction noise monitoring results are summarized in
the following sub-sections.
4.2.1 20 sessions
of daytime construction noise monitoring and 32 sessions of additional weekly monitoring during restricted hours were
performed at the agreed
monitoring locations in the reporting period. Since the noise measurement was made
under free field condition, a
façade correction of +3dB(A) was added according to
acoustical principles and EPD guidelines. For the approved alternative
monitoring locations N2a and N3a, an additional distance correction of +1 dB(A) and +3 dB(A) respectively were applied. The daytime noise monitoring results are summarized in Table
4-1 to Table 4-4 and the noise monitoring result during restricted
hours are summarized in Table 4-5 to Table 4-8. The detailed noise monitoring data are presented in Appendix H and the relevant graphical plots are shown in Appendix I.
Table 4-1 Daytime
Construction Noise Impact Monitoring Results at N1
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq30min
|
|
1-Mar-23
|
9:19
|
9:49
|
65.1
|
|
7-Mar-23
|
9:30
|
10:00
|
61.8
|
|
13-Mar-23
|
13:16
|
13:46
|
61.3
|
|
24-Mar-23
|
9:17
|
9:47
|
61.8
|
|
30-Mar-23
|
9:15
|
9:45
|
63.4
|
Table 4-2 Daytime
Construction Noise Impact Monitoring Results at N2a
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq30min
|
|
1-Mar-23
|
10:03
|
10:33
|
55.9
|
|
7-Mar-23
|
10:05
|
10:35
|
54.7
|
|
13-Mar-23
|
13:51
|
14:21
|
58.0
|
|
24-Mar-23
|
9:54
|
10:24
|
52.4
|
|
30-Mar-23
|
9:55
|
10:25
|
55.2
|
Table 4-3 Daytime
Construction Noise Impact Monitoring Results at N3a
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq30min
|
|
1-Mar-23
|
11:29
|
11:59
|
66.7
|
|
7-Mar-23
|
11:18
|
11:48
|
68.1
|
|
13-Mar-23
|
15:16
|
15:46
|
72.6
|
|
24-Mar-23
|
14:07
|
14:37
|
69.2
|
|
30-Mar-23
|
11:15
|
11:45
|
70.6
|
Table 4-4 Daytime
Construction Noise Impact Monitoring Results at N4
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq30min
|
|
1-Mar-23
|
10:46
|
11:16
|
61.4
|
|
7-Mar-23
|
10:40
|
11:10
|
64.3
|
|
13-Mar-23
|
14:28
|
14:58
|
65.6
|
|
24-Mar-23
|
13:24
|
13:54
|
64.1
|
|
30-Mar-23
|
10:35
|
11:05
|
64.0
|
Table 4-5 Additional
Noise Impact Monitoring Results during Restricted Hours at N1
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq5min
|
|
3-Mar-23
|
20:26
|
20:31
|
49.7
|
|
5-Mar-23
|
9:48
|
9:53
|
49.2
|
|
9-Mar-23
|
20:01
|
20:06
|
51.0
|
|
12-Mar-23
|
9:57
|
10:02
|
57.4
|
|
17-Mar-23
|
20:17
|
20:22
|
47.0
|
|
19-Mar-23
|
9:58
|
10:03
|
55.8
|
|
23-Mar-23
|
19:53
|
19:58
|
58.9
|
|
27-Mar-23
|
19:31
|
19:36
|
58.9
|
Table 4-6 Additional
Noise Impact Monitoring Results during Restricted Hours at N2a
|
Date
|
Time of Starting
|
Time of Finishing
|
Measurement Result (dB(A))
|
|
Leq5min
|
|
3-Mar-23
|
19:58
|
20:03
|
52.6
|
|
5-Mar-23
|
9:25
|
9:30
|
52.2
|
|
9-Mar-23
|
19:38
|
19:43
|
52.0
|
|
12-Mar-23
|
9:33
|
9:38
|
52.7
|
|
17-Mar-23
|
19:49
|
19:54
|
49.1
|
|
19-Mar-23
|
9:25
|
