EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
This is an environmental
baseline report prepared by Babtie Asia Limited (BAL) acting as the
Environmental Team (ET) for Downer Construction (Hong Kong) Limited for the
Supplementary Agreement No.3 (SA3) for the Contract No. HY/98/22 Road Widening
Works of Salisbury Road between Nathan Road and Canton Road. This report presents the dust and noise
environmental works to be performed by the Contractor.
1.1 Purpose of the Report
The
purpose of this report is to assess and record the arrangement of dust
mitigation measures implemented by the Contractor and the proposed noise
monitoring works (if necessary) for SA3 of the Contract No.HY/98/22 Road
Widening Works of Salisbury Road between Nathan Road and Canton Road. The ET has visited and monitored the
environmental works of the site in March 2002. The information and record as described in this report will
be used as the basis for environmental impact and compliance monitoring during
construction.
This Baseline Monitoring Report has been prepared based
on the EM&A Manual for “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Salisbury
Road Underpass and Associated Road Improving Works including Middle Road
Circulation System (Works West of Nathan Road)”. The EM&A Manual has
certified that the air quality monitoring requirements stipulated under the EIA
Study will be conducted under the respective EM&A for the works east of
Nathan Road. Therefore, the standard requirements of collating baseline
monitoring results, calculation of action and limit levels, etc. have been
omitted from this report. These requirements have been appended in Appendix C
for reference and will be incorporated under the Baseline Monitoring Report for
the works east of Nathan Road to be submitted separately.
Furthermore,
all dust monitoring locations identified in the EIA Study is located in the
vicinity of the proposed vehicular underpass (at the Salisbury Road/Chatham
Road South junction), the monitoring works of which will be carried out as part
of the works east of Nathan Road by KCRC. Therefore, the air quality monitoring
requirements specified under the EIA Study has been omitted in this Baseline
Monitoring Report. The air quality requirements stipulated under the EIA Study
will be fulfilled under the EM&A for the works east of Nathan Road.
The limit for the works west of Nathan Road is
shown in Figure 1 under Appendix A. Since the inceptions of the EIA Study and
the EM&A Manual, the extent of the road widening works have been
substantially reduced. The major activities during construction currently
includes widening of the existing carriageway by providing additional lane from
Hong Kong Space Museum to Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Other construction works
includes resurfacing, central dividers, footpath, drainage works and
landscaping works. The revised project works area is shown in Figure 2 under
Appendix A.
The
structure of the report is as follows:
Section 1: Introduction, which
details the purpose and structure of the report
Section 2: Air Quality, which
describes the dust monitoring
Section 3: Noise, which describes
the noise monitoring
Section 4: Conclusion
1.4 Programme
The latest construction programme is
included in Appendix B, along with a schedule of environmental
protection/mitigation activities. The programme will also be subject to
continuos refinement during the project period.
2.0 AIR QUALITY
2.1 Monitoring
Requirements
According
to Section 1.3 of the EM&A Manual,
“Air
Quality, as a result of the construction works, is not expected to deteriorate
significantly. It is anticipated that proper implementation of dust reduction
measures will be adequate to mitigate dust impacts and maintain Total Suspended
Particulate (TSP) concentration levels within those recommended under the Air
Quality Objectives and no further air quality monitoring will be necessary.”
“The
incorporation of EPD’s standard pollution control clauses into contract
documents and regular auditing by the ET and IEC to ensure mitigation measures
are properly implemented by the Contractor will be sufficient to abate dust
impacts. Hence, the air quality
requirements specified under the EIA Study has been omitted from this EM&A
Manual.”
In this
connection, air quality will be monitored by means of checking the adequacy of
the mitigation measures implemented by the Contractor with reference to the
EM&A Manual. The checking and monitoring will be carried out by the ET and
recorded in the subsequent monthly EM&A Report, Quarterly EM&A Report
and EM&A Review Report.
2.2 Mitigation
Measures
This section
outlines the mitigation measure for air quality as stipulated in the EM&A
Manual. The dust control and
mitigation measures have been recommended in the EM&A Manual to be
implemented in the construction phase.
Prior to the construction commencement, the ET has reminded the
Contractor for the design and implementation of the following measures based on
the EM&A Manual requirements.
·
Use of regular watering to reduce dust
emissions from exposed site surfaces and unpaved roads, with complete coverage,
particularly during dry weather;
·
Use of frequent watering for
particularly dusty static construction areas
and
areas close to air quality sensitive receivers;
·
Side enclosure and covering of any
aggregate or dusty material storage piles to reduce emissions. Where this is not practicable owing to
frequent usage, watering should be employed to aggregate fines;
·
Tarpaulin covering of all dusty vehicle
loads transported to, from and between site locations;
·
Establishment and use of vehicle wheel
and body washing facilities at the exit points of the site, combined with
cleaning of public roads where necessary;
·
Imposition of speed controls for
vehicles and unpaved site roads
·
Where feasible, routing of vehicles and
positioning of construction plant should be at maximum possible distance from air
quality sensitive receivers; and
·
Instigation of an environmental
monitoring and auditing program to monitor the construction process in order to
enforce controls and modify methods of work if dusty conditions arise
During the
course of the construction period, upon the advice of the ET, if the above
measures are not sufficient to restore the air quality to acceptable
levels, the Contractor shall
liaise with the ET on some other mitigation measures, proposes to the ER for
approval, and implement the mitigation measures.
2.3 Action for Obvious Air Quality Deterioration
Despite
the EM&A Manual has not required the use of High Volume Sampler or other
equipments to monitor the air quality quantitatively, the ET has proposed to
use a dust monitoring equipment to monitor air quality when there is obvious
air quality deterioration observed within the project area under the assessment
of both ET and IEC.
When
required, a portable Laser Dust Monitor (complied with EPD’s requirements) will
be used to carry out the 1-hour TSP monitoring. The location, frequency,
procedures, parameters and other necessary details of air quality monitoring
will then be agreed between the Engineer, ET and IEC. The Engineer, ET and IEC will then ensure that the
requirements in Air Pollution Control (Construction Dust) Regulation has been
satisfied. The ET, IEC and the
Engineer will also agree on any necessary action (to be carried out by the
Contractor) for the control of construction dust to be complied with the
statutory requirements and recorded in the subsequent monthly EM&A report.
3.1 Monitoring Requirements
It is noted that the
requirement for noise monitoring has not been specified in the EM&A
Manual. Despite of it, during the
course of site inspection carried out by the ET, the ET will closely monitor
the construction noise. Based on
the observation by the ET during site inspection, should there be any obvious
indication of construction noise level exceedance, the ET will carry out noise
monitoring works to measure the exceedance of noise level, with reference to
the Noise Control Ordinance.
Under
such situation, the ET will agree with the IEC and the Engineer for all the
necessary monitoring details such as monitoring equipment, procedure,
parameters, monitoring locations, schedule, etc. The monitoring works will then be carried out by the ET and
recorded in the subsequent monthly EM&A report. Any necessary action to mitigate the construction noise
exceedance situation will be proposed by the ET for IEC to verify and ER for
approval.
An
Integrating Sound Level Meters with calibrator which complied with EPD’s
requirements will be used for noise level monitoring when required.
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 No
obvious indication of air quality deterioration was observed during the
site inspection
by the ET in March 2002. The
Contractor has been reminded to implement all the necessary mitigation measures
as stipulated in the EM&A Manual to ensure the air quality within the
vicinity of the site is within the standard according to the statutory
requirements.
4.2 The
weather was generally fine during the monitoring period. There were no major
construction activities identified in the vicinity of the project area during
the monitoring period. Vehicle emission along Salisbury Road was the major dust
source identified during the monitoring period.
4.3 There was no major
activity identified within the vicinity of the site during the monitoring
period. No major noise source was
identified within the project area along Salisbury Road. The traffic noise at Salisbury
Road was barely audible.
