Revision History

C

Updated Appendix D

8 March 2024

B

Revision based on EPD and AFCD¡¦s comment

15 May 2019

A

First Submission

31 January 2018

Rev.

Description of Modification

Date

 

 

Content

 

1.     Basic Project Information. 5

2.     Marine Water Quality Monitoring. 9

3.     Noise Monitoring. 15

4.     Waste. 19

5.     Coral 20

6.     Marine Mammal 33

7.     White-Bellied Sea Eagle. 38

8      Summary of Monitoring Exceedance, Complaints, Notification of Summons and Prosecutions  40

9.     EM&A Site Inspection. 41

10.   Conclusion and Recommendations. 42

 

 


Appendix A

Master Programme

Appendix B

Summary of Implementation Status of Environmental Mitigation

Appendix C

Water Quality Monitoring Data Trending

Appendix D

Noise Monitoring Data Trending

Appendix E

Waste Flow Table

Appendix F

Photo Records for Coral Monitoring

Appendix G

Photo Records for Marine Mammal Monitoring

Appendix H

Photo Records for White-bellied Sea Eagle Monitoring

Appendix I

Complaint Log

 

 


 

Executive Summary

 

A1.       The Project, Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF), is a Designated Project under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) (EIAO) and is currently governed by a Further Environmental Permit (FEP No. FEP-01/429/2012/A) for the construction and operation of the Project.

A2.       In accordance with the Updated Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual for the Project, EM&A works for marine water quality, noise, waste management and ecology should be carried out by Environmental Team (ET), Acuity Sustainability Consulting Limited (ASCL), during the construction phase of the Project.

A3.       This is the 2nd Quarterly EM&A Report, prepared by ASCL, for the Project summarizing and concluding the monitoring results and audit findings of the EM&A programme at and around Shek Kwu Chau (SKC) during the reporting period from 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018.

A4.       The EM&A works for construction noise, water quality, construction waste, coral, marine mammal and White-Bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE) were conducted during the reporting period in accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual.

A5.       Weekly site inspections of the construction works were carried out by ET to audit the mitigation measures implementation status. Monthly joint site inspections were carried out by ET and IEC.


 

 

1.         Basic Project Information 1.1          The Reporting Scope 1.1.1          This is the 2nd Quarterly EM&A Report for the Project which summarizes the key findings of the EM&A programme during the reporting period from 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018. 1.2          Project Organization 1.2.1          The Project Organization structure for Construction Phase is presented in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 Project Organization Chart

1.2.2          Contact details of the key personnel are presented in Table 1.1 below:

Table 1.1 Contact Details of Key Personnel

Party

Position

Name

Telephone no.

Environmental Protection Department

Project Proponent

Cheng Tak-Kuen

2594-6111

Keppel Seghers ¡V Zhen Hua Joint Venture

Project Manager

Kenny Yu

2192-0606

Acuity Sustainability Consulting Limited

Environmental Team Leader

Robin Ho

2698-6833

ERM-Hong Kong, Limited

Independent Environmental Checker

Mandy To

2271-3000

1.3          Summary of Construction Works 1.3.1          Details of the major construction activities undertaken in this reporting period are shown in Table 1.2 below. The construction programme is presented in Appendix A.

Table 1.2 Summary of the Construction Activities Undertaken during the Reporting Period

Location of works

Construction activities undertaken

Remarks on progress

Seawall and breakwater locations

¡P      Marine site investigation works

¡P      56 out of 62 drill holes were completed

Location of DCM Site Trial

¡P      Coring of DCM samples

¡P      Completed

Location of Static Loading Test

¡P      Laying of geotextile and sand blanket

¡P      Completed

Seawall locations

¡P      Collecting of Marine Sediment Samples

¡P      Completed

Location of DCM Static Loading Test

¡P      DCM installation

¡P      Completed

Seawall and breakwater locations

¡P      Laying of Geotextile and Sand Blanket

¡P      42 out of 48 geotextiles were laid

¡P      On-going for sand blanket laying

Seawall and berth area

¡P      DCM installation

¡P      On-going

1.3.2          The status for all environmental aspects is presented Table 1.3.

Table 1.3 Summary of Status for Key Environmental Aspects under the Updated EM&A Manual

Parameters

Status

Water Quality

Baseline Monitoring under Updated EM&A Manual and Detailed Plan on DCM

The baseline water quality monitoring result has been reported in Baseline Monitoring Report and submitted to EPD under FEP Condition 3.4

Impact Monitoring

On-going

Regular DCM Monitoring

On-going

Initial Intensive DCM Monitoring

To be commenced according to the Detailed Plan on DCM

Baseline Water Quality of wet season

Being carried out from 13 August 2018 to 7 September 2018

Noise

Baseline Monitoring

The baseline noise monitoring result has been reported in Baseline Monitoring Report and submitted to EPD under FEP Condition 3.4

Impact Monitoring

On-going

Waste Management

Mitigation Measures in Waste Monitoring Plan

On-going

Coral

Pre-translocation Survey and Coral Mapping

The Coral Translocation Plan was submitted and approved by EPD under EP Condition 2.12

Coral Translocation

Completed on 28 March 2018

Post-Translocation Coral Monitoring

On-going, survey obstructed due to missing of translocated and tagged coral colonies after typhoons in September 2018

Pre-construction Coral Survey and Tagging

Completed on 26 June 2018

Tagged Coral Monitoring

On-going, survey obstructed due to missing of tagged coral colonies after typhoons in September 2018

Coral Survey and Re-tagging

Re-tagging at Indirect Impact Site was conducted on 23 November and Re-tagging at Control Site was conducted on 3 December 2018

Post Re-tagging Coral Monthly Monitoring

Post Re-tagging Monthly Coral Survey at both Indirect Impact Site and Control Site was scheduled on 14 January 2019

Marine Mammal

Baseline Monitoring

The baseline marine mammal monitoring result has been reported in Baseline Monitoring Report and submitted to EPD under FEP Condition 3.4

Impact Monitoring

On-going

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Baseline Monitoring

The baseline WBSE monitoring result has been reported in Baseline Monitoring Report and submitted to EPD under FEP Condition 3.4

Impact Monitoring

On-going

Environmental Audit

Site Inspection covering Measures of Air Quality, Noise Impact, Water Quality, Waste, Ecological Quality, Fisheries, Landscape and Visual

On-going

Mitigation Measures in Marine Mammal Watching Plan (MMWP)

On-going

Mitigation Measures in Detailed Monitoring Programme on Finless Porpoise (DMPFP)

On-going

Mitigation Measures in Vessel Travel Details

On-going

1.3.3          Other than the EM&A works by ET, environmental briefings, trainings and regular environmental management meetings were conducted, in order to enhance environmental awareness and closely monitor the environmental performance of the contractors. 1.3.4          The EM&A programme has been implemented in accordance with the recommendations presented in the approved EIA Report and the Updated EM&A Manual. A summary of updated implementation status of the environmental mitigation measures for the construction phase of the Project during the reporting period is provided in Appendix B.

 


 

2.         Marine Water Quality Monitoring 2.1          Water Quality Parameters 2.1.1          Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Turbidity, Suspended Solids (SS), Salinity and pH have been undertaken at eleven monitoring stations during general water quality monitoring. Besides the above parameters, monitoring of Total Alkalinity, Current Velocity and Current Direction have been undertaken at all fourteen monitoring stations (including S1, S2 and S3) during regular DCM monitoring. 2.1.2          Current velocity and direction, DO, temperature, salinity, turbidity and pH were measured in-situ and the SS, Total Alkalinity were assayed in a HOKLAS laboratory. 2.1.3          In associate with the water quality parameters, other relevant data were also measured, such as monitoring location/position, time, water depth, sampling depth, tidal stages, weather conditions and any special phenomena or work underway nearby were also recorded. 2.1.4          Table 2.1 summarizes the monitoring parameters, frequency and duration of the impact water quality monitoring.

 Table 2.1 Water Quality Monitoring Parameters, Frequency and Duration

Parameter, unit

Frequency

No. of Depths

¡P         Water Depth(m)

¡P         Temperature(oC)

¡P         Salinity(ppt)

¡P         pH (pH unit)

¡P         Dissolved Oxygen (DO)(mg/L and % of saturation)

¡P         Turbidity(NTU)

¡P         Suspended Solids (SS), mg/L

¡P         Total alkalinity

¡P         Current velocity

¡P         Direction

Impact monitoring:

3 days per week, at mid-flood and mid-ebb tides

 

3 water depths: 1m below sea surface, mid-depth and 1m above sea bed.

If the water depth is less than 3m, mid-depth sampling only.

If water depth is less than 6m, mid-depth may be omitted.

 

2.2          Water Quality Monitoring Locations 2.2.1          Impact water quality monitoring was conducted at eleven monitoring locations during general water quality monitoring and fourteen water monitoring locations during regular DCM monitoring, as shown in Figure 2.1.


Figure 2.1 Water monitoring locations at Artificial Island near SKC


2.3          Action and Limit Levels 2.3.1          Based on the baseline monitoring data and the derivation criteria specified in the Updated EM&A Manual, the Action/Limit Levels are presented in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2 Derived Action and Limit Levels for Water Quality Monitoring

Parameters

Action

Limit

Construction Phase Impact Monitoring

DO in mg/L

≤ 7.13

≤ 4

SS in mg/L

≥ 8 or 120% of control station¡¦s SS at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

≥ 10 or 130% of control station's SS at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

Turbidity in NTU

≥ 5.6 or 120% of control station¡¦s turbidity at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

≥ 12.81 or 130% of control station's turbidity at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

Temperature in¢XC

1.8¢XC above the temperature recorded at representative control station at the same tide of the same day

2¢XC above the temperature recorded at representative control station at the same tide of the same day

Total Alkalinity in mg/L

≥116 or 120% of control station¡¦s Total Alkalinity at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

≥ 118 or 130% of control station¡¦s Total Alkalinity at the same tide of the same day of measurement, whichever is higher

Notes:  

         i.            "Depth-averaged" is calculated by taking the arithmetic means of reading of all three depths.

        ii.            For DO, non-compliance of the water quality limits occurs when monitoring result is lower than the limits.

      iii.            For turbidity, SS and Salinity, non-compliance of the water quality limits occurs when monitoring result is higher than the limits.

2.4          Monitoring Results and Observations 2.4.1          DCM injection works and sand blanket laying works were conducted during the reporting period, thus both general water quality monitoring at the eleven monitoring stations and general DCM monitoring including monitoring stations S1, S2 and S3 were conducted. Monitoring results of 7 key parameters: Salinity, DO, turbidity, SS, pH, temperature and total alkalinity in each month of this reporting period, are summarized in Table 2.3, and results trending are presented graphically in Appendix C.

Table 2.3 Summary of Impact Water Quality Monitoring Results

Locations

Parameters

Salinity (ppt)

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)

pH

Turbidity (NTU)

Suspended Solids (mg/L)

Temp. (oC)

Total Alkalinity (mg/L)

Surface & Middle

Bottom

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

B1

Avg.

30.53

30.00

30.12

6.85

8.07

8.69

6.84

8.05

8.69

8.10

8.10

8.08

3.5

3.6

4.1

8.4

9.7

9.2

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.5

-

113.4

Min.

30.01

29.04

29.11

5.63

7.44

7.70

5.65

7.58

7.70

8.00

7.29

8.00

0.1

1.3

1.1

2.0

3.0

3.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.53

31.19

30.99

8.04

8.86

9.39

7.99

8.59

9.47

8.23

8.40

8.20

6.5

6.5

8.6

22.0

24.0

24.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

116.0

B2

Avg.

30.55

30.00

30.10

6.80

8.01

8.76

6.79

7.99

8.76

8.10

8.08

8.10

3.5

3.6

4.1

8.3

11.6

9.5

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.3

-

113.3

Min.

30.06

29.04

29.00

5.70

7.41

7.81

5.65

7.55

7.86

8.00

7.15

8.00

0.1

0.9

1.1

2.0

5.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.53

31.20

31.00

7.64

8.60

9.81

7.61

8.54

9.76

8.25

8.36

8.20

7.0

6.8

8.8

18.0

49.0

23.0

28.1

24.4

24.9

109.0

-

115.0

B3

Avg.

30.54

30.01

30.01

6.86

8.00

8.70

6.87

7.96

8.69

8.10

8.08

8.08

3.6

3.7

4.1

8.1

10.5

8.3

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.4

-

113.3

Min.

30.00

29.02

28.62

5.53

7.54

7.72

5.51

7.59

7.72

8.00

7.25

8.00

0.2

1.0

1.0

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.1

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.55

31.20

30.94

7.80

8.60

9.55

7.81

8.41

9.48

8.22

8.40

8.20

6.6

6.9

7.8

17.0

23.0

16.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

115.0

B4

Avg.

30.55

29.98

30.11

6.89

7.94

8.75

6.88

7.96

8.75

8.09

8.08

8.09

3.4

3.6

4.1

7.5

10.6

8.3

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.0

-

113.3

Min.

30.02

29.01

28.91

5.56

7.23

7.73

5.58

7.48

7.68

8.00

7.06

8.00

0.8

1.0

1.0

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.53

31.18

31.88

7.99

8.32

9.41

8.01

8.29

9.45

8.22

8.40

8.20

5.9

6.6

7.9

16.0

22.0

17.0

28.1

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

115.0

C1

Avg.

30.53

30.03

29.97

6.90

8.03

8.71

6.91

8.02

8.70

8.10

8.10

8.09

3.6

3.6

4.1

7.2

10.1

8.5

26.3

22.9

21.5

107.4

-

113.1

Min.

30.00

29.00

27.53

5.59

7.40

7.77

5.65

7.52

7.74

8.00

7.28

8.00

0.4

1.0

1.1

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

110.0

Max.

31.55

31.20

30.96

7.99

8.67

9.60

8.00

8.38

9.49

8.22

8.40

8.20

6.3

6.3

8.4

17.0

23.0

22.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

116.0

C2

Avg.

30.55

29.98

30.13

6.90

8.03

8.65

6.90

8.03

8.66

8.10

8.07

8.10

3.5

3.7

4.2

7.4

11.4

7.7

26.3

22.9

21.5

107.4

-

113.3

Min.

30.01

29.01

28.91

5.51

7.47

7.88

5.52

7.51

7.92

8.00

7.23

8.00

0.3

0.9

1.1

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.55

31.20

31.50

7.82

8.44

9.32

7.85

8.49

9.46

8.24

8.36

8.20

6.5

7.0

8.6

34.0

24.0

15.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

115.0

CR1

Avg.

30.55

30.03

30.11

6.93

8.01

8.75

6.93

8.00

8.74

8.10

8.08

8.09

3.6

3.7

4.1

7.3

10.8

10.2

26.3

22.9

21.5

107.9

-

113.3

Min.

30.01

29.03

28.95

5.59

7.33

7.94

5.60

7.36

8.03

8.01

7.22

8.00

0.6

1.1

1.1

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

110.0

Max.

31.55

31.20

30.94

7.85

8.72

9.65

7.88

8.51

9.50

8.24

8.40

8.20

6.6

6.0

8.4

14.0

26.0

24.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

111.0

-

115.0

CR2

Avg.

30.55

30.00

30.10

6.86

7.96

8.67

6.86

7.97

8.69

8.11

8.09

8.09

3.5

3.7

4.1

8.7

12.5

10.1

26.3

22.9

21.5

107.8

-

113.4

Min.

30.03

29.00

28.91

5.47

7.44

7.64

5.47

7.57

7.61

8.00

7.25

8.00

0.4

1.0

1.0

3.0

5.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

106.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.55

31.20

30.98

7.93

8.53

9.41

7.96

8.49

9.39

8.24

8.40

8.20

5.9

6.6

8.6

31.0

56.0

25.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

112.0

-

115.0

F1

Avg.

30.53

30.00

30.09

6.78

8.01

8.75

6.80

8.00

8.75

8.10

8.07

8.09

3.4

3.7

4.1

7.4

10.8

8.1

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.6

-

113.2

Min.

30.02

29.00

28.98

5.42

7.38

7.88

5.48

7.52

7.85

8.00

7.14

8.00

0.9

1.0

1.1

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.54

31.20

31.05

7.90

8.70

9.66

7.86

8.53

9.56

8.24

8.39

8.20

6.8

6.9

8.1

15.0

21.0

18.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

115.0

H1

Avg.

30.54

30.00

30.06

6.84

8.10

8.78

6.84

8.02

8.79

8.11

8.08

8.09

3.4

3.7

4.1

7.5

10.6

8.3

26.3

22.9

21.5

107.5

-

113.4

Min.

30.00

29.02

27.49

5.57

7.48

7.68

5.62

7.38

7.70

8.00

7.19

8.00

0.3

1.0

1.0

2.0

4.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.54

31.19

31.49

7.89

8.73

9.62

7.86

8.54

9.63

8.24

8.38

8.20

6.3

7.0

7.9

16.0

23.0

19.0

28.1

24.4

24.9

110.0

-

116.0

M1

Avg.

30.53

30.02

30.13

6.82

8.03

8.83

6.81

8.02

8.83

8.10

8.06

8.09

3.5

3.5

4.1

8.1

11.1

9.1

26.4

22.8

21.5

107.1

-

113.4

Min.

30.01

29.01

28.91

5.60

7.28

7.88

5.62

7.35

7.91

8.00

7.09

8.00

0.3

1.1

1.2

2.0

5.0

2.0

25.0

21.5

17.1

105.0

-

111.0

Max.

31.55

31.19

31.18

7.79

8.47

9.67

7.76

8.42

9.60

8.24

8.39

8.20

6.7

6.7

7.6

25.0

26.0

18.0

28.0

24.4

24.9

109.0

-

117.0

S1

Avg.

30.19

-

30.11

6.60

-

8.91

6.61

-

8.90

8.11

-

8.10

3.5

-

4.3

11.2

-

10.8

27.3

-

20.9

107.6

-

113.1

Min.

30.04

-

28.60

6.18

-

7.72

6.18

-

7.76

8.00

-

8.00

1.4

-

1.3

6.0

-

2.0

26.5

-

17.1

106.0

-

111.0

Max.

30.33

-

31.17

7.37

-

9.63

7.35

-

9.65

8.24

-

8.20

6.3

-

8.8

15.0

-

24.0

28.0

-

24.9

110.0

-

116.0

S2

Avg.

30.16

-

30.06

6.50

-

8.89

6.50

-

8.89

8.10

-

8.09

3.6

-

4.4

9.7

-

10.6

27.3

-

20.9

107.6

-

113.2

Min.

30.04

-

28.24

6.06

-

7.85

6.06

-

7.92

8.00

-

8.00

1.4

-

1.2

5.0

-

2.0

26.5

-

17.1

106.0

-

111.0

Max.

30.31

-

31.00

7.14

-

9.65

7.16

-

9.67

8.23

-

8.20

6.8

-

8.3

15.0

-

24.0

28.2

-

24.9

112.0

-

116.0

S3

Avg.

30.19

-

30.15

6.58

-

8.87

6.60

-

8.86

8.12

-

8.11

3.6

-

4.3

10.1

-

10.7

27.3

-

20.9

108.0

-

113.4

Min.

30.03

-

29.43

6.30

-

7.79

6.31

-

7.86

8.00

-

8.00

1.3

-

1.2

6.0

-

2.0

26.5

-

17.1

106.0

-

111.0

Max.

30.39

-

31.61

7.24

-

9.45

7.23

-

9.44

8.23

-

8.20

6.8

-

8.0

13.0

-

26.0

28.0

-

24.9

112.0

-

117.0

 

Notes:  

      i.        "Avg", ¡§Min¡¨ and ¡§Max¡¨ is the average, minimum and maximum respectively of the data from measurements conducted under mid-flood and mid-ebb tides at three water depths, except that of DO where the data for ¡§Surface & Middle¡¨ and ¡§Bottom¡¨ are calculated separately.


2.4.2          Most of the monitoring results for temperature, turbidity and total alkalinity obtained in the reporting period complied with their corresponding Action and Limit levels, while numbers of result for DO and SS triggered their corresponding Action or Limit Levels, and investigations were conducted accordingly. For the salinity, pH, DO, turbidity, temperature, SS and total alkalinity, their trends were fluctuated independent to the site activities and presented in Appendix C. 2.4.3          No major pollution source and extreme weather which might affect the results were observed during the impact monitoring. 2.4.4          During the impact monitoring period for October to December 2018, exceedances of the Action and Limit for DO and SS were recorded. Investigations were conducted and results indicated the DO and SS exceedances were not attributable to the Project works. Details of the exceedance are presented in Section 8. 2.4.5          Implemented mitigation measures minimizing the adverse impacts on water are listed in the implementation schedule given in Appendix B.

 

 

3.         Noise Monitoring 3.1          Noise Monitoring Parameters 3.1.1          Impact noise monitoring was conducted weekly in the reporting period between 0700-1900 on normal weekdays. 3.1.2          Construction noise level measured in terms of the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq). Leq 30min was used as the monitoring parameter for the time period between 0700 and 1900 hours on normal weekdays. Table 3.1 summarizes the monitoring parameters, frequency and duration of the impact noise monitoring.

 Table 3.1 Noise Monitoring Parameters, Time, Frequency and Duration

Monitoring Station

Time

Duration

Parameters

M1/ N_S1,

M2/ N_S2,

M3/ N_S3

Daytime:

0700-1900 hrs

(during normal weekdays, not include Sunday or general holiday)

Once per week

Leq 5min/Leq 30min (average of 6 consecutive Leq 5min)

Leq, L10 & L90

3.2          Noise Monitoring Locations 3.2.1          Three noise monitoring locations for impact monitoring at the nearby sensitive receivers are shown in Figure 3.1


Figure 3.1 Noise monitoring locations at SKC


3.2.2          M1, M2 and M3 are Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre Hostel 1, 2 and 3 respectively of The Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (SARDA) located at southern part of Shek Kwu Chau. 3.2.3          Measurement at M1, M2 and M3 were conducted at a point 1m from the exterior of the sensitive receivers building façade and at a position 1.2m above the ground. The noise monitoring stations are summarized in Table 3.2 below.

Table 3.2 Noise Monitoring Location

Station

NSR ID in EIA Report

Noise Monitoring Location

Type of sensitive receiver(s)

Measurement Type

M1

N_S1

Shek Kwu Chau Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre Hostel 1

Residential

Façade

M2

N_S2

Shek Kwu Chau Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre Hostel 2

Residential

Façade

M3

N_S3

Shek Kwu Chau Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre Hostel 3

Residential

Façade

3.3          Action and Limit Levels 3.3.1          The Action/Limit Levels in line with the criteria of Practice Note for Professional Persons (ProPECC PN 2/93) ¡§Noise from Construction Activities ¡V Non-statutory Controls¡¨ and Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process issued by HKSAR Environmental Protection Department [¡§EPD¡¨] under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, Cap 499, S.16 are presented in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3 Action and Limit Levels for Noise

Time Period

Action

Limit (dB(A))

0700-1900 hrs on normal weekdays

When one documented complaint is received

75 dB(A)

3.4          Monitoring Results and Observations 3.4.1          Impact monitoring for noise impact was conducted in the reporting period. The impact noise levels at Noise Monitoring Stations at SKC (i.e. M1/ N_S1 to M3/ N_S3) are summarized in Table 3.5. Trending of the noise monitoring results is presented graphically in Appendix D. 3.4.2          Major construction activity, major noise source and extreme weather which might affect the results were recorded during the impact monitoring. 3.4.3          According to our field observations, the major noise source identified at the designated noise monitoring station in the reporting month are summarised in Table 3.4:

Table 3.4 Summary of Field Observation

Monitoring Station

Major Noise Source

M1

Installation of air-conditioning units nearby

M2

Installation of air-conditioning units nearby

M3

Air-conditioning units nearby

 

Table 3.5 Summary of Impact Noise Monitoring Results

Location

Noise in dB(A)

Range of Leq 30min

Range of L10 5min

Range of L90 5min

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

M1

49.4 ¡V 58.1

48.8 ¡V 60.8

50.2 ¡V 52.4

50.4 ¡V 63.0

48.1 ¡V 63.0

50.2 ¡V 55.9

43.9 ¡V 55.9

45.2 ¡V 60.3

45.2 ¡V 48.1

M2

50.0 ¡V 56.6

51.9 ¡V 60.6

53.9 ¡V 55.8

51.1 ¡V 65.2

51.5 ¡V 66.5

55.2 ¡V 61.2

42.6 ¡V 54.4

44.6 ¡V 55.3

48.1 ¡V 54.2

M3

45.9 ¡V 54.5

51.1 ¡V 54.7

49.7 ¡V 52.9

41.8 ¡V 59.9

52.4 ¡V 58.4

52.0 ¡V 55.0

41.9 ¡V 50.8

46.5 ¡V 53.7

45.2 ¡V 48.5

3.4.4          Major sources of noise dominating the monitoring stations observed during the impact noise monitoring was installation of air-conditioning units nearby at M1 & M2 and air-conditioning units nearby at M3. 3.4.5          No data from impact monitoring has exceeded the stipulated limit level at 75 dB(A).

 

 

4.         Waste 4.1          The waste generated from this Project includes inert construction and demolition (C&D) materials, and non-inert C&D materials. Non-inert C&D materials are made up of general refuse, vegetative wastes and recyclable wastes such as plastics and paper/cardboard packaging waste. Steel materials generated from the project are also grouped into non-inert C&D materials as the materials were not disposed of with other inert C&D materials. 4.2          As advised by the Contractor, for C&D waste, no metals were generated and collected by registered recycling collector. No paper cardboard packing were generated on site and collected by registered recycling collector. No plastic waste was collected by registered recycling collector. 870L and 200kg of chemical waste were collected by licensed chemical waste collector. 4.2 tonnes of other types of wastes (e.g. general refuse) were generated on site and disposed of at Landfill. 4.3          With reference to relevant handling records and trip tickets of this Project, the quantities of different types of waste generated in the reporting month are summarised in Table 4.1. Details of cumulative waste management data are presented as a waste flow table in Appendix E.

Table 4.1 Quantities of Waste Generated from the Project

Reporting period

Quantity

Inert C&D Materials

(in¡¥000kg)

Chemical Waste (in¡¥000L)

Chemical Waste (in¡¥000kg)

Non-inert C&D Materials

 Others, e.g. General Refuse disposed at Landfill

(in¡¥000kg)

Recycled materials

Paper/card board

(in¡¥000kg)

Plastics

(in¡¥000kg)

Metals

(in¡¥000kg)

October 2018

0

0

0

4.2

0

0

0

November 2018

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

December 2018

0

0.87

0.2

0

0

0

0

4.4          Although there is not much waste generation in the reporting period from the Project, the Contractor is reminded to sort and store any solid and liquid waste on-site properly prior to disposal.
  5.         Coral 5.1          Coral Monitoring Parameters 5.1.1          Ten (10) tagged coral colonies at each site of suggested control site and indirect impact site are being monitored weekly for the first month and followed by monthly monitoring for three months. The selected Control Site is located at Yuen Kong Chau of Soko Islands about 7 km away from the project area. Tagged coral colonies at the proposed recipient site are being monitored quarterly for one year. The selected recipient site R3 is located the opposite side of the Project area at about 2 km away. 5.1.2          Monitoring recorded the following parameters (using the same methodology adopted during the pre-translocation survey); the size, presence, health conditions (percentage of mortality/bleaching) and percentage of sediment of each trans-located coral colony. The general environmental conditions including weather, sea, and tidal conditions of survey sites were monitored. 5.1.3          Health status of coral was assessed by the following criteria:

Hard coral: Percentage of surface area exhibiting partial mortality and blanched/bleached area of each coral colony and degree of sedimentation.

5.2          Coral Monitoring Locations Location of the ten tagged coral colonies at each of the proposed indirect impact site, control site, the recipient site R3 and REA transect at proposed indirect impact site are shown in Figure 5.1, Figure 5.2, Figure 5.3 and Figure 5.4 respectively:

Figure 5.1 Tagged Natural Corals at Indirect Impact Site Near SKC for re-tagging after typhoon Mangkhut

Figure 5.2 Tagged Natural Corals at Control Site Near Yuen Kong Chau for re-tagging after typhoon Mangkhut

Figure 5.3 Tagged Translocation Corals at Recipient Site R3 near SKC

Figure 5.4 REA Transect at Indirect Impact Site near SKC

5.2.1          The GPS coordinates of the tagged coral colonies and retagged coral colonies at both indirect impact site, control site and recipient site R3 were shown in Table 5.1, Table 5.2 and Table 5.3 respectively.

Table 5.1 Tagged Natural Corals during Baseline and Re-tagged Natural Corals after Typhoon Manghkut at Control Site near Yuen Long Chau

Coral # note i

GPS Coordinates

1

N22¢X09¡¦45.96¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦57.81¡¨

2R

N22¢X11¡¦29.12¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.01¡¨

3

N22¢X09¡¦45.81¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦57.78¡¨

4

N22¢X09¡¦45.70¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦57.95¡¨

5R

N22¢X11¡¦29.10¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.18¡¨

6

N22¢X09¡¦45.75¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦58.02¡¨

7R

N22¢X11¡¦29.17¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.86¡¨

7

N22¢X09¡¦45.65¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦57.94¡¨

8

N22¢X09¡¦45.53¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦57.90¡¨

9

N22¢X09¡¦46.23¡¨

E113¢X54¡¦54.70¡¨

10R

N22¢X11¡¦29.18¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.91¡¨

Notes:

i.           The re-tagged corals were marked as ##R.

Table 5.2 Re-tagged Natural Corals after Typhoon Manghkut at Indirect Impact Site near SKC

Coral # note i

GPS Coordinates

11R

N22¢X11¡¦29.14¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.92¡¨

12R

N22¢X11¡¦29.12¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.01¡¨

13R

N22¢X11¡¦29.11¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.07¡¨

14R

N22¢X11¡¦29.13¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.12¡¨

15R

N22¢X11¡¦29.10¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.18¡¨

16R

N22¢X11¡¦29.07¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦09.23¡¨

17R

N22¢X11¡¦29.17¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.86¡¨

18R

N22¢X11¡¦29.14¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.94¡¨

19R

N22¢X11¡¦29.20¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.81¡¨

20R

N22¢X11¡¦29.18¡¨

E113¢X59¡¦08.91¡¨

Notes:

i.           The re-tagged corals were marked as ##R.

 

Table 5.3 GPS Coordinates of Recipient Site R3

Site

GPS Coordinates

R3

N22¢X11¡¦43.69¡¨

E113¢X28.99¡¨

 

5.3          Action and Limit Levels 5.3.1          Monitoring result was reviewed and compared against the below Action Level and Limit Level (AL/LL) as set with the below Table 5.4 and Table 5.5.

Table 5.4 Action and Limit Levels for Construction Phase Coral Monitoring

Parameter

Action Level

Limit Level

Mortality

If during Impact Monitoring a 15% increase in the percentage of partial mortality on the corals occurs at more than 20% of the tagged indirect impact site coral colonies that is not recorded on the tagged corals at the control site, then the Action Level is exceeded.

If during Impact Monitoring a 25% increase in the percentage of partial mortality on the corals occurs at more than 20% of the tagged indirect impact site coral colonies that is not recorded on the tagged corals at the control site, then the Limit Level is exceeded.


 

Table 5.5 Action and Limit Levels for Post-Translocation Coral Monitoring

Parameter

Action Level

Limit Level

Mortality

If during Post-Translocation Monitoring a 15% increase in the percentage of partial mortality on the corals occurs at more than 20% of the translocated coral colonies that is not recorded on the original corals in the recipient site, then the Action Level is exceeded.

If during Post-Translocation Monitoring a 25% increase in the percentage of partial mortality on the corals occurs at more than 20% of the translocated coral colonies that is not recorded on the original corals in the recipient site, then the Limit Level is exceeded.

5.4          Monitoring Results and Observations 5.4.1          After strong hitting of the super typhoon Mangkhut in mid-September 2018, the whole bottom at the Indirect Impact Site were covered with 1m thick of sand and mud in which all ten tagged hard coral colonies were all missing. For the control site of Soko Island, most of the rocks at the bottom were turned over by the super typhoon Mangkhut in mid-September 2018, however, only 4 tagged coral colonies were missing. Since there was a suspension order on diving activities due to the fatal accident on 15 October 2018, the coral re-tagging event planned on late-October at both Indirect Impact Site and Control Site were cancelled and postponed to November and December 2018 due to adverse weather. During the reporting period, the re-tagging activity at Indirect Impact Site was conducted on 23 November 2018 while the re-tagging activity at Control Site was conducted on 3 December 2018 (Figure 5.1 and 5.2 respectively); and the weather conditions were summarized in Table 5.6.

Table 5.6 Weather Condition for the Re-tagging Coral Colonies at both Indirect Impact Site and Control Site

Date

Location

Condition

Average Underwater Visibility

23 November 2018

Indirect Impact Site

-          Southwest force 4 to 5

-          Sunny period

Less than 0.5 m

3 December 2018

Control Site

-          North force 2 to 3

-          Sunny Period

Less than 0.5 m

5.4.2          Four (4) and ten (10) re-tagged hard coral colonies were re-tagged at each site of Control and Indirect Impact sites respectively during 4th to 6th months construction phase monitoring as suggested in the Coral Monitoring Plan. After the retagging at both sites are finished, one additional monthly monitoring survey will be conducted in January 2019 and those monitoring results will be reported in 3rd Quarterly and 7th Monthly EM&A report. The general health conditions (size, condition, mortality, bleaching and sediment) at Control and Indirect Impact sites were recorded and summarized in Table 5.9 and Table 5.10 respectively. 5.4.3          The third Post-translocation Monitoring was performed on 3 December 2018 for the Recipient Site R3 (Figure 5.3) and the weather conditions were summarized in Table 5.7.

Table 5.7 Weather Condition for the Third Coral Translocation Monitoring

Date

Condition

Average Underwater Visibility

3 December 2018

-          North force 2 to 3

-          Sunny Period

Less than 0.5 m

5.4.4          An additional 100m REA survey was carried out on 3 December in the proposed Indirect Impact site (Figure 5.4) to further assess the seabed condition after super typhoon Mangkhut. GPS coordinates of the REA transect starting and ending points, maximum depth and bottom substrate of the site were summarized in Table 5.8. The findings of ecological & substratum attributes and taxon abundance along the REA transect survey were summarized in Table 5.13 and 5.14 respectively.

Table 5.8 GPS coordinates of REA Transect Starting and Ending points, maximum depth and bottom substrate at Indirect Impact Site

Site

GPS Location at Starting Point

GPS Location at Ending Point

Max. Depth

Bottom Substrate

Indirect Impact Site

E 113¢X59¡¦08.19¡¨

E 113¢X59¡¦11,511¡¨

3.5 m

Natural Bedrock and Boulders

N 22¢X11¡¦29.09¡¨

N 22¢X11¡¦28.45¡¨

5.4.5          Sixteen (16) and ten (10) hard coral colonies were monitored at Recipient Site R3 as suggested at Coral Translocation Plan. The general health conditions (size, condition, mortality, bleaching and sediment) at Recipient site were recorded and summarized in Table 5.11 and Table 5.12 respectively.

Table 5.9 Sizes, Condition, Mortality, Bleaching and Sediment of 4 Re-tagged Natural Coral Colonies at Control Site during 4th to 6th Months Construction Phase Monitoring

Coral #

¡@

Species

¡@

Size (cm) ¡V Max. Diameter

¡@

Condition

¡@

Mortality (%)

Bleaching (%)

Sediment (%)

03/12

03/12

03/12

2R

Goniopora stutchburyi

10

Good

0

0

0

5R

Goniopora stutchburyi

18

Good

0

0

0

7R

Coscinaraea sp.

15

Good

0

0

0

10R

Goniopora stutchburyi

20

Good

0

0

0

Notes:

        i.            The re-tagged corals were marked as ##R



Table 5.10 Sizes, Condition, Mortality, Bleaching and Sediment of 10 Re-tagged Natural Coral Colonies at Indirect Impact Site during 4th to 6th Months Construction Phase Monitoring

Coral #

¡@

Species

¡@

Size (cm) ¡V Max. Diameter

¡@

Condition

¡@

Mortality (%)

Bleaching (%)

Sediment (%)

23/11

23/11

23/11

11R

Cyphastrea serailia

48

Fair

0

0

0

12R

Favites chinensis

27

Good

0

0

0

13R

Turbinaria peltata

21

Fair

0

0

0

14R

Favites chinensis

8

Good

0

0

0

15R

Goniopora stutchburyi

11

Good

0

0

0

16R

Psammocora superficialis

27

Fair

0

0

0

17R

Favites chinensis

15

Good

0

0

0

18R

Psammocora superficialis

39

Good

0

0

0

19R

Psammocora superficialis

42

Fair

0

0

0

20R

Psammocora superficialis

29

Good

0

0

0

Notes:

        i.            The re-tagged corals were marked as ##R


 

Table 5.11       Sizes, Condition, Mortality, Bleaching and Sediment of 16 Translocated Coral Colonies at Recipient Site for 3rd Post Translocation Coral Monitoring

Coral #

Species

Size (cm) ¡V Max. Diameter/

Height

Mortality (%)

Bleaching (%)

Sediment (%)

Baseline

03/12

Baseline

03/12

Baseline

03/12

1

Psammocora superficialis

35

0

15

0

0

0

0

2

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

35

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

3

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

4

Turbinaria peltata

9

0

10

0

0

0

0

5

Goniopora stutchburyi

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

6

Psammocora superficialis

26

0

15

0

0

0

0

7

Psammocora superficialis

23

0

5

0

0

5

0

8

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

9

Goniopora stutchburyi

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

10

Coscinaraea n sp.

21

0

5

0

0

1

0

11

Psammocora superficialis

13

0

0

0

0

0

0

12

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

13

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

14

Psammocora superficialis

N/A

0

N/A

0

NA

0

N/A

15

Goniopora stutchburyi

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

16

Psammocora superficialis

26

0

10

0

N/A

0

0

*N/A: Non Applicable as coral colonies were missing


 

Table 5.12       Sizes, Condition, Mortality, Bleaching and Sediment of 10 Natural Control Coral Colonies at Recipient Site for 3rd Post Translocation Coral Monitoring

Coral #

Species

Size (cm) ¡V Max. Diameter/

Height

Mortality (%)

Bleaching (%)

Sediment (%)

Baseline

03/12

Baseline

03/12

Baseline

03/12

1

Coscinaraea n sp.

16

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

Psammocora superficialis

24

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Psammocora superficialis

23

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

Coscinaraea n sp.

15

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

Cyphastrea serailia

42

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

Cyphastrea serailia

12

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

Cyphastrea serailia

46

0

0

0

0

0

0

8

Psammocora superficialis

21

0

0

0

0

0

0

9

Psammocora superficialis

19

0

0

0

0

0

0

10

Goniopora stutchburyi

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

*N/A: Non Applicable as coral colonies were missing.

 

 

Table 5.13       Ecological and Substratum Attributes of Indirect Impact Site

Ecological Attributes

Rank

Hard Corals

0.5

Dead Coral

0

Octocoral

0

Sea anemone beds

0

Dead Standing Corals

0

Other Benthos

1

Macroalgae

0

Substratum Attributes

Rank

Bedrock

5

Boulders (diameter >50cm)

4

Cobbles (diameter <50cm)

0

Rubble (dead corals)

0

Sand with gravel

0

Mud & Silt

0

 

Table 5.14       Taxon Abundance of Indirect Impact Site

Benthic Communities

Abundance in the Site

Corals

Goniopora stutchburyi

1

Psammocora superficialis

1

Favites chinensis

1

Other Benthos

Thais luteostoma

1

Septifer virgatus

1

Anthocidaris crassispina

1


5.4.6          All re-tagged coral colonies at Indirect Impact site and Control site showed good health condition during the reporting period. 5.4.7          After the super typhoon Mangkhut hitting Hong Kong on 15th and 16th September 2018. The whole bottom at the Indirect Impact Site were covered with 1 m thick of sand and mud in which the ten tagged hard coral colonies were all missing during the third month monitoring. At the control site of Soko Island, most of the rocks at the bottom were turned over by the super typhoon Mangkhut, however only 4 tagged coral colonies were missing during the monitoring survey. 5.4.8          The re-tagging activity had been done at both Indirect Impact Site and Control Site during the reporting period. The additional post re-tagging coral monthly monitoring should be scheduled after the completion of re-tagging activity at both Indirect Impact Site and Control Site. 5.4.9          The third post-translocation coral monitoring was carried out on 3 December 2018. Sixteen (16) movable hard coral colonies were monitored at the recipient site R3. However, 9 translocated coral colonies were missing during the second monitoring survey and only 7 left (Table 5.11). The remaining translocated coral colonies also showed an increased mortality from 5% to 15% (Table 5.11). The missing colonies probably were swept away by the strong wave action caused by the Super Typhoon Mangkhut hitting Hong Kong on 15th and 16th September 2018. 5.4.10      Ten (10) natural hard coral colonies were also monitored at the recipient site as control and 1 coral colony was missing during the monitoring survey (Table 5.12). Similar to the translocated coral colonies, the missing tagged coral colony probably was swept away by the strong wave action caused by the Super Typhoon Mangkhut hitting Hong Kong on 15th and 16th September 2018. 5.4.11      Since all missing tagged coral colonies at the Recipient Site R3 were caused by the Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the AL/LL will not be applied at this time. Post-translocation monitoring survey will be continued to monitor the remaining tagged coral colonies for both translocated coral and natural coral colonies. 5.4.12      The REA survey was carried out on 3 December 2018 in the Indirect Impact Site. Only three species of hard coral were recorded during the survey and most of them are in fair condition after the typhoon. Some common coral colonies still appeared in shallow water which are suitable for re-tagging during the construction phase monitoring. All the coral colonies recorded along the transect were all common hard coral species in Hong Kong (Appendix F). 5.4.13      From the REA survey, the monitoring site was mainly composed of natural bedrock and big boulders down to 3.5 meters water depth along the surveyed route (Table 5.13). Scattered hard coral colonies were recorded along the REA transect and only 3 species of hard coral were recorded. The abundance of hard coral species recorded along the transect was shown in Table 5.14. Besides, some invertebrates such as common sea snail: Thais luteostoma, Sea urchins: Anthocidaris crassispina and common green mussel: Septifer virgatus were found at the surface of the boulders. 5.4.14      This site supported a sparse and patchy cover (<1%) of hard corals. All the recorded coral colonies grew on the big boulders and bedrock surfaces. All hard coral colonies recorded along the transect were common hard coral species in Hong Kong water and in fair health condition. 5.4.15      Photo records of the tagged corals taken during the reporting period are presented in Appendix F.

 

6.         Marine Mammal 6.1          Survey Methods 6.1.1          Vessel-based Line-transect Survey

For the vessel-based marine mammal surveys, the monitoring team adopted the standard line-transect method (Buckland et al. 2001) as same as that adopted during the EIA study and pre-construction phase monitoring to allow fair comparison of marine mammal monitoring results.

Eight transect lines are set at Southeast Lantau survey area, including Shek Kwu Chau, waters between Shek Kwu Chau and the Soko Islands, inshore waters of Lantau Island (e.g. Pui O Wan) as well as southwest corner of Cheung Chau as shown in Figure 6.1 below:


line transect

Figure 6.1 Line Transects for Marine Mammal Surveys

In comparison to the baseline monitoring results, results from the analyzed construction phase monitoring data would allow the detection of any changes of their usage of habitat, in response to the scheduled construction works.

6.2          Specific Mitigation Measures 6.2.1          Monitored exclusion zones

During the installation/re-installation/relocation process of floating type silt curtains, in order to avoid the accidental entrance and entrapment of marine mammals within the silt curtains, a monitored exclusion zone of 250 m radius from silt curtain should be implemented and monitored by competent Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs).  (Marine Mammal Exclusion Zone (MMEZ) would also be implemented for precautionary purpose for DCM works.

6.2.2          Marine mammal watching plan

Upon the completion of silt curtain installation/re-installation/relocation, marine mammal watching plan would be implemented to observe the presence of any marine mammal around the localized silt curtain or being trapped by the localized silt curtain.

6.3          Results and Observations 6.3.1          Vessel-based Line-transect Survey 4 monthly surveys were conducted during the reporting period. As this is overlapping with the designated off-peak season (June - November) and peak season (December - May, only one survey was completed in off-peak season while two surveys were completed in peak season. A total on effort (transects only) survey length of 158.7km was completed, 128km at Beaufort Sea State 2 or better (Table 6.1). 6 sightings of marine mammals were recorded and the details of recorded sightings were summarized and shown in Table 6.2.

Table 6.1 Summary of Vessel-based Line-transect Survey Effort

Date

Area*

Beaufort

Effort (km)

Season

Vessel

Effort Type**

12-Oct-18

SEL

1

11.6

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

12-Oct-18

SEL

2

21.6

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

12-Oct-18

SEL

3

4.9

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

12-Oct-18

SEL

4

1.6

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

6-Nov-18

SEL

1

4.9

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

6-Nov-18

SEL

2

11.3

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

6-Nov-18

SEL

3

14.1

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

6-Nov-18

SEL

4

9.2

AUTUMN

SMRUHK

P

6-Dec-18

SEL

1

8.9

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

6-Dec-18

SEL

2

29.9

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

6-Dec-18

SEL

3

0.9

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

20-Dec-18

SEL

0

0.8

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

20-Dec-18

SEL

1

29.4

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

20-Dec-18

SEL

2

9.6

WINTER

SMRUHK

P

*         As shown in Figure. 6.1

**       P (from AFCD) denotes the ON EFFORT survey on the transect line, not the adjoining passages

 

Table 6.2 Summary of Sightings Recorded during October 2018 to December 2018 of Vessel-based Line-transect Survey Effort

Date

Species

Sighting No.

Time

Group Size

PSD

Behaviour

Latitude

Longitude

Area

Effort Type

Season

6-Nov-18

Finless Porpoise

1

11:47

1

139

Unknown

22.18955

113.9735

SEL

Impact

Autumn

6-Dec-18

Finless Porpoise

2

11:30

1

N/A

Travel

22.1645

113.9681

SEL

Impact

Winter

6-Dec-18

Finless Porpoise

3

12:37

2

3

Travel

22.1804

113.993

SEL

Impact

Winter

20-Dec-18

Finless Porpoise

4

13:38

1

N/A

Unknown

22.2127

113.9557

SEL

Impact

Winter

20-Dec-18

Finless Porpoise

5

11:26

2

52

Travel

22.2097

113.9541

SEL

Impact

Winter

20-Dec-18

Finless Porpoise

6

12:53

1

65

Travel

22.1724

113.9853

SEL

Impact

Winter

A close up of a map

Description automatically generated

Figure 6.2        Location of sightings recorded during November and December 2018 Vessel-based Line-transect Survey

A review of the long term AFCD marine mammal monitoring programme, the EIA and the pre-construction baseline monitoring report for this project was conducted. Both the EIA and the pre-construction baseline monitoring were conducted during the peak porpoise months (Dec-May 2008 and Feb-April 2018, respectively), and, as such, these data are not directly comparable to this survey month which is a porpoise off-peak month. Therefore, a comparison can only be made to the AFCD long term marine mammal monitoring data. A review of the Beaufort Sea state survey conditions between 2009 and 2017 (only data available from AFCD at time of writing; (AFCD 2018; 2017; 2016; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; 2010) shows that survey conditions in October to December 2018 were within the % limits of previous AFCD surveys. A review of all the porpoise sightings in the survey area for October to December between 2009-2017 indicates that there are fluctuations between the number of sightings usually recorded in October to December. Given the similar survey conditions and the low encounter rate recorded for porpoise in the project area during the reporting period, an increase in sightings within this area in October to December 2018 is in agreement with the detailed in AFCD long term monitoring data. It is difficult to draw conclusions with regards to impacts on marine mammals as predicted in the EIA and the effectiveness of project mitigation measures during the initial phase of construction activities when porpoise sightings are typically absent or very low during the survey months. As surveys continue for this project, data shall be constantly re-evaluated across survey months to discern trends and impacts, if any. 6.3.2          Specific Mitigation Measures Silt curtains were deployed for sand blanket laying works and DCM trial during the reporting period. At least two MMO were on duty for continuous monitoring of the Marine Mammal Exclusion Zone (MMEZ) for DCM trial works and installation/re-installation/relocation process of silt curtains, and the marine mammal trapping checking and silt curtains inspection in accordance with the Detailed Monitoring Programme of Finless Porpoise and Marine Mammal Watching Plan respectively. Trainings for the MMO were provided by the ET prior to the aforementioned works, with a cumulative total of 63 individuals being trained and the training records kept by the ET. From the Marine Mammal observation records and MMEZ monitoring log records, sightings of Finless Porpoise were observed within the cluster MMEZ on 29 December 2018 during this reporting month. The sightings of finless porpoise were first seen at 08:25 and last seen 08:55 on 29 December 2018. After the first observation of finless porpoise by MMO, all construction activities were ceased until 09:25 which was 30 minutes later the last seen of finless porpoise. 6.3.3          Photo records of the marine mammal monitoring taken during the reporting period are presented in Appendix G.

 

7.         White-Bellied Sea Eagle 7.1          WBSE Monitoring Parameters 7.1.1          Information to be collected included feeding, perching/roosting, preening, soaring, flying, nesting and territorial guarding and the time spent on each activity.  The responses and reactions to any disturbance to the WBSEs were also recorded and examined in conjunction with the construction noise and/or other events in the vicinity. Other disturbances such as weather condition, or invasion by other fauna species were also recorded. 7.2          Results and Observations 7.2.1          Four monitoring for monthly construction phase were conducted during the reporting period. Since there is no landing point along the western part of SKC, boat survey were used for the monitoring survey. In order to increase the chance of finding the WBSEs, monitoring survey was carried out either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. The weather conditions of monitoring survey were shown in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1 Weather Conditions during the WBSE Monitoring

Date

Condition

Temperature (¢J)

30 October 2018

-          Southeast wind as Beaufort force 3

-          Sunny

31.0

23 November 2018

-          Southeast 4 to 5

-          Sunny periods

27.0

3 December 2018

-          North force 2 to 3

-          Sunny period

25.0

18 December 2018

-          Northeast force 4 to 5

-          Sunny period

18.0

7.2.2          Two WBSE adults were recorded during each survey and appeared flying over SKC Island, standing on the tree top on SKC Island during the survey in October to December 2018. In the October 2018 monitoring survey, the newly built nest was observed and both WBSE were recorded. The new WBSE nest was being built at the same location as the old one, which is located at the western part of SKC Island (Figure 7.1) quite away from the Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre. 7.2.3          Any disturbances from anthropogenic activities on the island were not recorded during the monitoring survey. However, fishing boats moving close to the shore were recorded. Since the nest is about 160m away from the shore and it is not accessible, fishing boat activities didn¡¦t show any direct disturbance to the WBSE nest.

Figure 7.1 Location of WBSE Nest on SKC

7.2.4          No invasion of other fauna species was recorded and no sign of using the construction site as a foraging ground was recorded as well. 7.2.5          During the reporting period, no abnormal behaviour of the recorded adults was shown. All marine works during the fourth to sixth months construction period did not show any influence to the WBSE. 7.2.6          Photo records of the WBSE taken during the reporting period are presented in Appendix H.  

 

 


8.         Summary of Monitoring Exceedance, Complaints, Notification of Summons and Prosecutions 8.1          No exceedance of the Action and Limit Levels of the regular construction noise, coral and WBSE monitoring was recorded during the reporting period. 8.2          One hundred and twenty-eight (128) of the water quality monitoring results for Dissolved Oxygen (DO) obtained during the reporting period had exceeded the relevant Action Levels while eighty-six (86) & one hundred and seven (107) of the water quality monitoring results for Suspended Solid (SS) obtained during the reporting period had exceeded the relevant Action and Limit Levels respectively. One hundred twenty-eight of the water quality monitoring results for DO and fifty-seven of the water quality monitoring results for SS reported during October 2018, forty-eight of the water quality monitoring results for SS reported during November 2018 and eighty-eight of the water quality monitoring results for SS reported during December 2018, where findings from investigations carried out immediately for each of the exceedance cases during the reporting period had showed that these exceedances were unrelated to the Project, however, environmental deficiencies of the Contractor on the implementation of silt curtain deployment system were spotted. 8.3          Further investigation was made with the Contractor on the silt curtain design and checking procedure as stated in the deposited Silt Curtain Deployment Plan. Rectification actions regarding to the improper implementation of silt curtain system shall be carried out immediately. 8.4          The Contractor has been reminded that all measures recommended in the deposited Silt Curtain Deployment Plan shall be fully and properly implemented for the Project as per Clause 2.6A of the FEP. 8.5          The Contractor has been reminded to facilitate the ET¡¦s investigation in the time frame stated at Event and Action plan under the updated EM&A Manual by promptly providing site records and information. 8.6          No notification of summons and prosecution was received in the reporting period. 8.7          Statistics on complaints, notifications of summons and successful prosecutions are summarized in Appendix I.

 

9.         EM&A Site Inspection 9.1          Site inspections were carried out on a weekly basis to monitor the implementation of proper environmental pollution control and mitigation measures under the Contract. Site inspections were carried out at the Site Portions 1, 1A & 1B and Portion 7 during the reporting period. Portions 1, 1A & 1B were the sites near SKC within the Site boundary and Portion 7 was the site at Tung Chung for stockpiling of construction materials. 9.2          Joint site inspection with IEC was carried out on a monthly basis. 9.3          Minor deficiencies were observed during weekly site inspection. Key observations during the site inspections are summarized below:

¡P            Site tidiness were not maintained properly

¡P            Prevention actions for oil/chemical spillage were not carried out properly

¡P            Environmental permits/licenses were not displayed

¡P            Silt curtains were not deployed properly

¡P            Sand was accumulated on the pontoon¡¦s surface

9.4          The Contractor has rectified most of the observations identified during environmental site inspections in the reporting period. 9.5          During site inspection, installed silt curtain were found damaged for some idling works. The contractor was reminded to properly fix and maintain the deployed silt curtains prior to the operation of concerned construction works during the site walk by ET and IEC. The Contractor conducted the maintenance of deployed silt curtain immediately before resuming any construction works. 9.6          According to the EIA Study Report, Environmental Permit, contract documents and Updated EM&A Manual, the mitigation measures detailed in the documents, except the silt curtain system, are implemented as much as practical during the reporting period. An updated Implementation Status of Environmental Mitigation Measures (EMIS) is provided in Appendix B.

 

10.     Conclusion and Recommendations 10.1      This 2nd Quarterly Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Report summarizes the EM&A works undertaken during the period from 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018 in accordance with the Updated EM&A Manual and the requirement under EP- 429/2012/A and FEP-01/429/2012/A. 10.2      Construction noise, water quality, construction waste, coral, marine mammal and White-Bellied Sea Eagle (WBSE) monitoring were carried out in the reporting period. No project-related exceedance of the Action and Limit Level was recorded during the reporting period, however, environmental deficiencies of the Contractor on the implementation of silt curtain deployment system were spotted. 10.3      Weekly environmental site inspection was conducted during the reporting period. Environmental deficiencies were observed during site inspection and were rectified. 10.4      The Contractor has been reminded to facilitate the ET¡¦s investigation in the time frame stated at Event and Action plan under the updated EM&A Manual by promptly providing site records and information. 10.5      According to the environmental site inspections performed in the reporting period, the Contractor is reminded to pay attention on maintaining site tidiness and avoidance of oil spillage on-site and sand accumulation on the pontoon surface during sand blanket laying works. 10.6      Regarding to the deployment of silt curtains as a principal water quality impact mitigation measures on various marine works, the Contractor has been reminded to follow strictly to the design and checking procedure as specified in the Silt Curtain Deployment Plan. The Contractor is reminded that all measures recommended in the deposited silt curtain deployment plan shall be fully and properly implemented for the Project as per EP condition 2.6 of the FEP. 10.7      No environmental complaint was received in the reporting period. 10.8      No notification of summons or prosecution was received since commencement of the Contract. 10.9      The ET will keep track on the construction works to confirm compliance of environmental requirements and the proper implementation of all necessary mitigation measures.