Ecol 3027 Pollution & EIA

1. Waste management assessment

2. Fisheries impact assessment

3. Landscape & visual impact assessment

4. Heritage impact assessment

5. Strategic Environmental Assessment

6. EIA : Problems in general

Waste management assessmentsTypes:

1.Construction & demolition waste2.Municipal waste 3.Chemical waste *4.Special waste*

Clinical waste, livestock waste, animal carcasses, low level radioactive waste…

5. Others*PFA, incinerator ash, dredged mud

Waste Disposal Ordinance Cap. 354

* with special requirements for disposal

Dredged Mud Management in HK

Solid Waste Transfer & Disposal in HK

Refuse Transfer Station

Hong Kong Landfills

Waste management assessment (TM Annex 7 & 15)General principlesC & D waste:

• Avoid or minimize waste generation• Reduce cross contamination & promote waste

segregation• Reuse and recycle (can consider other sites)

Materials choice (both construction & operation):Use recycled materials

Operational waste:Arrange and facilitate waste recycling

Certain waste with special disposal requirements:

e.g. chemical waste, livestock waste, others…

3Rs

6. WASTE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Legislation and Guidelines

6.3 Baseline Condition

6.4 Assessment Methodology

6.5 Identification of Potential Environmental Impacts

6.6 Prediction and Evaluation of Environmental Impacts

6.7 Mitigation Measures

6.8 Evaluation of Residual Environmental Impacts

6.9 Environmental Monitoring and Audit

6.10 Conclusion and Recommendations

6.11 Impacts Summary

Example: Disneyland

Baseline

Tsuen Wan and Outlying Islands Waste Arising DistrictNorth Lantau Transfer Station (NLTS)

- Design capacity: 1,200 tpd

Predicted waste output from N Lantau

2001 2006 2011 2016

180 tpd 370 tpd 770 tpd 880 tpd

No public filling area at the moment

Siu Ho Wan Public Filling Barging Point will be operated by 2004 - next to the NLTS

Example: Disneyland

Identified impacts: waste types

1. Dredged/excavated marine sediment

2. Construction and demolition waste

3. Excavated material

4. Chemical waste

5. General refuse

Example: Disneyland

Impact prediction

1. Dredged and excavated sediment

Example: Disneyland

Impact prediction2. C & D waste

Example: Disneylandgross floor areas (GFA)

Construction and Demolition Material (C&DM)

Impact prediction

3. Excavated material − recycled e.g. reclamation, landscaping

4. Chemical waste− construction phase\ small amount − operational phase\ far more

5. General refuse: construction phase− food wastes, aluminium cans and

waste paper from site offices, canteen, work area

Example: Disneyland

Impact prediction

5. General refuse: operational phase

Example: Disneyland

Impact assessment

1. Dredged and excavated sediment•All Class C sediment will be disposal of at East Sha C

hau Contaminated Mud Pits •Uncontaminated sediment will be disposed of in Fil

l Management Committee (FMC) allocated dumping site

•No significant impact envisaged2. C & D waste•Small amount of C & D waste•Public fill re-used on site and no surplus is expected

•No significant impact envisaged

Example: Disneyland

Impact assessment

3. Excavated material•Small amount•Re-used on site and no surplus is expected•No significant impact envisaged

4. Chemical waste•Small amount in construction, more in operation

•Disposed of according to relevant Code of Practices

•No significant impact envisaged

Example: Disneyland

Impact assessment

5. Municipal waste• Small amount in construction phase• Operational phase generate 38 – 175 tpd fr

om 04-24, 23-26% will be recycled, others disposed of in landfills through NLTS

• No significant impact envisaged

Example: Disneyland

Mitigation measures

1.Waste management plans - construction and operational phases- minimisation, recovery/ recycling,

collection, transportation and disposal

2. Waste minimization programme

3. Waste recovery/ recycling programme

Example: Disneyland

3Rs

Fisheries Impact Assessment (Annex 9, 17)Aims to protect:

1.Fisheries production

• capture fisheries & aquaculture production

2.Nursery and spawning ground of commercially important species

3. Fisheries operation, fishing activities

Guidelines

Designated projects that:

• will physically affect fisheries production or destroy fisheries production sites

• will directly or indirectly discharges any pollutants that will affect fisheries production

What kind of projects will require FIA?

Assessment approach

1. Setting baseline

• existing and new data

2. Impact prediction

3. Impact evaluation

4. Mitigation

• avoid, minimize, compensate

• Monitoring

Example: DisneyBaseline

Impact prediction

Ma Wan FCZ:

• SS increase by 4.2 mg L-1 (worse case scenario), < WQO.

Fishing zones:• low direct impact (0.1% lost in value)• low indirect impact (SS) (within WQOs)

Impact assessment & mitigation

No significant impacts!! No special mitigation!!

Example: Disney

Assessment approach:

1.Define scope of assessment

2.Baseline study (special landscape features)

• distinctive landscape features

• valued landscape

• other conservation interests

• specific landscape elements

Landscape and visual impact assessment(TM Annex 10, 19)

GuidelinesAssessment approach:

1.Define scope of assessment

2.Baseline study (special landscape features)

3.Review planning & development framework (TPO)

4.Impact identification and prediction

5.Impact mitigation

Assessment criteria

1.Beneficial

2.Acceptable

3.Acceptable with mitigation

4.Unacceptable

5.undetermined

No objective criteria!!

Mitigation measuresBest be done in strategic assessment stage

Project level mitigations include:

1.Avoidance: alternative design

2.Reduction: alternative design; screening; colour treatment (e.g. Mai Po)

3.Compensation: landscaping; creation of distinctive landscape character.

Heritage impact assessment (TM Annex 10, 19)

Assessment approach

1. Baseline study• Identify sites and detailed information

2. Impact prediction and assessment• Preservation in total and enhancement

• e.g. Kau Sai Chau Golf Course• Preservation in part (justifications)• Total destruction (justifications)• Reference to guidelines on landscape &

visual impact assessment

Assessment criteria

• Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, Cap. 53

• No quantitative standard

• Sites of unique archaeological, historical or architectural value

• Impacts kept to absolute minimum

Mitigation

1. Avoidance2. Alternative designs, materials for better in

tegration3. Total destruction: rescue plan e.g. Tin Hau

temple, Chek Lap Kok; Happy Valley Banyan Tree

4. Reference also to Annex 18 Landscape5. Mitigation plan with funding proposal mus

t be provided for total or partial destruction mitigation

Example: Disney

References

Waste Management in Hong Kong (Optional)http://www.info.gov.hk/wfbu/index.htm

Disney EIA (Optional)http://www.info.gov.hk/epd/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_0412000/index.html

TM Annex 7, 9, 10, 15,17,18, 19

Strategic Environmental Assessment Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)(SEA)

SEA = EIA of Policies, Plans and Programmes

Policy = an inspiration and guidance for actionPlan = a set of coordinated and timed

objectives for the implementation of the policy

Programme = a set of projects in a given area

Above and before project level

Strategic PlanningStrategic planning is another area where environmental impacts are assessed. The EPD oversees Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) with the aim of promoting the full consideration and integration of environmental implications at the early planning stage of major strategic policies. This will help to avoid environmental problems and to identify environmentally-friendly options, rather than mitigating environmental impacts at a later stage which are often not effective nor cost-effective.

EPD Website

Why do we need SEA?Why do we need SEA?

Environmental problems best resolved/avoided at the planning stage

Can speed up project level EIAs Achieve sustainable development

Project EIA has many limitations:• usually too late• reactive, not anticipatory• inadequate in assessing cumulative impact• unable to account for changes in policies, p

lans and programmes• limited by time availability and spatial scal

e

SEA is currently or potentially applied to:• International treaties e.g. signing the CBD*• Privatization e.g. Housing Department• Transnational corporations e.g. traditional Chinese

medicine • Institutional/ Government restructure• National budgets e.g. military expenses• Legislative proposals e.g. Town Planning Ordinance• Land-use Planning e.g. regional planning studies in H

K• Transboundary impacts e.g. pollution in Deep Bay• Global issues e.g. Green House Effect; EU examples

*CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity

Tiering- Environmental impacts considered at the

most appropriate levels: -Policy Plan Project

- Each level refers to the level aboveProblems

- Extremely complex- Policy, plans & programmes can be very vague- Policy, plans & programmes are more political legal or standardized system very difficult

- similar to project EIA but at a broader scale- screening- scoping- baseline description- impact prediction and evaluation- impact mitigation- public consultation- reporting- decision- monitoring and audit

The SEA process

Source: Au, 2000

Level of planning

Objectives of environmental input

Means of input

Strategic planning through Territorial Development Strategy

Address key strategic environmental issues, environmental carrying capacities. Environmentally suitable areas for developments

The Environmental Chapter of HKPSG, Strategic Environmental Assessment

Sub-regional planning and feasibility studies of new town

Address the environmental acceptability of major development strategies and plans

The Environmental Chapter of HKPSG, environmental planning studies at the regional level; environmental assessment of plans, site search and EIA studies

Outline Development Plans, Outline Zoning Plans, and Layout Plans

Address environmental compatibility of land uses, environmental acceptability of plans, and environmental facility requirements

The Environmental Chapter of HKPSG, environmental assessment of plans, environmental advice at planning committees

Project planning and implementation

Address the environmental impacts of project design and implementation, and monitor the actual environmental impacts

Project EIA, Environmental monitoring and audit, the Environmental Chapter of HKPSGSource: Au, 2000

港聞

A18 明報 丁思毅

2003-10-25綠綠無窮建築廢料欠出路 擬南區海底安置

灣仔及中環填海工程的法律訴訟，令原來用作填海的拆建物料，面臨無處棄置的局面，現有的堆填地點，估計將於明年底或 2005 年初「爆滿」。 新上任的土木工程署長曹德江說，署方要努力為廢料尋出路，包括考慮可能受環保團體爭議的建議，將廢料填補港島南區東博寮海峽的「海底沙洞」。另外，港府亦計劃實施堆填區收費計劃。 香港世界自然基金會發言人說，建築廢料含有不少有毒物質，如漆油、鉛及金屬，若當局沒有小心分類，便堆放廢料到海底沙洞，擔心海底或變垃圾崗。此外，當局考慮的東博寮海峽海底沙洞，鄰近南丫島的海產育苗區，擔心工程可能影響附近的生態，令育苗區魚產減少。 立法會環境事務委員會將於 12 月 20 日會議上，討論拆建物料棄置問題。討論文件指出，填海工程多年來一直是處理大部分拆建物料的主要途徑，由於灣仔發展第 2期和中環填海第 3期工程計劃的法律訴訟，政府亦正檢討東南九龍發展計劃，拆建物料的「出路」將大減。 惟香港每年拆建物料不斷上升，文件指出， 2002 年已高達 1580萬噸，預計今年將高達1960萬噸，足以把快活谷馬場填至 26層。 填料庫 3 年飽和 曹德江受訪時表示，處理建築廢料是他上任後兩大首要任務之一，須盡快找到其他解決方案，否則以現時可供棄置的填料庫容量，料未來 2至 3 年飽和。曹稱，當年為竹篙灣迪士尼填海，在東博寮海峽海底掘了大量泥沙，該地點至今海底仍有一個大沙洞，估計可處理大量建築廢料，但要評估工程對環境影響再決定。

EIA – Problems in general

• Lack of experience (especially true in HK)

• Lack of training, professionals & professional recognition (HKIEIA)

• Inconsistent application of EIA e.g. military actions

• Assessment and post-approval monitoring isolated

EIA – Problems in general

• Alternatives not seriously considered, too late at project level

• Viewed as a procedure in development only

• Cumulative impact often ignored

• Inadequate socio-economical impact assessment

EIA – Problems in general

• Publication consultation insufficient (HK is better now)

• EIA reports very long, too descriptive but weak evaluation

• Weak evaluation also by the authority especially in ecological IAs

• Results always favour the applicants, why?

EIA – Problems in general

• Environmental impact always understated

• Mitigation measures are mostly cosmetic plans

• Weak post-approval follow-up i.e. poor EA & M

• highly political, more serious in democratic territories

Environmental Protection & Cost

Applicants Government Green groups

Public Public Public

EIA – Problems in general

Effectiveness:

• minor impacts – satisfactory

• major impacts – not satisfactory

• pollution impacts – satisfactory

• ecological impacts – not satisfactory

However, environmental awareness is raised!!!

EIA – Problems in general

References

Partidário, M.R. (1999). Strategic Environmental Assessment: Principles and Potential. In: J. Petts (Editor), pp. 60-73. Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Volume 2 EIA in Practice: Impact and Limitations. Blackwell Science: Oxford.

Thérivel, R. and Lexbrown A. (1999). Methods of Strategic Environmental Assessment. In: J. Petts (Editor), pp.441-464. Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Volume 2 EIA in Practice: Impact and Limitations. Blackwell Science: Oxford.

Au, E.W.K. 2000. Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment of Major Development Projects in Hong Kong. In: Wong, W.S. & Chan, E.H.W. (Editors). Building Hong Kong: Environmental Considerations. Hong Kong University Press: Hong Kong., pp. 257-271. (Given to you in lecture 14)