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Contents

3 NOISE 9

4 WATER QUALITY 12

5 ECOLOGY MONITORING 16

6 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL 28

7 LAND CONTAMINATION 29

8 SITE INSPECTION AND AUDIT 31

9 NON-COMPLIANCE, COMPLAINTS, NOTIFICATIONS OF SUMMONS AND SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS 32

10 IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION MEASURE 33

11 FUTURE KEY ISSUES 35

12 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 36

Tables

Table 1 Contact Information of Key Personnel 4

Table 2 Environmental Licenses, Notification and Permits Summary. 5

Table 3 Air Quality Monitoring Equipment 6

Table 4 Air Quality Monitoring Location. 7

Table 5 Summary of Air Quality Monitoring Results. 7

Table 6 Comparison of 1-hr TSP data with EIA predictions. 8

Table 7 Construction Noise Monitoring Equipment 9

Table 8 Monitoring Parameters and Frequencies of Noise Monitoring. 9

Table 9 Construction Noise Monitoring Location. 10

Table 10 Summary of Construction Noise Monitoring Results. 11

Table 11 Comparison of Noise monitoring data with EIA predictions. 11

Table 12 Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Equipment 12

Table 13 Monitoring Parameters and Frequency. 13

Table 14 Coordinates of Water Quality Monitoring Locations. 14

Table 15 Summary of Water Quality Exceedance. 15

Table 16 Noise Monitoring Parameters (For Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey) 17

Table 17 Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey Findings. 18

Table 18 Noise Monitoring Parameters (For Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey) 19

Table 19 Noise Monitoring Parameters. 20

Table 20 Abundance of all Avifauna Species. 22

Table 21 Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance. 23

Table 22 Shannon Diversity Index Value of all Avifauna Species. 24

Table 23 Shannon Diversity Index Value of Species with Conservation Importance. 25

Table 24 Wetland habitat utilization of all avifauna species. 26

Table 25 Wetland habitat utilization of avifauna species of conservation importance. 26

Table 26 Noise Monitoring Results (For Ecological Monitoring of Birds) 27

Table 27 Waste Generated by the Construction and Disposal Ground. 31

Table 28 Status of submissions required under the EP. 33

Figures

Figure 1 Location of Proposed Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant

Figure 2 Location of Construction Dust Monitoring Stations.

Figure 3 Noise Monitoring Locations.

Figure 4 Water Quality Monitoring Locations.

Figure 5 Ecology Monitoring Locations.

Appendix

Appendix A Construction Programme

Appendix B Project Organization Chart

Appendix C Action and Limit Levels

Appendix D Calibration Certificates/ Reports of Monitoring Equipment

Appendix E Environmental Monitoring Schedule

Appendix F Environmental Monitoring Results

Appendix G Wind Data

Appendix H Event and Action Plan

Appendix I Waste Flow Table

Appendix J Implementation Status of Environmental Mitigation Measures

Appendix K Weather and Meteorological Conditions

Appendix L Cumulative statistics on Environmental Complaints, Notifications of Summons and Successful Prosecutions

Appendix M Summary of the ET Leader’s Site Environmental Audit in the Reporting Month

Appendix N Outstanding Issues and Deficiencies

Appendix O Active Night Roost Monitoring Area and Vantage Points; and Noise Monitoring Stations

Appendix P Ecological Bird Monitoring Area with Locations of Point Count Sites and Transect Route

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Monthly Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Report is prepared for Contract No. SPW 02/2023 “Environmental Team for Construction of Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant Stage 1”. Drainage Services Department (DSD) has appointed Aurecon Hong Kong Limited (Aurecon) to undertake the Environmental Team services for the project and implement the EM&A works.

This is the 37^th Monthly EM&A Report for the construction phase which summaries findings of the EM&A programme during the reporting period from 1 April 2024 to 30 April 2024. As informed by the Contractor, major activities in the reporting month were:

· Piling at SDB

· ABWF work, E&M works and fixing GRC panel at CLP Substation

· ABWF and E&M works at PST

· ABWF, E&M works and RC structure at IW

· Erection temp. loading platform at AGS

· ELS work at AGS

· Erection temp. loading platform at TTS

· ELS work at TTS

· ELS work at STB

· ELS work at Sludge Digester no. 1-3

· E&M work at Biogas Holder no. 1

· Pipeworks for interim scheme

· Disposal of construction waste as indicated in Appendix I.

Breaches of Environmental Quality Performance Limits (AL levels)

No Action and Limit Level exceedance was recorded for air quality monitoring and construction noise monitoring in the reporting month.

No Action and Limit Level exceedance was recorded for water quality monitoring in the reporting month.

No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for noise levels at stations (NMS1 and NMS2) in close proximity to the two active ardeid night roosts (ANR1 and ANR2) observed within the Survey Area during the reporting month.

One exceedance in Action Level was recorded for the ecological monitoring of birds on 12 April 2024 (night-time) and 15 April 2024 (daytime). This includes decline in Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance in the point count method.

No corrective actions were required according to the Event and Action Plans for the Monitoring Parameters.

Land Contamination

Regular site inspection was carried out to ensure the recommended mitigation measures are properly implemented. The signed final Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) for “Main Storeroom & Workshops”, “Mechanical Workshop”, “Waste Storage Area”, “SAS Thickener House-1” and “SAS Thickener House-2” were submitted to EPD respectively on 1st November 2021, 23rd November 2021, 29th April 2022, 6th July 2022 and 19th June 2023. No contaminated soil and ground water was found within the Main Storeroom & Workshop, Mechanical Workshop, Waste Storage Area, SAS Thickener House-1 and SAS Thickener House-2, and no remedial action is required for these locations.

Complaint Log

No complaints were received in the reporting period.

Notifications of Summons and Successful Prosecutions

No notifications of summons and successful prosecutions were received in the reporting period.

Reporting Change

There were no reporting changes during the reporting month.

Future Key Issues

The main works will be anticipated in the next three months are as follow:

· Piling at SDB

· ABWF work, E&M works and fixing GRC panel at CLP Substation

· ABWF and E&M works at PST

· ABWF, E&M work and RC structure at IW

· ELS work at AGS

· ELS work at TTS

· RC Structure at TTS

· ELS work at STB

· RC Structure at STB

· ELS work at Sludge Digester no. 1-3

· E&M work at Biogas Holder no. 1

· Pipeworks for interim scheme

· ELS works and pipeworks at emergency bypass chamber

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

1.1.1 The existing Yuen Long Sewage Treatment Works (YLSTW) is a secondary sewage treatment works, located at Yuen Long Industrial Estate serves Yuen Long Town, Yuen Long Industrial Estate and Kam Tin areas with a design capacity of 70,000 m³ per day. Based on the latest planning data, the volume of sewage generation from the YLSTW catchment is estimated to increase to 150,000 m³ per day after 20 years. In addition, since YLSTW has been operating for over 30 years and most of its facilities are of out-dated design and reaching the end of their design life, the environmental facilities of the plant will also be upgraded and hence improving the adjacent environment through upgrading the YLSTW to Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant (YLEPP). The Location of Proposed Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant is given in Figure 1.

1.1.2 YLSTW will be reconstructed in two stages to increase its capacity to 150,000 m³ per day. The proposed works, as Stage 1 of the project, will firstly increase the treatment capacity to 100,000 m³ per day. In the course of Stage 1 construction, about half of the existing facilities of YLSTW would be demolished, while the other half would be kept in operation to maintain the sewage treatment service for Yuen Long area. This 72-month works contract commenced on 9 November 2020. Demolition of existing YLSTW for construction of new treatment facilities are in progress.

1.1.3 The Project is a designated project under Schedule 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) (Cap. 499) for which Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM&A) Manual was approved by EPD (Register No.: AEIAR-220/2019) on 25 April 2019. The Environmental Permit (EP) (EP No. EP-565/2019) was issued by EPD on 26 April 2019.

1.1.4 Fugro Technical Services Limited was appointed as the Environmental Team (ET) by Drainage Services Department (DSD) to undertake the Environmental Team services for the Project and implement the EM&A works under the Contract No. DC/2019/10 Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant -Main Works for Stage 1 (hereinafter referred as “the Contract”) for the period from July 2020 to 6 July 2023.

1.1.5 Aurecon Hong Kong Limited (Aurecon) has been appointed as the Environmental Team (ET) by Drainage Services Department (DSD) to undertake the Environmental Team services for the Project and implement the EM&A works under the Contract from July 2023. Air quality, noise, water quality and ecological monitoring, site inspections and auditing (as scheduled) under EM&A programme with effect from 7 July 2023 was conducted by Aurecon. Aurecon is undertaking the preparation (including reporting of monitoring results), certification by ET Leader and submission of this report to EPD.

1.1.6 All ET roles and responsibilities under the EP for this Project were undertaken by Fugro up to 6 July 2023 and by Aurecon with effect from 7 July 2023. Air quality, noise, water quality and ecological monitoring, site inspections and auditing (as scheduled) under EM&A programme up to 6 July 2023 was conducted by Fugro, and the corresponding monitoring results were shared with Aurecon for the purposes of reporting in this report.

1.1.7 This is the 37^th Monthly EM&A report to document the findings of site inspection activities and EM&A programme for this project from 1 April 2024 to 30 April 2024 (reporting period) and is submitted to fulfil Condition 3.4 of the EP and Section 12.4.1 of the EM&A Manual. According to Condition 4 of the EP, electronic reporting is provided on the internet website to facilitate public inspection of the report.

1.2 Project Organization

1.2.1 The Project Organization structure is shown in Appendix B. The key personnel contact names and numbers are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1 Contact Information of Key Personnel

Party	Position	Name	Telephone
Project Proponent (Drainage Services Department)	Engineer	Mr. Wallace Cheng	2594 7473
Engineer’s Representative (AECOM Asia Co. Ltd.)	Chief Resident Engineer	Mr. Simon Yeung	9075 7172
Engineer’s Representative (AECOM Asia Co. Ltd.)	Senior Resident Engineer	Mr. Patrick Leung	6124 8838
Independent Environmental Checker (Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Limited)	Independent Environmental Checker (IEC)	Mr. Brandon Wong	2828 5875
Contractor (Paul Y. - CREC Joint Venture)	Environmental Specialist	Mr. Gabriel Wong	5269 5723
Contractor (Paul Y. - CREC Joint Venture)	Environmental Officer	Mr. Henry Lau	5490 5271
Environmental Team (Aurecon Hong Kong Limited)	Environmental Team Leader (ETL)	Mr. Vincent Lu	6346 5908

1.3 Construction Programme and Activities

1.3.1 The construction programme of this project is shown in Appendix A.

1.4 Works undertaken during the month

1.4.1 The main construction works carried out in the reporting period were as follow:

· Piling at SDB

· ABWF work, E&M works and fixing GRC panel at CLP Substation

· ABWF and E&M works at PST

· ABWF, E&M works and RC structure at IW

· Erection temp. loading platform at AGS

· ELS work at AGS

· Erection temp. loading platform at TTS

· ELS work at TTS

· ELS work at STB

· ELS work at Sludge Digester no. 1-3

· E&M work at Biogas Holder no. 1

· Pipeworks for interim scheme

1.4.2 The environmental mitigation measures corresponding to the main construction works implemented in the reporting period can be referred to Appendix J.

1.5 Status of Environmental Licences, Notification and Permits

1.5.1 A summary of the status of the relevant permits, licenses and/or notifications on environmental protection for this project is presented in Table 2.

Table 2 Environmental Licenses, Notification and Permits Summary

Permit/ Notification/ License	Reference No	Valid From	Valid Till
Environmental Permit	EP-565/2019	26-Apr-2019	The whole construction and operation period of the Project
Notification of Works under APCO	461616	6-Nov-2020	The whole construction and operation period of the Project
Construction Waste Disposal Billing Account	7038933	20-Nov-2020	The whole construction and operation period of the Project
Registration as Chemical Waste Producer under WDO	WPN5213-528-P2796-03	4-Feb-2021	The whole construction and operation period of the Project
Construction Noise Permit	GW-RN0043-24	17-Jan-2024	16-Apr-2024
Construction Noise Permit	GW-RN0127-24	6-Feb-2024	2-May-2024
Construction Noise Permit	GW-RN0355-24	4-Apr-2024	1-Jun-2024
Construction Noise Permit	GW-RN0404-24	17-Apr-2024	16-Jul-2024
Construction Noise Permit	PP-RN012-24	1-Apr-2024	30-Jun-2024
Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) (CAP. 358) Licence pursuant to Section 20 (Variation of Licence Pursuant to Section 28 of WPCO)	WT00038102-2021	4-Aug-2021 (Variation approved on 11-Dec-2023 with immediate effect)	31-Aug-2026
Marine Dumping Permit (Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal (Dedicated Site) and Type 2 – Confined Marine Disposal)	EP/MD/24-065	22-Jan-2024	21-Apr-2024
Marine Dumping Permit (Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal)	EP/MD/24-075	1-Mar-2024	31-Aug-2024
Marine Dumping Permit (Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal (Dedicated Site) and Type 2 – Confined	EP/MD/24-090	22-Apr-2024	21-Jul-2024
Disposal of Special waste at Landfills Admission Ticket (Pond Sediment)	Admission Ticket Number: 17810	1-Apr-2024	30-Jun-2024
Revised Sediment Quality Report (SQR)	(7) in EP60/G1/12-583V	4-Apr-2023	3-Apr-2024

2 AIR QUALITY

2.1 Monitoring Requirement

2.1.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, 1-hour Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) levels should be measured at the designated air quality monitoring stations to ensure that any deteriorating air quality could be readily detected and timely action shall be undertaken to rectify such situation. Impact 1-hour TSP monitoring was conducted for at least three times every 6 days when the highest dust impact occurs.

2.2 Monitoring Equipment

2.2.1 A portable direct reading dust meter was used to carry out the 1-hour TSP monitoring at the designated monitoring stations.

2.2.2 Wind data monitoring equipment is provided at the conspicuous locations for logging wind speed and wind direction near to the dust monitoring locations. The equipment installation location is agreed with the ER and the IEC.

2.2.3 The details of the air quality monitoring equipment used are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3 Air Quality Monitoring Equipment

Item	Location	Brand	Model	Equipment	Serial No.
1	AM1	Sibata	Model LD-5R	SIBATA LD-5R Digital Dust Indicator	882106, 882107
2	AM2

Item

Location

Brand

Model

Equipment

Serial No.

AM1

Sibata

Model LD-5R

SIBATA LD-5R Digital Dust Indicator

882106,

882107

AM2

2.3 Monitoring Methodology for Direct Reading Dust Meter

2.3.1 SIBATA LD-5R Digital Dust Indicator complete with appropriate sampling inlets are employed for 1-hour TSP measurement.

Measuring Procedures

a) Pulling up the air sampling inlet cover

b) Changing the Mode 0 to BG

c) Pressing Start/Stop switch

d) Turning the knob to SENSI.ADJ and press it

e) Pressing Start/Stop switch again

f) Returning the knob to the position MEASURE slowly

g) Pressing the timer set switch to set measuring time

h) Removing the cap and start the measurement

Equipment Calibration

1-hour dust meter should be calibrated at 1 year intervals. The calibration certificates are presented in Appendix D.

2.4 Maintenance and Calibration for Direct Reading Dust Meter

2.4.1 ET shall submit sufficient information to the IEC to prove that the instrument is capable of achieving comparable results to the HVS. The instrument should also be calibrated regularly, and the 1-hour sampling shall be determined periodically by the HVS to check the validity and accuracy of the results measured by direct reading method. The calibration certificate for the direct reading dust meter is provided in Appendix D.

2.5 Monitoring Locations

2.5.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, two air quality monitoring locations, namely AM1, AM2 are covered under Contract No. SPW 02/2023 “Environmental Team for Construction of Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant Stage 1”.

2.5.2 The most updated locations are summarized in Table 4 and the locations of the air monitoring stations shown in Figure 2.

Table 4 Air Quality Monitoring Location

Monitoring Station	Location
AM1	Topfine Machinery (China) Co. Ltd
AM2	Squatter house at the west of YLSTW

2.6 Monitoring Results

2.6.1 The schedule of air quality monitoring in reporting month is provided in Appendix E.

2.6.2 No Action / Limit Level exceedance was recorded for 1-hr TSP at AM1 and AM2.

2.6.3 No effect that arose from the other special phenomena and work progress of the concerned site was noted during the current monitoring month.

2.6.4 The weather and meteorological conditions during the monitoring are provided in Appendix K.

2.6.5 The Air Quality Monitoring Results of 1-hr TSP are summarized in Table 5. Detailed monitoring data are presented in Appendix F.

Table 5 Summary of Air Quality Monitoring Results

Monitoring Station	Average (μg/m³)	Range (μg/m³)	Action Level (μg/m³)	Limit Level (μg/m³)
1-hour TSP
AM1	54	45-64	291	500
AM2	37	30-46	296	500

2.6.6 The Action and Limit Levels for air quality monitoring have been set and are presented in Appendix C.

2.6.7 The Event and Action Plan for air quality is given in Appendix H.

2.6.8 The wind data obtained from the on-site wind station during the reporting period is provided

in Appendix G.

2.7 Comparison of 1-hr TSP Monitoring Results with EIA Predictions

2.7.1 The monitoring data of 1-hr TSP was compared with the EIA predictions as summarized in Table 6.

Table 6 Comparison of 1-hr TSP data with EIA predictions

Monitoring Station	EIA ID	Predicted Maximum Hourly Average TSP Concentration (μg/ m³)	Maximum 1-hr TSP Monitoring Results in April 2024 (μg/ m³)
Content
AM1	ASR A09	205-451	64
AM2	ASR A11	205-451	46

Notes: Predicted TSP Concentration extracted from Table 3.20 of EIA Report, AEIAR-220/2019

2.7.2 The 1-hr TSP monitoring results at AM1 and AM2 were below the Predicted Maximum Hourly Average TSP Concentration in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report.

3 NOISE

3.1 Monitoring Requirement

3.1.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, Leq (30min) monitoring is conducted at least once a week when there are Project-related construction activities being undertaken within a radius of 300 m from the monitoring stations. The monitoring is conducted during the construction phase between 0700 and 1900 on normal weekdays at the designated monitoring locations.

3.2 Monitoring Equipment

3.2.1 As referred to the requirements of the Technical Memorandum (TM) issued under the NCO, the sound level meters in compliance with the International Electro technical Commission Publications 651: 1979 (Type 1) and 804: 1985 (Type 1) specifications should be used for carrying out the noise monitoring. Immediately prior to and following each noise measurement, the accuracy of the sound level meter should be checked using an acoustic calibrator generating a known sound pressure level at a known frequency. The measurements may be accepted as valid only if the difference between calibration levels obtained before and after the noise measurement is less than 1.0 dB (94 dB ± 0.1 dB).

3.2.2 The details of the noise monitoring equipment used are summarized in Table 7.

Table 7 Construction Noise Monitoring Equipment

Item	Brand	Model	Equipment	Serial No.
1	NTi Audio	XL2	NTi Audio XL2 Digital Sound Level Meter	A2A-09696-E0
2	NTi Audio	XL2	NTi Audio XL2 Digital Sound Level Meter	A2A-13548-E0
3	NTi Audio	XL2	NTi Audio XL2 Digital Sound Level Meter	A2A-13661-E0
4	RION	NC-75	RION NC-75 Acoustic Calibrator	35124527
5	RION	NC-75	RION NC-75 Acoustic Calibrator	35124529
6	SVANTEK	SV33B	SVANTEK SV33B Acoustic Calibrator	83042
7	RS PRO	RS-90	Anemometer	210722153

3.3 Monitoring Parameters and Frequency

3.3.1 The parameters and frequencies of impact noise monitoring is summarized in Table 8.

Table 8 Monitoring Parameters and Frequencies of Noise Monitoring

Parameter	Frequency
LAeq (30 min) (L10 and L90 will be recorded for reference)	At each station at 0700-1900 hours on normal weekdays at a frequency of once a week when construction activities are underway

3.4 Monitoring Methodology

3.4.1 Noise measurement should be conducted as the following procedures:

· The monitoring station will set at a point 1m from the exterior of the sensitive receivers building façade and set at a position 1.2m above the ground. (In case façade measurement is not feasible on-site, a free field correction of +3dB(A) will be applied.)

· The battery condition was checked to ensure good functioning of the meter.

· Parameters such as frequency weighting, the time weighting and the measurement time will set as follows:

§ frequency weighting: A

§ time weighting: Fast

§ measurement time: 30 minutes

· Prior to and after noise measurement, the meter shall be calibrated using the calibrator for 94.0 dB at 1000 Hz. If the difference in the calibration level before and after measurement is more than 1.0 dB, the measurement will consider invalid and repeat of noise measurement is required after re-calibration or repair of the equipment.

· Noise measurement should be paused during periods of high intrusive noise if possible and observation shall be recorded when intrusive noise is not avoided.

· Noise measurements shall not be made in fog, rain, wind with a steady speed exceeding 5 m/s or wind with gusts exceeding 10 m/s. The wind speed shall be checked with a portable wind speed meter capable of measuring the wind speed in m/s. Calibration certificate of the anemometer is provided in Appendix D.

3.5 Maintenance and Calibration

3.5.1 Maintenance and calibration procedures should also be carried out, including:

· The microphone head of the sound level meter and calibrator should be cleaned with a soft cloth at quarterly intervals.

· The sound level meter and calibrator should be calibrated annually by a HOKLAS laboratory.

· Relevant calibration certificates are provided in Appendix D.

3.6 Monitoring Locations

3.6.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, three noise monitoring locations, namely CM1, CM2 and CM3 are covered under Contract No. SPW 02/2023 “Environmental Team for Construction of Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant Stage 1”.

3.6.2 The most updated locations are summarized in Table 9 and the locations of the noise monitoring stations shown in Figure 3.

Table 9 Construction Noise Monitoring Location

Monitoring Station ID	Location	Measurements
CM1	Squatter house at the north of YLSTW	Free Field
CM2	Squatter house at the west of YLSTW	Free Field
CM3	Squatter house at the east of YLSTW	Free Field

Note: Correction of +3 dB(A) shall be made to the free field measurements.

3.7 Monitoring Results

3.7.1 The schedule of noise monitoring in reporting month is provided in Appendix E.

3.7.2 No Action / Limit Level exceedance of location CM1, CM2 and CM3 was recorded for construction noise in the reporting month.

3.7.3 During the monitoring month, at CM2, road traffic from the squatter house at the west of Yuen Long STW was observed, at CM3, road traffic from the Nam Sang Wai Road was observed. No effect that arose from the other special phenomena and work progress of the concerned site for CM1 was noted during the current monitoring month.

3.7.4 No raining and wind with speed over 5 m/s was observed during noise monitoring according to the onsite observation. The weather and meteorological conditions during the monitoring month are provided in Appendix K.

3.7.5 The Construction Noise Monitoring Results are summarized in Table 10. Detailed monitoring data are presented in Appendix F.

Table 10 Summary of Construction Noise Monitoring Results

Time Period	Noise Monitoring Stations	Leq (30min) dB(A) (Range)	Action Level	Limit Level dB(A)
0700-1900 hrs on normal weekdays	CM1	61.4 – 63.5	When one documented complaint is received	75
	CM2	59.3 – 63.4		75
	CM3	63.1 – 64.8		75

Remark: CM1, CM2 and CM3: Free-field measurement (+3 dB(A) correction has been applied).

3.7.6 The Action and Limit Levels for Construction Noise have been set and are presented in Appendix C.

3.7.7 The Event and Action Plan for Construction Noise is given in Appendix H.

3.8 Comparison of Noise Monitoring data with EIA Predictions

3.8.1 The noise monitoring data was compared with the EIA predictions as summarized in Table 11.

Table 11 Comparison of Noise monitoring data with EIA predictions

Monitoring Station	EIA ID	Maximum Predicted Mitigated Construction Noise Level L_eq (30min) dB(A)	Maximum Construction Noise Level in April 2024 L_eq (30min) dB(A)
CM1	NSR1	72	63.5
CM2	NSR2	74	63.4
CM3	NSR3	75	64.8

Notes: Predicted TSP Concentration extracted from Table 4.9 of EIA Report, AEIAR-220/2019

3.8.2 The construction noise monitoring results at CM1, CM2 and CM3 were below the Maximum Predicted mitigated Construction Noise Level in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report (Register No.: AEIAR-220/2019).

4 WATER QUALITY

4.1 Monitoring Requirement

4.1.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, impact monitoring is conducted for three days per week at mid-flood and mid-ebb with sampling and measurement at the designated monitoring stations.

4.2 Monitoring Equipment

4.2.1 Equipment used for in-situ measurement and water sampling during impact water quality monitoring is summarised in Table 12. The equipment is in compliance with the requirements set out in the EM&A Manual. All in-situ monitoring instruments were calibrated by a HOKLAS- accredited laboratory. Calibration of temperature, DO, salinity, pH and turbidity is conducted in three-month interval. Calibration certificates for the water quality monitoring equipment are attached in Appendix D.

Table 12 Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling Equipment

Parameter	Equipment	Model	Range	Equipment Accuracy	Serial No.
Temperature Dissolved Oxygen Salinity pH Turbidity	YSI Water Quality Multipara meter Sonde	Xylem ProDSS	Tem: -5 to 50°C DO: 0-50mg/L DO%: 0-500% Sal: 0 to 70ppt pH: 0 to 14 pH units Turb: 0- 4000NTU	Temp: ±0.2°C; DO: ±0.1mg/L or 1% for 0-20mg/L; ±8% for 20-50mg/L Sal: ±1% of reading or 0.1 ppt (whichever is greater) pH: ±0.2 units Turb: ±3% or 0.3NTU (FNU) (whichever greater)	22D100436, 22C106561
Current Velocity and Direction	Current Meter	Valeport Model 106	Speed: 0.03 to 5 m/s Direction: 0 to 360	Speed: ± 1.5% of reading above 0.15m/s, ± 0.004 m/s below 0.15m/s Direction: ± 2.5o	N/A
Water Sampling	Water Sampler	Aquatic Research Instruments 2.2L Horizontal Water Sampler HWS2.2CP	N/A	N/A	N/A
Positioning	DGPS	GARMIN GPSMAP 78s	N/A	GPS: ±1m	N/A
Water Depth	Echo Sounder	Garmin ECHO 101	Maximum depth: 457.2 m	0.1 m	N/A

4.3 Equipment Calibration

4.3.1 All in-situ monitoring instruments shall be checked, calibrated and certified by a laboratory accredited under HOKLAS before use and subsequently re-calibrated at three monthly intervals throughout all stages of the water quality monitoring programme. Responses of sensors and electrodes shall be checked with certified standard solutions before each use. Wet bulb calibration for a DO meter shall be carried out before measurement at each monitoring location.

4.3.2 Sufficient stocks of spare parts shall be maintained for replacements when necessary. Backup monitoring equipment shall also be made available so that monitoring is uninterrupted even when some equipment is under maintenance or calibration etc.

4.4 Monitoring Parameters

The monitoring parameters and frequency for both in-situ measurement and laboratory analysis are summarised in Table 13.

Table 13 Monitoring Parameters and Frequency

Parameters	Monitoring Frequency
In-situ Measurement Turbidity (in NTU), pH, DO (in mg/L and % of saturation), Temperature (in °C), Salinity (in ppt) Laboratory Analysis Suspended Solids	3 days per week, at mid-flood and mid-ebb tides (The interval between two sets of monitoring shall not be less than 36 hours.)

Parameters

Monitoring Frequency

In-situ Measurement

Turbidity (in NTU), pH, DO (in mg/L and % of saturation), Temperature (in °C), Salinity (in ppt)

Laboratory Analysis

Suspended Solids

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

(The interval between two sets of monitoring shall not

be less than 36 hours.)

4.5 Monitoring Operation

4.5.1 The position of water monitoring station will be located by the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) or equivalent. The water depth of water monitoring station will be determined by the echo sounder affixed to the bottom of the monitoring vessel or a portable echo sounder depth detector.

4.5.2 Once the location and water depth are confirmed, water samples shall be collected at 3 depths (1m below the surface, mid-depth, and 1m above the seabed) of the water column at each location, except where water depth is less than 6m, the mid-depth will be omitted and if the water depth is less than 3m only the mid-depth station will be monitored. Duplicate marine samples will be collected in each sampling event. The water samples are decanted from the water sampler into the water sample bottles. The bottles are labelled, tightly sealed, placed into a cool-box and packed with ice ready for delivery to the laboratory.

4.5.3 Two consecutive measurements of water quality data, including pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and turbidity will be recorded according to the monitoring locations. Separate deployment of the monitoring instruments and water samplers will be conducted for the consecutive measurements or samplings. The monitoring location / position, time, water depth, sampling depth, tidal stages, weather conditions, sea condition and any special phenomena or work underway nearby shall also be recorded. If the difference in value between the first and second measurement of DO or turbidity parameters is more than 25% of the value of the first reading, the reading shall be discarded and further readings should be taken.

4.6 Laboratory Measurement / Analysis

Background

4.6.1 Acumen Laboratory and Testing Limited (HOKLAS Reg: No.241) has been appointed to conduct the laboratory measurement or analysis of water sample in this project.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

4.6.2 The laboratory incorporates a variety of QA/QC monitoring programme into their testing system. Where applicable or available, the quality of the analysis will be monitored by conducting the following QC analysis:

For each batch of 20 samples:

· A minimal of 1 laboratory method blank will be analyzed;

· A minimal of 1 sample duplicate will be analyzed;

· A minimal of 1 sample matrix spike will be analyzed.

4.7 Monitoring Locations

4.7.1 In accordance with the EM&A Manual, water quality monitoring should be carried out at 3 designated monitoring locations.

4.7.2 The coordinates of the monitoring location stated in the EM&A Manual is summarised in Table 14 and the locations of the water quality monitoring stations shown in Figure 4.

Table 14 Coordinates of Water Quality Monitoring Locations

Sampling Location		Easting	Northing
M1	Serve as the control station at upstream location of construction site (Flood Tide) / Serve as the impact station at downstream location of construction site (Ebb Tide)	821 086	836 656
M2	Serve as the impact station at downstream location of construction site (Flood Tide)/ Serve as the control station at upstream location of construction site (Ebb Tide)	820 996	836 246
M3	Serve as the impact station at downstream location of construction site (Flood Tide) / Serve as the control station at upstream location of construction site (Ebb Tide)	820 645	820 335

4.8 Monitoring Results

4.8.1 The schedule of water quality monitoring in reporting month is provided in Appendix E.

4.8.2 Impact water quality monitoring was conducted at all designated monitoring stations in the reporting month. Impact water quality monitoring results and graphical presentations are provided in Appendix F.

4.8.3 The weather and meteorological conditions during the monitoring are provided in Appendix K.

4.8.4 Number of Action/ Limit exceedance recorded in the reporting month at each impact stations is summarized in Table 15.

Table 15 Summary of Water Quality Exceedance

Sampling Location	Exceedance Level	DO		Turbidity		Suspended Solids		Total
Sampling Location	Exceedance Level	Flood	Ebb	Flood	Ebb	Flood	Ebb	Flood	Ebb
M1	Action	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M1	Limit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M2	Action	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M2	Limit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M3	Action	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M3	Limit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Action	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Limit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

4.8.5 During the reporting period, no Action and Limit Level exceedance was recorded for water quality monitoring.

4.8.6 The Event and Action Plan for water quality is given in Appendix H.

4.9 WetSeps

Four WetSeps are deployed within the site for treatment of the site runoff prior to disposal in compliance with the conditions stipulated in the water discharge license (Variation of WPCO Discharge Licence was approved by EPD on 11 December 2023 with immediate effect).

5 ECOLOGY MONITORING

5.1 Ardeid Night Roost Monitoring

5.1.1 Monitoring Requirement

With reference to the Pre-construction Ardeid Night Roost survey (April 2017) findings that identified two active ardeid night roosts within 100 m from the Project boundary (one approximately 40 m east of the Project boundary and the other one approximately 45 m northeast of the Project boundary), consequent monthly monitoring of these active ardeid night roosts was done in accordance to the EM&A Manual Sections 7.3.10 and 7.3.11; and EIA Report Section 8.12.1.3.

The Ardeid Night Roost Monitoring survey was conducted with the following objectives:

· Check the status and location of any active ardeid night roosts within 100 m from the Project boundary (Survey Area) with reference to EM&A Manual Section 7.3.10;

· Monitor the effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures and detect any unpredicted indirect ecological impacts arising from the proposed Project as specified in EIA Report Section 8.12.1.3; and

· Recommend remedial actions, where appropriate, based on the impact monitoring results (EIA Report Section 8.12.1.3) for the implementation of the contractor as only necessary.

5.1.2 Monitoring Methodology

5.1.2.1 Monitoring Area

With reference from Section 7.3.10 of the approved EM&A Manual, the monitoring was conducted in areas within 100 m from the Project boundary. The monitoring area and vantage points for direct observation of any active night roosts are shown in Appendix O.

5.1.2.2 Monitoring Activity

5.1.2.2.1 Active Ardeid Night Roost

Current Ardeid Night Roost Monitoring Survey focused on the two active night roosts within the Survey Area (100 m from the Project boundary) that were previously confirmed during the pre-construction Survey. These roosts include one that was approximately 40 m east of the Project boundary and another around 45 m northeast of the mentioned boundary (Section 3 of the approved Pre-construction Survey Report of Ardeid Night Roost). Primary data collection with the use of 8x and 10x binoculars; and field guides including the Avifauna of Hong Kong (Carey et al., 2001) and The Birds of Hong Kong and South China (Viney et al., 2005), was from about one hour before sunset time until one hour after sunset with reference to Section 7.3.10 of the approved EM&A Manual. Sunset time was according to Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). The survey was conducted on 12 April 2024.

Species composition, abundance and locations of night roosts were recorded. Species composition, abundance and location of pre-roosting aggregations (PRA) were also noted. PRAs are gatherings of avian individuals prior to flying into a night roost (Moore and Switzer, 1998). The time of return of the ardeids to the pre-roost and the final night roost were also recorded. Direct observations were made from vantage points adjacent the Project site with clear and unobstructed view of any active roosting location (s) within the Survey Area. However, aside from the established vantage points for the focused mangrove strips along Shan Pui River, observations were also conducted throughout the whole 100 m study site to cover other areas aside from the mangrove strips.

Observations such as any changes in site condition or disturbances detected or observed at the monitoring locations, including both construction and non-construction related activities, during the monitoring activity was recorded with reference to Section 7.3.10 of the approved EM&A Manual. Additionally, other observations such as bird droppings on the ground which may possibly indicate presence of night roosts were noted in addition to noting of the roosting substrate (i.e. substrate species and approximate height). Any breeding activity usage of the roosting locations within the Survey Area was also noted.

5.1.2.2.2 Noise Monitoring

Monitoring Locations, Frequency, Time and Parameters

The noise monitoring locations were established at 22°28’4.25”N, 114°1’41.32”E; and 22°28’10.43”N, 114°1’42.17”E for NMS1 and NMS2 stations, respectively. Monitoring frequency was only once a month in concurrence with the construction phase monthly monitoring of the active night roosts for correlation. Monitoring time for both stations started around 18:44, the earliest final night roost period recorded during the survey and lasted for 30 minutes. Table 16 presents the monitoring parameters.

Table 16 Noise Monitoring Parameters (For Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey)

Parameter	Frequency and Period
LAeq (30 min) (L10 and L90 will be recorded for reference)	Monthly in concurrence with the construction phase monthly monitoring of the active night roosts

Parameter

Frequency and Period

LAeq (30 min)

(L10 and L90 will be recorded for reference)

Monthly in concurrence with the construction phase monthly monitoring of the active night roosts

The Action and Limit Levels for Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey have been set and are presented in Appendix C.

However, exceedances to the limit level were endeavoured to be prevented by the full implementation of mitigation measures (Section 4.2 of the approved Pre-construction Survey Report of Ardeid Night Roost and Sections 5.2.1-5.2.2 of this Report) during the construction phase.

Event and Action Plan

In instances of exceedance/s in the action and/or limit levels, the different measures as specified in Table 3.3 Event and Action Plan for Construction Noise of the approved EM&A Manual and likewise presented in Appendix H of this report shall be implemented as responses.

5.1.3 Monitoring Results

5.1.3.1 Active Ardeid Night Roost

The monitoring activity was conducted on 12 April 2024 and started around 17:42 (one hour before sunset) on a low tide condition. During the pre-roost period (PRP), the period when avian individuals gather first before flying into a night roost, individuals of Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus (2) and Great Egret Ardea alba (1) were observed in pre-roost aggregate (PRA) around 18:24 at the mudflat east side ANR1 of the Project boundary while individuals of Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus (3) and Great Egret Ardea alba (7) were concurrently noted at the mudflat northeast side ANR2 of the Project boundary (Table 17).

For the final night roost at around 18:44, individuals of Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus (4) and Great Egret Ardea alba (1) were observed at the roosting area ANR1 utilizing the understory to canopy layer of the roosting substrate Sonneratia apetala and S. caseolaris; while other individuals of Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus (17), Great Egret Ardea alba (22) and Little Egret Egretta garzetta (40) were noted at ANR2 that utilized the understory to canopy layer of the aforementioned roosting substrate.

No disturbance (construction related and/or otherwise) to the active night roost areas was observed during the period. Bird droppings were observed within the vicinity of the roosting area located east of the Project boundary.

Table 17 Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey Findings

Date: 12 April 2024			Sunset Time: 18:42 Tidal Condition: Low Tide
Pre-roost Period			Final roost Period
Time of Return:	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus, Great Egret Ardea alba and Little Egret Egretta garzetta (18:24)		Time of Return:	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus, Great Egret Ardea alba and Little Egret Egretta garzetta (18:44)
Parameters	Location		Parameters	Location
Parameters	ANR1	ANR2	Parameters	ANR1	ANR2
Pre-roost Aggregation (Y/N):	Y	Y	Substrate Species:	Sonneratia apetala and S. caseolaris	Sonneratia apetala and S. caseolaris
Substrate Species:	Sonneratia apetala and S. caseolaris	Sonneratia apetala and S. caseolaris	Substrate Height (m):	Approx. 5 m.	Approx. 3-4 m.
Substrate Height (m):	Approx. 5 m.	Approx. 3-4 m.	Substrate Height (m):	Approx. 5 m.	Approx. 3-4 m.
Ardeid Species Composition	Abundance (individuals)		Ardeid Species Composition	Abundance (individuals)
Ardeid Species Composition	ANR1	ANR2	Ardeid Species Composition	ANR1	ANR2
Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	2	3	Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus	4	17
Great Egret Ardea alba	1	7	Great Egret Ardea alba	1	22
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	-	-	Little Egret Egretta garzetta	-	40

Breeding Activity (Y/N):	ANR1	N
Breeding Activity (Y/N):	ANR2	N

Notes:

Pre-roost Period: Period when avian individuals gather first before flying into a night roost

ANR1: Active ardeid night roost area east of the Project boundary

ANR2: Active ardeid night roost area northeast of the Project boundary

-: not recorded

5.1.3.2 Noise Monitoring

Noise monitoring activities were conducted on 12 April 2024 in concurrence with the construction phase monthly monitoring of the pre-identified active night roosts. Noise monitoring started at 18:44 and lasted for 30 minutes, until 19:14.

Current survey results showed noise levels (LAeq (30 min.)) at both monitoring stations to be well below the action and limit levels as presented in Table 18.

Table 18 Noise Monitoring Parameters (For Active Ardeid Night Roost Survey)

Frequency and Period	Location	Start Time	LAeq (30 min.)	Action Level	Limit Level
Monthly in concurrence with the construction phase monthly monitoring of the active night roosts	NMS1	18:44	55.7	65.5 dB(A)¹	72.2 dB(A)²
	NMS2	18:44	56.8	65.5 dB(A)¹	72.2 dB(A)²

Notes:

NMS1= Noise monitoring station 1 located east of the Project boundary

NMS2= Noise monitoring station 2 located northeast of the Project boundary

¹= Behavioural response of some kind more likely to occur (Wright et al. 2010)

²= Flight with abandonment of the site becomes the most likely outcome of the disturbance (Wright et al. 2010)

5.1.4 Detection of Any Unpredicted Indirect Ecological Impacts Arising from the Project

No unpredicted indirect ecological impacts that arose from the project were noted during the current monitoring period.

5.1.5 Summary

5.1.5.1 Status and Location of Any Active Ardeid Night Roost

Two active ardeid night roost areas (ANR1 and ANR2) were observed within the Survey Area during the April 2024 monitoring period. These roosts were located at the mangrove strips in the east and northeast portions of the Project boundary. These were used by individuals of Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus, Great Egret Ardea alba and Little Egret Egretta garzetta.

5.1.5.2 Noise Monitoring Results

Both noise levels at each of the monitoring stations were below the action and limit levels.

5.2 Ecological Monitoring of Birds

5.2.1 Monitoring Requirement

With reference to Section 7.3.6 of the EM&A Manual, monthly ecological monitoring of birds, focusing on avifauna species of conservation interest, and overwintering waterbirds utilising wetland habitats in Fung Lok Wai and Nam Sang Wai as well as along Shan Pui River and Kam Tin River within the monitoring area (500 m from the Project Boundary) was conducted in addition to monitoring on the utilization of wetland habitats by birds also within the same monitoring area as required by Section 7.3.1 of the EM&A Manual.

5.2.2 Monitoring Methodology

5.2.2.1 Monitoring Area

The monitoring area included wetland habitats in Fung Lok Wai and Nam Sang Wai as well as along Shan Pui River and Kam Tin River within 500m from the Project boundary with reference to Section 7.3.6 of the EM&A Manual. The location of point count sites and transect routes is shown in Appendix P.

5.2.2.2 Monitoring Activity

Avifauna surveys on the different wetland habitats using the transect count and point count methods were conducted last 15 April 2024 (daytime) which started at around 07:15 and 12 April 2024 (night-time) which started around 18:43. Additionally, the survey overlooking the mudflats and mangroves in the Shan Pui River was concurrently conducted on the same date with the daytime survey during the low tide (generally 1.5m or below) period, and also started at around 07:15. The methodology for the monitoring activity followed Sections 8.3.3.6 and 8.3.3.7 of the EIA Report (AEIAR-220/2019) and as detailed below.

For the transect count and point count methods, the presence and relative abundance of avifauna species at various wetland habitats were recorded visually and aurally.

Avifauna species were detected either by direct sighting or by their call and identified to species level. Any notable behaviours such as feeding, roosting and breeding were also recorded. Bird species encountered outside the point count locations and walk transects were also recorded. A comprehensive list of species recorded from the Assessment Area was prepared, with wetland-dependence, conservation and/or protection status indicated. Ornithological nomenclature in this report follows Carey et al. (2001), Viney et al. (2005) and the most recent updated list from Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS).

Noise levels were recorded with the methodology and equipment as mentioned in Section 3.4 and Section 3.2, respectively, of this EM&A report. The parameter as shown in was recorded at each of the point count locations.

Table 19 Noise Monitoring Parameters

Parameter	Frequency and Period
LAeq (30 min) (L10 and L90 will be recorded for reference)	Monthly in concurrence with the monthly ecological bird monitoring at the different point count locations

Parameter

Frequency and Period

LAeq (30 min)

(L10 and L90 will be recorded for reference)

Monthly in concurrence with the monthly ecological bird monitoring at the different point count locations

In addition to recording of noise levels, any changes in site condition or disturbances detected or observed at the monitoring locations, including both construction and non-construction related activities with reference to Section 7.3.7 of the EM&A Manual were also noted.

5.2.2.3 Data Analysis

For the bird communities, the monitoring results were compared to pre-construction baseline condition during the dry and wet seasons as summarized in the Baseline Bird Survey Report with reference to Section 7.3.8 of the EM&A Manual. However, to further account the seasonality, monitoring results of the current month were compared to the results of the corresponding month of the baseline data.

The data for point count method and transect walk method were presented separately to account for the difference in the survey effort of the two methods. For each method, abundance and species composition of the avifauna communities during the monitoring month were summarized.

To check the presence of variation in bird abundance between baseline and impact monitoring, t-test was applied (α = 0.05). Moreover, to check the presence of variation in bird species diversity, the two-sided Hutcheson t-test was also used. The two-sided Hutcheson t-test was developed as a method to compare the diversity of two community samples using the Shannon diversity index (Hutcheson 1970). Shannon diversity index will be computed using the formula, where, H’ = Shannon Diversity Index; Pi = proportion of the population of species; i = number of species in sample; ln = natural logarithm. Shannon diversity index is used as it accounts the proportion (relative abundance) of each species; thus, it gives a better description of diversity than a plain number of species (species richness).

The Action and Limit Levels for ecological monitoring of birds have been set and are presented in Appendix C.

Wetland habitat utilization during the construction phase monitoring shall only be compared seasonally, hence the comparison shall only be done after all the data (dry season and wet season) were collected with reference to Appendix 8.5 of the approved EIA Report.

5.2.3 Monitoring Results

Results of the avifauna survey on the different habitats within the monitoring area using the transect count and point count methods as conducted last 15 April 2024 (daytime) which started at around 07:15 and 12 April 2024 (night-time) which started at around 18:52 are presented in Sections 5.2.3.1 and 5.2.3.2. Meanwhile, results for the surveys overlooking the mudflats and mangroves in the Shan Pui River, with monitoring activities conducted on similar date with the daytime survey during the low tide (generally 1.5m or below) period around 07:15 had results presented in Section 5.2.3.3.

5.2.3.1 Abundance

5.2.3.1.1 All Avifauna Species

An overall total of 544 avifauna individuals were recorded in the monitoring area during the April 2024 monitoring period, of which 370 individuals were recorded from the point count method and 174 individuals from the transect walk method. Relative to the April 2017 baseline data (point count method = 298; and transect walk = 47), increases were noted for both the point count and transect walk methods.

Details of these findings are summarized in Table 20.

Table 20 Abundance of all Avifauna Species

Abundance of all Avifauna Species
EIA Report ID	EM&A Manual ID	April-17	April-24	Remarks
Point Count Method
P1	FLW1	2	23	+
P2	FLW2	4	16	+
P3	FLW3	3	6	+
P4	FLW4	20	15	-
P5	FLW5	47	23	-
P6	FLW6	8	48	+
P7	FLW7	8	38	+
P9	SP/NSW3	110	44	-
P10	SP/NSW2	27	22	-
P11	NSW1	30	88	+
P12	SP/NSW1	39	47	+
Total		298	370	+
Mean		27	34	+

Transect Walk Method
Fung Lok Wai	FLW	44	32	-
Nam Sang Wai	NSW	3	48	+
YLIE-CW	YLIE-CW	0	94	+
Total		47	174	+
Mean		16	58	+

Notes:

+ increased abundance;

- decreased abundance

No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for the abundance of all avifauna species (including but not limited to overwintering waterbirds) for both the point-count and transect walk method.

5.2.3.1.2 Avifauna Species of Conservation Importance

Of the 544 avifauna individuals recorded in the monitoring area during the April 2024 monitoring period, 249 individuals (point count method = 177 individuals; transect walk method = 72 individuals) were of conservation importance. With reference to April 2017 data, (point count method = 200; and transect walk = 1), a decrease was noted for point count method, while an increase in transect walk method was observed. Details of these findings are summarized in Table 21.

Table 21 Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance

Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance
EIA Report ID	EM&A Manual ID	April-17	April-24	Remarks
Point Count Method
P1	FLW1	0	9	+
P2	FLW2	0	3	+
P3	FLW3	0	1	+
P4	FLW4	10	2	-
P5	FLW5	34	7	-
P6	FLW6	2	19	+
P7	FLW7	3	26	+
P9	SP/NSW3	103	42	-
P10	SP/NSW2	13	5	-
P11	NSW1	3	47	+
P12	SP/NSW1	32	16	-
Total		200	177	-
Mean		18	16	-

Transect Walk Method
Fung Lok Wai	FLW	1	1	=
Nam Sang Wai	NSW	0	5	+
YLIE-CW	YLIE-CW	0	66	+
Total		1	72	+
Mean		0.33	24	+

Notes:

+ increased abundance;

- decreased abundance

One exceedance in Action Level was recorded for the decline in Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance in the point count method.

5.2.3.2 Diversity (Species Richness¹ and Shannon Diversity Index²)

5.2.3.2.1 All Avifauna Species

A total of 57 avifauna species (species richness) were recorded during the April 2024 monitoring period, of which, 52 species were recorded by the point count method while 28 species were noted by the transect walk method. Relative to the baseline data (point count method = 41 species; transect walk method = 13 species), increases in total species richness for both transect walk count and point count methods were recorded. In terms of Shannon diversity index (H’) values, current result in point count method showed an increase (t-value = 4.34; t-crit = 1.96; p-value = 1.68E-05; α = 0.05) relative to the baseline reference value. The current results in the transect walk method also showed an increase (t-value = 2.34; t-crit = 1.99; p-value = 2.15E-02; α = 0.05) from baseline reference value. Details of these findings are summarized in Table 22, Appendix F.6.1, and Appendix F.6.2.

¹ actual number of species
² use to account the proportion (in terms of relative abundance) of each species

Table 22 Shannon Diversity Index Value of all Avifauna Species

Shannon Diversity Index Value of all Avifauna Species
EIA Report ID	EM&A Manual ID	April-17	April-24	Remarks
Point Count Method
P1	FLW1	0.69	2.32	+
P2	FLW2	1.39	1.96	+
P3	FLW3	0.64	1.79	+
P4	FLW4	2.08	1.81	-
P5	FLW5	2.27	2.41	+
P6	FLW6	1.73	1.93	+
P7	FLW7	1.67	2.06	+
P9	SP/NSW3	2.06	1.50	-
P10	SP/NSW2	2.47	2.45	-
P11	NSW1	2.63	2.26	-
P12	SP/NSW1	2.03	2.69	+
Overall H’		3.16	3.50	+
Species Richness		41	52	+

Transect Walk Method
Fung Lok Wai	FLW	2.03	2.10	+
Nam Sang Wai	NSW	0.64	1.82	+
YLIE-CW	YLIE-CW	**	2.09	+
Overall H’		2.10	2.51	+
Species Richness		13	28	+

Notes:

** result when no species recorded; + increased Shannon diversity index (H’); - decreased Shannon diversity index (H’); = no change in Shannon diversity index (H’)

No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for the decline in species diversity of all avifauna species in the point count / transect walk method.

5.2.3.2.2 Avifauna Species of Conservation Importance

Of the 57 avifauna species identified during the April 2024 monitoring period, 23 species were of conservation importance (point count method = 21 species; transect walk method = 11 species). Meanwhile, relative to the baseline values in April 2017 (point count method = 13 species; transect walk method = 1 species), significant increase in the number of species with conservation importance was recorded with both the point count and transect walk method. In terms of Shannon diversity index (H’), increases in point count method (t-value = 2.75; t-crit = 1.97; p-value = 6.40E-03; α = 0.05) and transect walk method (t-value = 8.12; t-crit = 1.99; p-value = 9.10E-12; α = 0.05) were noted relative to the baseline reference values. Details of these findings are summarized in Table 23, and Appendix F.6.3.

Table 23 Shannon Diversity Index Value of Species with Conservation Importance

Shannon Diversity Index Value of Species with Conservation Importance
EIA Report ID	EM&A Manual ID	April-17	April-24	Remarks
Point Count Method
P1	FLW1	**	1.31	+
P2	FLW2	**	0.64	+
P3	FLW3	**	0	+
P4	FLW4	0.80	0.69	-
P5	FLW5	1.51	1.35	-
P6	FLW6	0	0.73	+
P7	FLW7	1.10	1.78	+
P9	SP/NSW3	1.87	1.34	-
P10	SP/NSW2	1.56	1.33	-
P11	NSW1	1.10	0.82	-
P12	SP/NSW1	1.56	1.63	+
Overall H’		2.24	2.48	+
Species Richness		13	21	+

Transect Walk Method
Fung Lok Wai	FLW	0	0	=
Nam Sang Wai	NSW	**	0.50	+
YLIE-CW	YLIE-CW	**	1.29	+
Overall H’		0	1.33	+
Species Richness		1	11	+

Notes:

** result when no species recorded; 0 computation result from only one recorded species;

+ increased Shannon diversity index (H’); - decreased Shannon diversity index (H’); = similar Shannon diversity index (H’)

No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for the decline in species diversity of avifauna species with conservation importance in the point count / transect walk method.

5.2.3.3 Wetland Habitat Utilization

Avifauna communities were observed during the current monitoring period in the different wetland habitats, i.e. mangrove, modified watercourse, ponds, and reed bed.

With reference to Section 7.3.1 of the EM&A Manual, the utilization of the wetland habitats by birds within the monitoring area was recorded and monitored.

5.2.3.3.1 All Avifauna Species

During the current monitoring period, majority of the different wetland habitats were observed with Very Low to Low (VL - L) abundance. In terms of species richness, different wetland habitats were generally observed with Low to Moderate (L - M) number of species (Table 24).

Table 24 Wetland habitat utilization of all avifauna species

Wetland Habitats	Area Description	Abundance¹	Species Richness²
Modified Watercourse	Confluence of Shan Pui River and Kam Tin River	VL	L – M
	Shan Pui River adjacent to Project site	L – M	VH
	Upper course of Shan Pui River along YLIE	VL – L	M – H
Ponds	Active Ponds adjacent to Project site in Fung Lok Wai	VL	L – M
	Active Ponds North to Nullah 2 in Fung Lok Wai	L – M	VH
	Inactive Ponds in Fung Lok Wai	VL – L	M – H
	Active and Inactive Ponds in Nam Sang Wai	VL – L	H – VH
Mangrove	Mangrove within Assessment Area	-	-
Reedbed	Reedbed in Nam Sang Wai	-	-

Notes:

1. Abundance of all avifauna species amongst wetland habitats within the assessment area: VL = Very Low (~<50 individuals); L = Low (~100 individuals); M = Moderate (~300 individuals); H = High (~500 individuals), VH = Very High (>700 individuals)

2. Species richness (total number of species) amongst wetland habitats within the assessment area: VL = Very Low (≤5 species); L = Low (~10 species); M = Moderate (~15 species); H = High (~20 species), VH = Very High (>25 species)

-: no recorded individuals

Source: approved EIA Report (AEIAR-220/2019)

5.2.3.3.2 Avifauna Species of Conservation Importance

Majority of the different wetland habitats had Very Low to Low (VL - L) abundance of avifauna species of conservation importance; and were generally utilized by Very Low to Low (VL - L) number of species (Table 25).

Table 25 Wetland habitat utilization of avifauna species of conservation importance

Wetland Habitats	Area Description	Abundance¹	Species Richness²
Modified Watercourse	Confluence of Shan Pui River and Kam Tin River	VL	VL – L
	Shan Pui River adjacent to Project site	VL	VL – L
	Upper course of Shan Pui River along YLIE	VL – L	L
Ponds	Active Ponds adjacent to Project site in Fung Lok Wai	VL	VL
	Active Ponds North to Nullah 2 in Fung Lok Wai	VL – L	L – M
	Inactive Ponds in Fung Lok Wai	VL	VL – L
	Active and Inactive Ponds in Nam Sang Wai	VL	VL – L
Mangrove	Mangrove within Assessment Area	-	-
Reedbed	Reedbed in Nam Sang Wai	-	-

Notes:

1. Abundance of avifauna species of conservation importance amongst wetland habitats within the assessment area: VL = Very Low (~<50 individuals); L = Low (~100 individuals); M = Moderate (~300 individuals); H = High (~500 individuals), VH = Very High (>700 individuals)

-: no recorded individuals

Source: approved EIA Report (AEIAR-220/2019)

5.2.3.4 Noise Levels

Noise levels LAeq (30 min) recorded on 12 April 2024(nighttime) and 15 April 2024 (daytime) from each of the point count locations during the ecological bird monitoring are shown in Table 26.

Table 26 Noise Monitoring Results (For Ecological Monitoring of Birds)

Frequency and Period	Location	Day time (15/04/2024)		Night time (12/04/2024)
Frequency and Period	Location	Start Time	LAeq (30 min) dB(A)	Start Time	LAeq (30 min) dB(A)
Monthly in concurrence with the ecological monitoring of birds	FLW1/ P1	09:41	52.1	22:18	46.3
	FLW2/ P2	09:44	52.4	22:21	45.5
	FLW3/ P3	10:22	53.4	22:59	46.4
	FLW4/ P4	08:11	50.4	20:43	48.3
	FLW5/ P5	08:06	54.5	20:38	49.5
	FLW6/ P6	08:48	55.3	21:21	50.2
	FLW7/ P7	08:55	50.3	21:29	47.4
	SP/NSW3/ P9	11:55	52.5	19:31	49.5
	SP/NSW2/ P10	11:53	52.2	19:28	48.6
	NSW1/ P11	11:20	53.9	18:54	50.6
	SP/NSW1/ P12	11:19	53.7	18:52	49.6

No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for noise levels at all stations for the ecological monitoring of birds in the reporting month.

6 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL

6.1 Audit Requirements

According to the EM&A Manual, a Landscape Architect or related professional shall be employed to audit the implementation of landscape construction works particularly during site clearance operations when the proposed tree felling and transplanting will take place and subsequent maintenance operations. Site audits should be undertaken every week during the construction phase to check that the proposed landscape and visual mitigation measures are properly implemented and maintained as per their intended objectives. The mitigation measure recommended in the EIA Report as the audit requirements for landscape and visual, including: preservation of existing vegetation, transplanting of affected trees, compensatory tree planting, control of night-time lighting glare, erection of decorative screen hoarding and management of construction activities and facilities are summarized in Appendix J.

6.2 Results and Observations

To monitor and audit the implementation of landscape and visual mitigation measures, five weekly landscape and visual site audits were carried out on 3, 9, 17, 25 and 30 April 2024.

No outstanding issues were reported during the reporting month. The ET Leader’s Site Environmental Audit are summarized in Appendix M.

7 LAND CONTAMINATION

7.1 Contamination Assessment Report

7.1.1 Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Industrial have been adopted for the “Main Storeroom & Workshops” and the laboratory results for the sampling works (conducted between 30 June 2021 to 16 July 2021) show that there are no exceedances of the adopted RBRGs for the “Main Storeroom & Workshops”. As no contaminated soil and groundwater was found within the “Main Storeroom & Workshops”, no remediation actions are required for contaminated soil and groundwater for the scheduled land use of the “Main Storeroom & Workshops”. Their findings are summarized in Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and submitted to EPD on 1 November 2021.

7.1.2 Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Industrial have been adopted for the “Mechanical Workshop” and the laboratory results for the sampling works (conducted between 23 July 2021 to 4 August 2021) show that there are no exceedances of the adopted RBRGs for the “Mechanical Workshop”. As no contaminated soil and groundwater was found within the “Mechanical Workshop”, no remediation actions are required for contaminated soil and groundwater for the scheduled land use of the “Mechanical Workshop”. Their findings are summarized in Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and submitted to EPD on 23 November 2021.

7.1.3 Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Industrial have been adopted for the “Waste Storage Area” and the laboratory results for the sampling works (conducted between 24 November 2021 to 6 January 2022) show that there are no exceedances of the adopted RBRGs for the “Waste Storage Area”. As no contaminated soil and groundwater was found within the “Waste Storage Area”, no remediation actions are required for contaminated soil and groundwater for the scheduled land use of the “Waste Storage Area”. Their findings are summarized in Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and submitted to EPD on 29 April 2022.

7.1.4 Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Industrial have been adopted for the “SAS Thickener House-1” and the laboratory results for the sampling works (conducted between 13 April 2022 to 16 May 2022) show that there are no exceedances of the adopted RBRGs for the “SAS Thickener House-1”. As no contaminated soil and groundwater was found within the “SAS Thickener House-1”, no remediation actions are required for contaminated soil and groundwater for the scheduled land use of the “SAS Thickener House-1”. Their findings are summarized in Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) and submitted to EPD on 6 July 2022.

7.1.5 Risk-Based Remediation Goals (RBRGs) for Industrial have been adopted for the “SAS Thickener House-2” and the laboratory results for the sampling works (conducted between 15 February 2023 to 23 February 2023) show that there are no exceedances of the adopted RBRGs for the “SAS Thickener House-2”. The laboratory results are compared against the adopted RBRGs and soil saturation limit (Csat) for soil samples and the adopted RBRGs and the solubility limits for groundwater samples. No exceedance of RBRG are recorded for both soil samples and groundwater samples. Furthermore, no exceedance of the soil saturation limit are recorded for soil samples. However, the exceedances of solubility limits for PCRs (C9-C16) are recorded for groundwater samples collected at BH-18, BH-19, BH-20 and BH-21; and also PCRs (C17-C35) for BH-21. As no non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) was observed during sampling, no further sampling and remediation are required. As no contaminated soil and groundwater is found within the “SAS Thickener House-2”, no remediation actions are required for contaminated soil and groundwater for the scheduled land use of the “SAS Thickener House-2”. Their findings are summarized in Contamination Assessment Report (CAR) which was certified by ET Leader and verified by IEC on 31 May 2023 and submitted to EPD on 19th June 2023.

8 SITE INSPECTION AND AUDIT

8.1 Site Inspection

8.1.1 Site audits were carried out by ET on weekly basis at least once per week to monitor the implementation of proper environmental management practices and mitigation measures in the Project site.

8.1.2 In the reporting month, five site inspections were carried out on 3, 9, 17, 25 and 30 April 2024.

8.1.3 No outstanding issues were reported during the reporting month. The ET Leader’s Site Environmental Audit are summarized in Appendix M.

8.2 Advice on the Solid and Liquid Waste Management Status

8.2.1 The Contractor registered as a chemical waste producer for the Contract. Sufficient numbers of receptacles were available for general refuse collection and sorting.

8.2.2 The management of waste generated by the construction is presented in Table 27.

Table 27 Waste Generated by the Construction and Disposal Ground

Types of Waste	Disposal Ground
Inert C&D Waste (Excluding slurry and bentonite)	Tuen Mun Area 38
Inert C&D Waste (For slurry and bentonite)	Tseung Kwan O Area 137
Non-inert C&D Materials	North East New Territories Landfill (NENT)
Sludge	West New Territories Landfill (WENT)
Marine Sediment	Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal: South Cheung Chau Open Sea Sediment Disposal Area Type 1 – Open Sea Disposal (Dedicate Site) and Type 2 – Confined Marine Disposal: Contaminated Mud Pit Vb of the Confined Marine Disposal Facilities to the East of Sha Chau

8.2.3 The monthly summary of waste flow table is detailed in Appendix I.

8.2.4 If off-site disposal is required, the excavated marine mud from the land-based works shall be disposed of at the designated disposal sites within Hong Kong as allocated by the Marine Fill Committee or other locations as agreed by the Director. The Contractor shall ensure no spilling and overflowing of materials during loading / unloading / transportation is allowed.

8.2.5 The Contractor was reminded that chemical waste should be properly handled temporarily in designated chemical waste storage area on site in accordance with the Code of Practice on the Packing, Labelling and Storage of Chemical Waste.

9 NON-COMPLIANCE, COMPLAINTS, NOTIFICATIONS OF SUMMONS AND SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS

9.1 Non-compliance (Exceedances of AL levels)

9.1.1 No Action / Limit Level exceedance was recorded for 1-hr TSP level at AM1 and AM2 in the reporting month.

9.1.2 No Action / Limit Level exceedance was recorded for construction noise at CM1, CM2 and CM3 in the reporting month.

9.1.3 No Action and Limit Level exceedance were recorded for water quality at M1, M2 and M3 in the reporting month.

9.1.4 No Action / Limit exceedance was recorded for noise levels at stations (NMS1 and NMS2) in close proximity to the active ardeid night roosts in the reporting month.

9.1.5 One exceedance in Action Level was recorded for the ecological monitoring of birds on 12 April 2024 (night-time) and 15 April 2024 (daytime). This includes decline in Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance in the point count method.

9.1.6 No corrective actions were required according to the Event and Action Plans for the Monitoring Parameters.

9.2 Complaints, Notification of Summons and Successful Prosecutions

9.2.1 No environmental complaints, notification of summons and successful prosecutions was recorded in the reporting month.

9.2.2 Cumulative complaint log, summaries of complaints, notification of summons and successful prosecutions are presented in Appendix L.

9.2.3 No corrective actions were required.

10 IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION MEASURE

10.1 Implementation Status of Environmental Protection and Pollution Control / Mitigation Measures

The Contractor had implemented environmental protection and pollution control / mitigation measures as stated in the EIA Report, the EP and EM&A Manual. Appendix J summarized the Implementation Status of Environmental Mitigation Measures.

The status of required submissions under the EP as of the reporting period are summarized in Table 28.

Table 28 Status of submissions required under the EP

EP Condition (EP-565/2019)	Submission Title	Submission Status
Condition 2.9	Construction Phase Emergency Response Plan	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.11	Pre-construction Ardeid Night Roost Survey Report	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
EM&A Manual Sec. 7.3.3 & 7.3.4	Baseline Bird Survey Report	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.12	Noise Mitigation Measures Plan	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.13	Proposal for Minimization of Overspill Light to Ecological Sensitive Areas	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Supplementary Contamination Assessment Plan	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Contamination Assessment Report for Main Storeroom & Workshops	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Contamination Assessment Report for Mechanical Workshop	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Contamination Assessment Report for Waste Storage Area	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Contamination Assessment Report for SAS Thickener House-1	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.14	Contamination Assessment Report for SAS Thickener House-2	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 2.15	Landscape and Visual Mitigation Plan	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, to be finalised and made available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 3.3	Baseline Monitoring Report	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 3.4	Monthly EM&A Report (from April 2021 to March 2024)	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 3.5	Quarterly EM&A Report (from April 2021 to March 2024)	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.
Condition 4.2	Environmental Monitoring Data from April 2021 to March 2024	Submitted to EPD with ET certification and IEC verification, finalised and available for public inspection via the dedicated website.

11 FUTURE KEY ISSUES

11.1 Construction Programme for the Next Three Months

· Piling at SDB

· ABWF work, E&M works and fixing GRC panel at CLP Substation

· ABWF and E&M works at PST

· ABWF, E&M work and RC structure at IW

· ELS work at AGS

· ELS work at TTS

· RC Structure at TTS

· ELS work at STB

· RC Structure at STB

· ELS work at Sludge Digester no. 1-3

· E&M work at Biogas Holder no. 1

· Pipeworks for interim scheme

· ELS works and pipeworks at emergency bypass chamber

11.2 Key Issues for the Coming Month

Potential environmental impacts arising from the above construction activities are mainly associated with construction dust, construction noise, waste management, ecology, land contamination and landscape and visual impact issues.

11.3 Monitoring Schedules for the next three months

The tentative schedule for environmental monitoring in the next three months is provided in Appendix E.

12 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

12.1 Conclusions

12.1.1 1-hour TSP impact monitoring was carried out in the reporting month. No Action / Limit Level exceedance at AM1 and AM2 was recorded during the period.

12.1.2 Construction noise monitoring was carried out in the reporting month. No Action / Limit Level exceedance at CM1, CM2 and CM3 was recorded during the period.

12.1.3 No Action and Limit Level exceedance was recorded for water quality at M1, M2 and M3 in the reporting month.

12.1.4 Ardeid night roost monitoring was carried out in the reporting month. Two active ardeid night roost areas (ANR1 and ANR2) were observed within the Survey Area. These roosts were located at the mangrove strips in the east and northeast portions of the Project boundary. No Action / Limit Level exceedance at NMS1 and NMS2 was recorded during the period.

12.1.5 Ecological bird monitoring was carried out in the reporting month. One exceedance in Action Level was recorded for the ecological monitoring of birds on 12 April 2024 (night-time) and 15 April 2024 (daytime). This includes decline in Abundance of Species of Conservation Importance in the point count method.

12.1.6 Five environmental site inspections were carried out in the reporting month. Recommendations on mitigation measures for Permit/ Licenses were given to the Contractor for remediating the deficiencies identified during the site inspections.

12.1.7 Five landscape and visual site audits were carried out in the reporting month. Recommendations on mitigation measures for Permit/ Licenses were given to the Contractor for remediating the deficiencies identified during the site inspections.

12.1.8 No environmental complaint, notification of summons and successful prosecution was recorded in the reporting month.

12.2 Comment and Recommendations

12.2.1 The recommended environmental mitigation measures, as proposed in the EIA report and EM&A Manual shall be effectively implemented to minimize the potential environmental impacts from the Project. The EM&A programme would effectively monitor the environmental impacts generated from the construction activities and ensure the proper implementation of mitigation measures.

12.2.2 According to the environmental site inspections performed in the reporting month, the following recommendations were provided:

Air Quality Impact