Contents
1.1 Purpose of the Report
2.1 Project Area
2.2 Environmental Sensitive Receivers
2.3 Major Construction Activities
2.4 Monitoring Schedule of The Reporting Month
2.5 Status of Environmental Approval Documents
2.6 Community Liaison Group Meeting
2.7 Summary of Non-Compliance With The Environmental Quality
Performance Limits
2.8 Summary of Environmental Complaints
2.9 Summary of Environmental Summons
3 Environmental Issues and Actions
3.1 Previous Environmental Deficiencies and Follow-up
Actions
3.2 Implementation Status on Environmental Protection
Requirements
4.1 Air and Noise
4.2 Water Quality
4.3 POPs Monitoring
4.4 Waste Management
4.5 Cultural Heritage
4.6 Landscape and Visual
4.7 Land Contamination, Hazard to Life and Fuel Spill
Risk
4.8 Ecology
4.9 EM&A Manual
4.10 Baseline Water Quality Monitoring
5.1 Key Issues for the Next Month
5.2 Impact Prediction for the Next Month
5.3 Works and Monitoring Schedule for the Next Month
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Summary of Works Undertaken
During the Reporting Period
Table 2.2 Cumulative
Quantity of Excavated Marine Sediments
Table 2.3 Summary
of Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
LIST OF ANNEXES
Annex B Water Quality
and Ecological Sensitive Receivers
Annex C Cumulative Complaints Statistics
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
The construction
works for the Permanent Aviation Fuel Facility resumed on 9 July 2007. This thirtieth
monthly Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) report presents the
EM&A work carried out during the period from 1 April to 30 April 2009
in accordance with the EM&A Manual.
Breaches of all Action and Limit Levels
No water quality monitoring
was conducted (due to no dredging work) during the reporting period that
required comparison against Action and Limit Levels.
Complaint Log
No environmental
complaints were received during the reporting period.
Notifications of any Summons
and Successful Prosecutions
No environmental summons or prosecutions were received in this reporting
period.
Reporting Changes
There were no reporting changes in the reporting period.
Future Key Issues
·
Dust
release and suppression; and,
·
Installation
of subsea pipelines and backfilling of rock armour over the pipelines.
Leighton
Contractors (
The construction works for PAFF commenced in November 2005 based upon
the previous EIA (EIAO Register Number
AEIAR-062-2002) conducted and the Environmental Permit EP-139/2002 granted on the 28th August 2002. Due to minor changes to the detailed layout
of the site and the site boundary, application for Variation to the
Environmental Permit (VEP) (VEP-133/2004)
was submitted to the Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) for
approval. The variation to the EP (EP-139/2002/A) was granted by the EPD in
February 2004.
The decision by
the EPD to grant the above Environmental Permit was, however, subject to a Judicial
Review. The Judicial Review sided in the
favour of the DEP, as did the subsequent Judgement from the Court of Appeal
from the High Court for Judicial Review in March 2005. However, the DEP’s
decision to grant the EP was quashed by the Judgement of the Court of Final
Appeal of July 2006.
The construction
works were stopped following the Judgement of the Court of Final Appeal of July
2006. As such, in order to continue with
the construction of the project, the project went through the statutory procedures
under the EIAO again with a new design in order to obtain an environmental
permit. The revised EIA was submitted in
2007 and the environmental permit (EP-262/2007)
was granted in May 2007. EP-262/2007 has been amended to EP-262/2007/A and issued by the EPD on
30 November 2007. A further Variation to
the Environmental Permit has been approved to allow dredging works to continue
until March 2008. As such, EP-262/2007/A has been amended to EP-262/2007/B and issued by the EPD on
27 February 2008.
The construction works and EM&A requirements were resumed on 9th
July 2007 following the latest requirements of the EP-262/2007/B and EM&A
Manual. Details regarding the
EM&A requirements and changes should refer to the updated EM&A Manual. For the marine works, all piling activities
were completed before the previous suspension of construction works in 2006.
This is the thirtieth EM&A Report which
summarizes the monitoring results and audit findings for the EM&A programme
during the reporting period from 1 April
to 30 April 2009.
The project area
is in Area 38 of Tuen Mun
and the pipelines are located in
No air and noise
sensitive receivers were identified close to the project area. However, water sensitive receivers and
ecological sensitive receivers were identified in the EIA study, and are shown
in Annex B.
A summary of the major
works undertaken in this reporting period is shown in Table 2.1. Marine dredging operations were completed on
23 January 2009. Table 2.2 presents the
cumulative quantity of excavated materials up to that date. Daily and cumulative dredging production
rates are illustrated in Figure 2.1.
Table 2.1 Summary
of Works Undertaken During the Reporting Period
|
Area |
Works
undertaken |
|
Tuen Mun Area 38 |
Tank Farm, Roof Truss and
Bund Wall Construction Permanent Drainage
Construction Operational & Fire
Services Buildings Construction Jetty Works (Non-piling) |
|
Submarine |
Pipeline Installation
Works from Jetty Area to Seawall at Tuen Mun Area 38 and from Seawall to Sha
Chau Jetty (Section N3902-S3830) |
Table 2.2 Cumulative
Quantity of Excavated Marine Sediments
|
Type of Excavated Materials |
Cumulative Bulk Volume (m3) |
|
From 17 December
2007 to 31 March 2008 |
|
|
Contaminated
Mud |
105,974 |
|
Uncontaminated
Mud |
97,815 |
|
|
|
|
From 1
September 2008 to 23 January 2009 |
|
|
Contaminated
Mud |
0 |
|
Uncontaminated
Mud |
149,147 |
No water quality monitoring was conducted during the
reporting period, hence presentation of the monitoring
schedule is not applicable.
A summary of the relevant permits, licences, and/or
notifications on environmental protection for this Project since July 2007 is
presented in Table 2.3.
Table 2.3 Summary
of Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
|
Permit/ Licenses/ Notification |
Reference |
Validity
Period |
Remarks |
|
Environmental
Permit |
EP-262/2007/B |
Throughout
Project |
Issued
on 27 February 2008 (EP-262/2007/A on
30 November 2007, EP-262/2007
issued on 31 May 2007, EP-139/2002
originally granted on 28 August 2002 and EP-139/2002/A
granted on 24 February 2004 were superseded) |
|
Chemical
Waste Producer Registration |
WPN 5111-421-L2174-25 |
Throughout
Project |
Issued
on 10 November 2005 |
|
Notification
of Construction Works under Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation |
H2104/U1D/5542/DG/DH/PL |
Throughout
Project |
Notification
on 6 July 2007 |
|
Construction
Noise Permit |
GW-RW0676-07 |
21
December 2007 to 19 June 2008 |
For
land-based works including air compressors, breakers, excavators, wheeled loaders,
mobile cranes, concrete lorry mixers, hand-held pokers, bar benders/cutters,
wood saws, grinders, submarine water pump, lorries with crane, dump trucks,
rollers, ventilation fans and generators |
|
GW-RW0677-07 |
21
December 2007 to 29 February 2008 |
For
marine dredging operation including grab dredger, tug boat, split hopper
barge and motor sampan |
|
|
GW-RW0678-07 |
21
December 2007 to 18 June 2008 |
For
marine jetty works including concrete pump derrick barges, hand-held grinders,
generators, air compressors, boring machines, water pumps, tug boat, grout
mixers and grout pumps |
|
|
GW-RW0094-08 |
1
March to 31 March 2008 |
For
marine dredging operation including grab dredger, tug boat, split hopper
barge and motor sampan |
|
|
GW-RW0312-08 |
04
July 2008 to 22 December 2008 |
For
marine jetty works including concrete pump derrick barges, hand-held
grinders, generators, air compressors, boring machines, water pumps, tug
boat, grout mixers and grout pumps |
|
|
GW-RW0313-08 |
04
July 2008 to 19 December 2008 |
For
land-based works including air compressors, breakers, excavators, wheeled
loaders, mobile cranes, concrete lorry mixers, hand-held pokers, bar
benders/cutters, wood saws, grinders, submarine water pump, lorries with
crane, dump trucks, rollers, ventilation fans and generators |
|
|
GW-RW0373-08 |
1
August 2008 to 20 January 2009 |
For
land-based works including air compressors, breakers, excavators, wheeled
loaders, mobile cranes, concrete lorry mixers, hand-held pokers, bar
benders/cutters, wood saws, grinders, submarine water pump, lorries with
crane, dump trucks, rollers, ventilation fans, generators, stirrer, jet
chisel, water jet machine and dehumidifier |
|
|
|
GW-RW0368-08 |
1
September to 30 November 2008 |
For
marine dredging operation including grab dredger, tug boat, split hopper
barge and motor sampan |
|
GW-RW0054-09 |
16
February 2009 to 5 August 2009 |
For
land-based and marine works including passenger launch, winch, welding
machine, grinder, generator, power pack, tug boat, crane, air compressor,
roller, hoist and derrick barge |
|
|
Marine
Dumping Permit |
EP/MD/08-064 |
13
December 2007 to 29 February 2008 |
For
Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal |
|
EP/MD/08-065 |
13
December 2007 to 12 January 2008 |
For
Type 1d & Type 2 marine disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/08-071 |
13
January 2008 to 12 February 2008 |
For
Type 1d & Type 2 marine disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/08-090 |
3
March to 31 March 2008 |
For
Type 1d & Type 2 marine disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/08-091 |
3
March to 31 March 2008 |
For
Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/09-018 |
1
September to 30 September 2008 |
For
Type 1d & Type 2 marine disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/09-032 |
1
October to 31 October 2008 |
For
Type 1d & Type 2 marine disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/09-017 |
1
September to 30 November 2008 |
For
Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal |
|
|
EP/MD/09-039 |
1
December 2008 to 31 January 2009 |
For
Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal |
|
|
Wastewater
Discharge License |
EP760/421/011399/l |
15 March 2006 to 31 March 2011 |
Issued
on 15 March 2006 |
According to the EP requirements, a Community Liaison
Group (CLG) shall be established within three months after commencement of
construction of the Project. The major
duty of the CLG is to advise on and monitor the proper design, construction and
operation of the Project. The CLG
comprises representatives from Airport Authority, members of Tuen Mun community and academics. The details of the CLG (including Membership
and its Terms of Reference) can be found on the Project website
(http://www.paffhk.com).
No environmental
non-compliance was found during the reporting period.
No environmental
complaints were received during the reporting period. A summary of environmental complaints since project
commencement is presented in Annex C.
No summons was
received in this reporting period. A
summary of legal proceeding since project commencement is presented in Annex C.
As no
environmental complaint was received over the last reporting period, no
follow-up action was required.
Site inspections
were carried out by the ET on 2, 8, 15, 22 and 29 April 2009. Overall, the site was in good orderly manner
and no non-compliance was found.
Environmental deficiencies and follow-up actions/mitigation measures
were identified during the inspections, as follows:
Air Quality
·
On 2 and 29 April 2009, the Contractor was reminded to water regularly
on the unpaved areas as well as during sediment excavation to avoid dust
generation.
·
On 22 April 2009, the Contractor was reminded to cover or water
regularly on the stockpiles of excavated materials to avoid dust generation.
Water Quality
·
On 2, 8 and 22 April 2009, stagnant water pools were observed inside chemical waste storage and around tank farm area. On 8 and 29 April 2009, stagnant water pools were
observed at the tap water system next to the workshop. The Contractor was reminded to arrange ad hoc water clearance as necessary.
Waste Management
·
On 2 April 2009,
waste drums in the chemical waste storage were not labelled. The Contractor was recommended to label the
containers with proper stickers with reference to the Code of Practice on the Packaging, Labelling and Storage of Chemical
Wastes under the Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap. 354).
·
On 8 and 22 April 2009, general and construction wastes such as wooden
board were accumulated next to the temporary office without proper
receptacle. The Contractor was reminded to replace bins for temporary storage as
soon as possible.
·
On 8, 15, 22 and 29
April 2009, waste paper and general waste bins in the tank farm area were
observed to be full. The Contractor was
recommended to arrange collection of wastes by a licensed Contractor as soon as
possible.
With the
exception of the above observations, the site was in a good orderly
manner. The ET will keep track on the
EM&A programme to ensure compliance of environmental requirements and the
proper implementation of all necessary mitigation measures.
The implementation
status of environmental mitigation measures and requirements as stated in the EIA Report, Environmental Permits and EM&A Manual
during the reporting period is summarized in Annex
D.
Air and Noise
monitoring is not required for the project.
No dredging activities were scheduled from 24 January 2009
onwards. Water quality monitoring was
therefore not required for the reporting month.
Persistent
organic pollutants (POPs) monitoring was not required
since there was no dredging operation during the reporting month.
The
Watching Brief Report, verified by
the Independent Environmental Checker, was submitted to the EPD and AMO on 9
May 2008.
According to the EIA report and EM&A Manual, mitigation measures and site inspection are
required during the landscaping/planting works.
The berm/landscaping bund was habilitated by
vegetation which was grown during the project suspension period.
The weekly site
inspections included general audits on landscape and visual issues to ensure
that the site was in an orderly and acceptable manner.
The ET and IEC verified
updated design audit plan was submitted to the EPD on 7 November 2007.
Weekly site
inspection covered the waste management aspects which included measures to
prevent land contamination by chemical wastes.
Dolphin visual
monitoring was not required as no dredging works were scheduled for the
reporting period.
The EM&A Manual for the Project has been
updated by the ET to include the detailed arrangements of setting up a CLG,
carrying out design audit, and monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants
during construction of the Project.
The revised EM&A Manual,
which has been verified by the IEC, was submitted to the EPD on 1 April 2009.
The Final Baseline Monitoring Report was submitted to the EPD on 20
February 2008 and placed under the EIAO register.
Key issue to be
considered in the next month will be:
·
dust
release and suppression; and,
·
installation of subsea pipelines and backfilling of rock armour
over pipelines.
Provided that
environmental mitigation measures including good on-site practises are properly
implemented, it is not expected that unacceptable adverse impacts will arise.
Work programme
for the next month includes:
·
pipeline
installation and backfilling works;
·
jetty
platform works (non-piling); and
·
site works (construction works for tank farm, operational and fire services
buildings, drainages, bund wall, security wall etc).
Weekly site
inspections will be undertaken.