HKR received a firm slap on the wrist from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) In the Government comments on HKR’s application to develop areas 6f and 10b. In unusually blunt language, EPD took HKR to task for suggesting that sewage from the 6f and 10b developments could be treated at the Siu Ho Wan Sewage Treatment Works (SHWSTW). Here is EPD’s comment:
The Discovery Bay further development shall provide its own sewage treatment facilities to meet the WPCO standards before discharge into the receiving waters. In this connection, the Applicant should delete all the incorrect and misleading statements, e.g. “SHWSTW requires upgrade works to cater for the existing and concurrent developments, irrespective of the proposed developments. The upgrade works could cater for the sewerage increase as a result of the proposal, which accounts around 0.8% of the treatment flow” and other similar text in the submission as they are factually incorrect.
In its letter circulated to all DB residents on 23 April, 2016, titled ”Further Elaborations on DB Latest Development Plans”, HKR was still making the misleading claim that sewage could be treated at the SHWSTW. The idea that it could not was a “misconception”.
Worse, in its latest submission to the TPB HKR has merely acknowledged that that untreated sewage cannot be routed to the SHWSTW. It has not provided a proper update for its alternative proposals, which had assumed that the EPD would allow treated sewage to be sent to the SHWSTW for disposal. Note above that EPD has clearly stated that HKR is responsible for treating sewage to WPCO standards for discharge into the receiving waters.
In its original submission to the TPB, HKR provided two alternative solutions if the option to use SHWSTW was ruled out:
- 6f sewage treated on-site; 10b sewage treated in a new sewage treatment works facing La Costa before pumping to SHWSTW.
- 6f sewage connected to the existing DB sewage system at the pumping station between Beach Village and the tennis courts; sewage volume equivalent to 6f and 10b treated in a new sewage treatment works facing La Costa. Treated effluent sent to SHWSTW.
Now that discharge to the SHWSTW is not an option, HKR states:
The applicant will undertake the design, construction and implementation of an on-site sewage treatment plant (STP) adequate for proper treatment of the sewage arising to meeting the permissible effluent standards for discharging into the receiving waters. … Other detailed design parameter such as the treatment level, treatment technology, discharge location, effluent standards will be properly addressed at detail design stage subsequent to the approval of this rezoning application.
In other words, there is no detail on how the sewage will be treated, or where it will be discharged into the waters around DB. The locations of the sewage treatment plants and marine outfall shown in the updated Environmental Impact Assessment are “indicative only”.
EPD’s comments make it clear that the sewerage systems for 6f and 10b must be kept separate from the existing sewage infrastructure in DB, so that there is no possibility of discharge of sewage from the new developments to SHWSTW.
Further, while HKR states that the sewage treatment plant(s) will be maintained at the cost of the owners of the 6f and 10b developments (see DSD’s comments, SIA (d)), it ignores maintenance responsibility for the connecting pipeline systems and the marine outfall.
Provision of sewerage infrastructure is a basic requirement. How can HKR be allowed to proceed without providing basic information on sewage treatment and disposal?
We also have to wonder what happens next. Will each new development in DB have its own sewage treatment works? How can this piecemeal approach make any sense?
Please feel free to copy some or all of the above when replying to the TPB. Don’t wait until your submission is “complete”. You may make multiple submissions at any time on different topics, up to the 15 July deadline.