This first quarterly Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) report presents the EM&A works carried out during the period from 18th November 2005 to 14th February 2006 in accordance with the EM&A Manual.
Spot Acoustic Monitoring and Underwater Noise Monitoring were conducted in the first week of the marine piling and the results complied with the EP requirements. Dolphin Visual Monitoring was conducted during the piling activities and no dolphins were found entering the 500m exclusion zone during piling activities over the reporting period.
Weekly site inspections were conducted during the reporting period and no non-compliance was found. Recommendations have been made to the contractor for observations on the environmental deficiencies on site.
No breaches of action/limit levels was occurred and no environmental summon or prosecution was received in this reporting period. However, two complaints regarding the dust emission were received in October and November 2005. Follow up actions were implemented to minimise the dust emission on site.
Air and noise monitoring are not required for the Project. No water quality monitoring was conducted as no dredging work was implemented.
Leighton Contractors (
The project area is in Area 38 of Tuen Mun and the pipelines are
located in
No air and noise sensitive receivers were identified in the EIA close to the project area. However, water sensitive receivers and ecological sensitive receivers were identified in the EIA study, and are shown in Annex A.
The project organization chart and contact details are shown in Annex C.
The work programme for the Project is presented in Annex D. A summary of the major construction activities undertaken in this reporting period is shown in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1 Summary of Works Undertaken from 18 November 2005 and 14 February 2006
|
Area |
Works Undertaken |
|
Tuen Mun Area 38 |
Marine Piling Works Site Preparation Works Surcharges Construction |
A summary of the relevant permits, licences, notifications and reports submitted for this Project as of 14th February 2006 is presented in Annex E.
Air and noise monitoring are not required for this Project.
Auditing the contractor’s Waste Management Plan (WMP) is part of the EM&A requirements. The WMP was received during the reporting period and was submitted to EPD after our and IEC reviews. The WMP provided details on the waste management issues associated with the construction phase of the project, and included recommendations on the procedures for handling of C&D materials, excavated materials, chemical waste and general refuse.
Major solid wastes generated on site during the reporting period were C&D materials (mainly sand for surcharges) and general refuses. The Contractor indicated that the C&D materials would be reused on site. Bins and recycling facilities were provided on site for general refuse and the C&D wastes were disposed at WENT. Trip tickets were available for inspection.
During site inspections, some rubbish was found on site. The Contractor was advised to remove the rubbish regularly and to inform the staff that rubbish should be placed in the refuse bins provided. Extra bins should be provided on site if considered necessary.
The main type of liquid waste was wasted oil (lubricant oil). Two chemical waste stores were provided on site. The stores were enclosed with 3 sides and a roof top, and labelled. Curtains were provided to cover up the front side of the stores to avoid direct sunlight and rain getting inside the stores. Drip trays were provided for the chemical waste containers and overall, the containers were labelled properly.
During site inspections, some chemical waste containers were found without labels. The Contractor was reminded to label all chemical waste containers properly. The Contractor was advised to seal the store appropriately.
Chemical waste was produced during the reporting period, however, no chemical waste has yet been collected and disposed.
Water quality monitoring will be evaluated against Action and Limit Levels which are presented in Annex F. Water quality monitoring is only required during the dredging phase of the project and the monitoring locations are presented in Annex A. Since no dredging activity has been conducted during the reporting period, water quality monitoring was not required.
The Contractor applied for a wastewater discharge licence on 23 January 06 and the licence has not been issued within the reporting period.
Dolphin pre-construction phase baseline monitoring was conducted prior to the commencement of marine piling works, Spot acoustic monitoring and Underwater noise monitoring were conducted during the first week of the marine piling works and Visual dolphin monitoring for the 500m exclusion zone was conducted during the piling works. The action plan for dolphin pre/post-construction phase monitoring is presented in Annex F. Bubble jackets were used surrounding the pile and barge to reduce the noise impact generated from the marine piling activities.
The watching brief (dive investigation) for marine archaeology is only required during the dredging phase of the pipe trench. Since no dredging activity has been conducted during the reporting period, dive investigation was not required.
According to the EIA report and EM&A Manual, mitigation measures and site inspection are required during the landscaping/planting works. However, no landscaping or planting works were conducted on site during the reporting period. Our weekly inspection included audits on landscape and visual issues to ensure that the site was in orderly acceptable manner. The action plans for design and operational phases are presented in Annex F.
According to the EIA report and EM&A Manual, mitigation measures and design phase audit are required to minimise the risk of fuel spill and hazards. As there was no construction works related to such issues in the reporting period, audit on the mitigation design and measures was not required. However, weekly site inspection covered the waste management aspects which included measures to prevent land contamination by chemical wastes.
Weekly site inspections were conducted during the construction phase of the project covering the aspects of air and noise, water quality, waste management and landscape & visual. Overall the site was in good orderly manner and no non-compliance was found. Table 2.2 summarised the environmental deficiencies found on site during the reporting period.
Table 2.2 Environmental Deficiencies (Observations) from the Site Inspections during the Reporting Period
|
Reporting Month |
Observation |
Follow-up Action |
|
|
|
|
|
December 2005 |
Stagnant water near pier |
Stagnant water was filled with sand. |
|
January 2006 |
A dusty stockpile was found not covered properly |
Cover was provided for the stockpile. |
|
January 2006 |
Stagnant water near a surcharge |
Water (marine) was generated from the surcharge. A trench was formed next to surcharge to
contain water. Stagnant water was also
cleared. |
|
January 2006 |
No front cover for a chemical waste store |
Front cover was provided for the store. |
|
January 2006 |
Chemical waste drums without labels |
Labels were provided for the chemical waste drums. |
|
February 2006 |
A C&D stockpile without cover |
The C&D stockpile was removed. |
|
February 2006 |
Chemical waste drums without labels |
Labels were provided for the chemical waste drums. |
The construction impacts predicted in the EIA and the monthly reports were similar with the actual impacts occurred in the reporting period. However, as the underwater noise monitoring results were not available during the reporting period, it is unable to compare the noise levels generated from the piling barge during piling with the EP conditions. As water quality monitoring was not conducted during the reporting period due to no dredging work, it is unable to conduct prediction review on the water quality.
· Impacts on dolphins due to piling works;
· Noise from operating machinery and equipment;
· Dust release and suppression
· Wastewater discharge within construction site as wet season is approaching
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 G.
No environmental non-compliance or exceedance was found during the reporting period.
During the reporting period, two environmental complaints regarding dust emission were received in November 2005. However, one complaint was made prior to the commencement of the construction works. The ET’s Interim Reports and Complaint Logs of the two complaints were sent to EPD on the 25th November and 5th December 2005 respectively. A copy of the Interim Reports and Complaint Logs, and the follow up actions are attached in Annex H. The contractor conducted follow-up mitigation measures after the complaints including the use of water tankers to wet the site regularly and provided tarpaulin sheets to cover up large stockpiles.
No summons was received in this reporting period.
The EM&A works were conducted throughout the construction period and the relevant monitoring were conducted in accordance with the EP’s requirements. Mitigation measures were used to minimise the environmental impacts on site including those on the piling barge. Some environmental deficiencies were observed during site inspections and the Contractor provided mitigation measures to solve the issues. Overall, the site was in an orderly manner.
Recommendations to the environmental deficiencies found on site during site inspections included:
· To cover up dusty stockpiles and locate them away from the windy locations as possible
· To label all chemical waste containers and store them in enclosed cabin with good ventilation
· To install the wastewater treatment facility as soon as possible to treat the wastewater/runoff from the site as wet season is approaching
· To clear the stagnant water on site or fill the ponds with sand