China - Guangzhou City Center Transport Project - environmental assessment (Vol. 10 of 10)

E209 Volume 10 Guangfo Connecting Road, Guangzhou Environmental Management Plan -~~~~~C GUANGZHOU ENVIRONMENTAL S'IENflFiC RESFAiCH INSTITUTE CERTIFICATENO:;L0(Rii a6 Decemb2O2 KS,C,A_,NXNED. ,, . Fi  THIS ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE GUANGZHOU ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTrrUTE. THE INSTITUTE HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OF CHINA WITH A CLASS A CERTIFICATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT. CERTIFICATION CREDENTIALS OF THE INSTITUTE ARE SHOWN BELOW: CERTIFICATE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT CERTIFIED: GUANGZHOU ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE CATEGORY: CLASS A CERTIFICATE NO: GHBZ A02802  LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Constructor: Guangzhou Pub Author: , Guangzhou E idnmental Scientifc esearch Institute Director: H. Gong I -f Chief Engineer: ' X. Cui Project Manager: G P. Xu Contributors: G..P Xu H.Yu J. H. Zhang J. Shi X. S. Huang X.A. Gu L. peng  Guangfo Connecting Road, Guangzhou ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction I 1.1 Project Background I 1.2 Project Overview 2 1.3 Objectives of EMP 3 1.4 Applicable Regulations and Basis 3 1.5 Function Zoning 4 1.6 Environmental Control Standards 5 1.7 Primary Environmental Protection Target 7 2.0 Summary of Environmental Impacts 8 2.1 Environmental Baseline 8 2.2 Construction Phase Impacts 9 2.3 Operation Phase Impacts 9 3.0 Impact Mitigation 12 3.1 Design Stage 12 3.2 Construction Stage 17 3.3 Operation Stage 22 4.0 Environmental Management and Monitoring 29 4.1 Environmental Management Organizations 29 4.2 Environmental Management 30 4.3 Personnel Training 31 4.4 Environmental Monitoring 32 4.5 Estimated Cost of Mitigation Measures 35  List of Tables Table 1-1 Functional Zoning of Project Area 4 Table 1-2 Air Quality Standards 5 Table 1-3 Vehicle Emission Standards 5 Table. 1-4 Noise Standards 6 Table 1-5 Standards for Noise at Border of Construction Sites 6 Table 1-6 Surface Water Quality Standards 6 Table [.17 Standards of Wastewater Discharge 6 Table 1-8 Sunshine Obstruction Standards 7 Table 3-1 Comparison of Alternative Alignments/Layouts 13 Table 3-2 Comparison of Elevated Viaduct vs Surface Roads 13 Table 3-3 Comparison of Common Road Noise Mitigation Measures 15 Table 4-1 Organizations Involved in Environmental Management 29 Table 4-2 Environmental Monitoring Plan 33 Table 4-3 Air Quality Monitoring Analytical Costs 34 Table 4-4 Estimated Costs for Mitigation Measures 35 List of Figures Figure 1-1 Location of Guangfo Road and the Two Ring Roads and Radial Road Figure 3-1 Alternatives of the Project Figure 4-1 Project Management Organizations Figure 4-2 Locations of Monitoring Sites  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN For Guangzhou to Foshan (Guangfo) Road Project 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Background Guangzhou's inner ring road and the affiliated roads development are a key project in the Guangzhou Urban Center Traffic Improvement Plan (the Plan) to alleviate the highly congested urban center area. The project is to meet the demands of the rapid economic development in Guangzhou and will serve as a part of the traffic congestion solution for the downtown area by providing an undisrupted, high capacity flow for the through traffic. According to the Plan, the outer ring expressway is to connect Guangzhou with cities in the surrounding area and long distance inter-city traffic, while inner ring road is to provide pathways for the through traffic within the city of Guangzhou. The outer and inner ring roads are to be connected using seven "radial" roads in different directions to form an integrated fast road transport network surrounding the city. The proposed Guangzhou to Foshan (Guangfo) road is one of the seven radial roads connecting the inner and outer ring roads and urban Guangzhou area with Foshan to the west. Located west of the city toward the west ring expressway, the proposed Guangfo road will be one of the major trunk roads in the high speed road network in the Guangzhou area and Pearl River delta. The locations of the inner and outer ring roads and the seven radial connecting roads including Guangfo, are shown in Figure 1-1. The preparation for all seven radial roads was completed in 1998. During that process, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for all component roads including Guangfo road had been finished as a single project by Guangzhou Environmental Scientific Research Institute (GESRI), in accordance with the "Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Guide" (HJ/T2.1-2.3-93). The EIA had been reviewed and approved by Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau (GEPB) which is the regulatory approval agency for this project in 1998. Over the past four years, three out of the seven radial roads have been constructed and opened for traffic. However, Guangfo road has not been ready for construction until now. The project proponent, Guangzhou City Center Transport Project Office, is seeking World Bank financing to start the construction of Guangfo road as soon as possible. Clearly, many of the data and assessment in the 1998 EIA report may now be out-dated. In addition, the EIA must also comply and satisfy with relevant World Bank requirements, in particular, OP4.01 which took effective in 1999 and other safeguards policies. The original Terms of Reference (TOR) for EA, which was first prepared by GESRI and approved by GEPB in July 1998, has been updated to reflect the comments from GEPB GESRI I Septembet, 2002  - /- .Zengc a Road4 (3, &gYuan Xi Road_ xt -:./ . 4A~~ Road >~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~InerRig'oa Figure 1-1 Location of Guangfo Road and the Two,Ring Roads and Radial Roads 4Guangfi6 ^ Hurip e- A t r-N ' F d . .......................:.;.-.;. , D'ter Road .,"O\ Figurel-I Location of Guangfo Road and the Two Ring Roads and Radial Roads  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan as well as World Bank safeguards requirements. The English version of the TOR has been submitted to the World Bank in April, 2002. According to the revised TOR, additional EA tasks have been conducted since 2001, including the following: * Field investigation along the project area to understand changes since the last ETA, particularly changes of sensitive receptors; * Additional environmental baseline monitoring for ambien,t air, noise and water at selected representative sites along the project area to update-the baseline information; * Collection and review baseline and forecast data including traffic counts and forecast, motor vehicle fleet, etc.; * Re-run the emission, dispersion and noise models using the updated data; * Conduct public consultation; and * Revise the EA documentation including the revision of EIA report. This EIA report is prepared based on the original report as well as the findings of the above tasks with updated information and additional assessment for Guangfo road. This English version EIA is the translation of the original Chinese report which has been re- submitted to GEPB for reference (no review and approval are necessary as it has been approved in 1998). On this basis, this Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is developed as an integral part of the EA documentation for Guangfo project. 1.2 Project Overview Guangfo road is 5.6 km long starting from Zhongshan Balu interchange on the west inner ring road, extends west bound in parallel wvith the existing road and a railway line (Guangsan railway), intersecting with planned Datansha road, Fangeun boulevard, and ends at the Huangqi interchange on the west outer ring expressway. When completed, it be a quick speed connecting road between two ring roads with controlled access, no same level intersections with other roads. Guangfo road will be built mostly on elevated viaducts. Starting its east end, Guangfo road will be constructed as two separate, parallel viaducts, one on each side of the existing road and railway. The two lines, Line A and B, will each have three motor vehicle lane in one direction. The two lines will be merged and form a single elevated viaduct at Guocun residential area, approximately two third of the total length from the east end. The design motor vehicle speed on Guangfo road is 80 km/hr. Guangfo road will intersect with the inner ring road, proposed Datansha road, Fangcun boulevard and the outer ring expressway, with an interchange in each of these intersections. The Zhongshan Balu interchange at the inner ring road and Huangqi interchange at the outer ring expressway have mostly constructed with engineering and structural provisions reserved for Guangfo road connections. GESRI 2 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan The World Bank financing will be applied to fund the Guangfo road section within the Guangzhou city area, up to the Fangcun boulevard. The other section toward the outer ring expressway, located within the Nanhai city area, will be funded from different sources and possibly constructed in a different stage from the Guangzhou section. However, the EA, with the same standards and requirements, applies to the entire Guangfo road including the both Guangzhou and Nanhai sections. This EMP is also developed for mitigation of the impacts for the whole project area. 1.3 Objectives of EMP Road construction is a major infrastructure development with profound impacts to social, economic and natural environments. The project EA has identified and assessed major impacts and the EMMP is to develop measures to minimize impacts during the design, construction and operation stages and provide a framework for the implementation of mitigation measures and environmental management and monitoring during project implementation. More specifically, the objectives of EMP are to: * Identify site specific mitigation measures through field investigation at each of the sensitive receptors and proposed appropriate site specific engineering and manaGESRial mitigation measures; o Provide a single source information during project implementation to project proponents, contractors, construction supervision and others associated with the project during construction and operation; * Identify institutional roles and responsibilities, as well as proposed lines of communications and reporting; and o Outline environmental monitoring during construction and operation phases to ensure the effectiveness of mitigation measures and to respond to unanticipated environmental issues at an early stage and to determine the accuracy of impact predictions. 1.4 Applicable Regulations and Basis The EA is conducted based on the following regulations, as well as technical guidelines and policies of state, provincial and municipal governments and the World Bank: * Environmental Protection Law of PRC; * Air Pollution Prevention Law of PRC; * Water Pollution Prevention Law of PRC; * Noise Pollution Prevention Regulations of PRC; o Environmental Protection Management for Construction Projects, State Council, November 1998; * Environmental Protection Guidelines for Construction Projects in Guangdong, Guangdong People's Congress, No:57, 1994; * Environmental Protection Guidelines in Guangzhou, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, June 1997; GESRI 3 Seplember, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan * Air Pollution Prevention Regulations in Guangzhou, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, April, 1997; * Noise Pollution Prevention Regulations in Guangzhou, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, April 1997; * Zoning of Guangzhou Urban Area According to 'Standard of Environmental Noise in Urban Area', Guangzhou Municipal Government, SF(1995) File No.58; * Motor Vehicle Emission Prevention-and Control Regulations in Guangzhou, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, No.84, December 1997; * Air quality zoning of Guangzhou urban area according to functional uses, Guangzhou Municipal Government, No.23, 1999; * Guangzhou drinking water sources pollution prevention guidelines, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, No.59, April 1997; * Interim Guangdong surface water zoning according to environmental functions, Guangdong provincial government, No.553, 1999; o Management Regulation of Guangzhou Green Area, Standing Committee of Guangzhou People's Congress, December 1996; * Environmental Protection Management for Construction Projects, Decree No. 253, State Council, November 1998; o Guangzhou City Master Plan (1991-2010); Guangzhou Municipal Government; o Guangzhou City Transportation Plan, Guangzhou Planning Bureau; * Informing to Enhance the EIA Management of Projects Loaded by International Banking Organisations, HJ (1993) No.324; o The World Bank Operational Policies - Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01); o Other World Bank safeguards policies, where applicable; and * Feasibility study report for the Guangfo Project. 1.5 Function Zoning The environmental zoning gis based on the functions of the project as determined by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, based on relevant state and local environmental regulations. The functional zoning, which will be the basis for selection environmental standards for this assessment, is as follows: o The project area will be Class II zone for ambient air quality; * The project area is located in Guangzhou's drinking water protection area which will be the basis for surface water quality standard; * With regard to noise zoning, areas with schools will be regarded in this EA as Category I noise zone, and residential areas will be classified as Category 1I noise zone (mixed residential/commercial zone); other areas which are essentially industrial and commercial facilities located immediately adjacent to a busy railway line, is classified as Category IV noise zone (urban trunk road side zone), which is defined as 30 m from the railway and trunk roads. The functional zoning of the project area applied in this EA, is summarized in Table 1-1. GESRI 4 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan Table 1-1 Functional Zoning for Project Area No. Items Functional Zoning I Surface water environment Drinking water protection zone 2 Ambient air quality Category II zone 3 Noise Category I for schools and II for residential areas and IV for others 4 Any agricultural protection zone No 5 Scenery protection zone No 6 Other land zoning Gas pipelines, etc. 1.6 Environmental Control Standards Air The Class It of the ambient air quality standards of the Environmental Air Quality Standards (GB3095-1006), are applied in the EA according to relevant regulations. The specifics of the Class II standards are presented in Table 1-2. Table 1-2 Air Quality Standards unit: mg/Nm3 Pollutants Concentration CO NO2 Pb ([,g/Nm3) PM10 TSP Yearly average 0.08 1.00 0.10 0.20 Seasonal average 1.5 Daily average 4.00 0.12 0.15 0.30 Hourly average 10.00 0.24 _ Vehicle emissions Table 1-3 Vehicle Emission Standards Type of vehicle Standard Reference CO (%) HC (ppm) GB 1476.5-93 Gasoline vehicle New 4.5 1200 | in-use 5.0 1500 Diesel vehicle 4.5-5 (FSN) GB 1476.6-93 Noise Based on Zoning of Guangzhou Urban Area According to 'Standard of Environmental Noise in Urban Area' the project area includes both Class IV and Class II zones. Basically area immediately adjacent to trunk roads and railways are zoned as Class IV while the mixed residential, education and commercial areas are zoned as Class II, and the corresponding noise standards will be applied to this zones accordingly. Earlier environmental assessment has identified seven sensitive receptors including schools and residential areas some of which are located on the trunk road and railway side. However, to better protect the sensitive receptors, all schools and residential facilities, regardless GESRI 5 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan which zones they are located, will all apply Class 11 noise standards, which are the more stringent standards. The standards are listed in Table 1-4. The construction site noise standards are listed in Table 1-5. Table 1-4 Noise Standard unit: dB(A) Class Scope - Day Night I Schools and hospitals zone 55 45 II Residential, commercial and education zones 60 50 IV Trunk road and railway side 70 55 Table 1-5 Standards for Noise at Border of Construction Site unit: dB(A) Activity Main Noise Source Limit Day Night Earth and stone Bulldozer, excavator, fork-lift truck 75 55 Pile Driving Pile driver 85 use prohibited Structure Concrete mixer, vibration pile driver, 70 55 electric saw Set up Crane, elevator 65 55 Water Based on the relevant state and Guangzhou environmental regulations and the location of the project as well as water bodies likely to be directly affected by the project, applicable standards are Class 11 in the Surface Water Quality Standards (GHIZBI-1999), as shown in Table 1-6. Table 1-6 Surface Water Quality Standards unit: mg/L(except pH) Pollutants| PH CODcr | BODs O Gilt Pb I P DO Standard 6.5-8.5 20 4 0.05 0.05 0.1 >5 Wastewater discharge will apply Class II in the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standards, shown in Table 1-7. Table 1-7 Standard of Wastewater Discharge Pollutant Standard ( mg/I, except pH) CODcr 60 BOD5 20 SS 20 Mineral oil and grease 5 Plant and animal oil and grease 10 Ammonia nitrogen 10 Total phosphorus 0.5 PH 6-9 GESRI 6 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan Sunshine Sunshine standards are presented in Table 1-8.. Table 1-8 Sunshine Obstruction Standards Class Applications Standards (hrs.) I Nursery, kindergarten, sanitarium, greenhouses 5-6 11 Teaching building, office, public building, general workshop 3-4 III Residential building, office, public building, recreation units 1-2 or full window sunshine at noon 1.7 Primary Environmental Protection Target The primary protection targets in the project area are sensitive to environmental impacts, or known as sensitive receptors. Typically in urban or suburb areas, sensitive receptors include schools, hospitals, kindergartens, residential areas, government and professional institutions, drinking water sources, scenery and cultural relics or historical sites. In this EA, all sensitive receptors along the project will first be identified through site investigation and determined as to the nature of these facilities and what types of impacts they are sensitive to at when. These sensitive receptors will then be a focus throughout the environmental baseline evaluation and impact assessment. Furthermore, the sensitive receptors will also be thle primary targets for which preventive and mitigation measures will be developed. An objective of the EA is to protect these sensitive receptors from unacceptable adverse impacts from project activities in both the construction and operation phases. GESRI 7 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan 2.0 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 2.1 Environmental Baseline An ambient air quality monitoring program shows that NO2 in the monitored area are mostly within 0.037-0.342 mg/m range, parts of which exceed the.standard at 0.24 mg/mr. The higher than the standard concentrations were monitored at the Zhongshan Balu interchange at the Guangzhou end, with monitored data in other areas all within the standard. The monitored CO concentrations, ranged from 0.34-8.69 mgrm3, for hourly average and 0.57-7.05 for daily average, met the applicable standards. The monitored TSP ranged from 0.191-0.438 mg/m3, with the exceedance over the standard occurring only at Zhongshan Balu interchange. PM,o exceeded the standard at all monitored locations. The monitoring data show that the existing air quality is poor at the Guangzhou end and becomes towards the suburb. This is consistent with the gradually decreased urban activities such as motor vehicle traffic, etc. from urban area to suburb. The project area acoustic environment mostly meets the Category II standards. When there is no trains passing, all monitored locations can meet Category II standards both during the day time and at night, except Jiangzhou primary school, Shuangqiao middle school and Guangdong Commerce College, where the day time noise exceeded the standard by up to 6 dB(A) (the applicable slandard is Category I because of higher sensitivity). When there is passing trains, however, all monitored locations near the railway are significantly affected by the train noise. For example, at the Jiaobiao primary school, the instant noise levels from passing trains could reach 87.4 dB(A), even to 91.4 dB(A) when the trains blow their whistles at this location. Therefore, the acoustic environment is considered generally good except the impact from passing trains. The water quality monitoring programs carried out in the EA that the Pearl river section near the project show that the existing water quality exceeded the Class III surface water quality for COD and petroleum based oils. But heavy metal parameters were all within the standards. This indicates that the pollution sources causing the existing water quality deterioration in the Pearl river are primarily domestic based. There are two well landscaped community and one city parks in the immediately adjacent area of Guangfo road. Along the project alignment, there are trees, bushes and lawns, mostly typical species of urban vegetation. Towards the west end of Guangfo road, there are agricultural land with flower nurseries, pleasure fish, and vegetable gardens. The site survey indicates there are several receptors which will be highly sensitive to the construction and operation of Gouangfo rioad. These sensitive receptors include Jiangzhou primary school, Shuangqiao middle school, Guangdong commerce college, Fangcun Guocun residential area, Fangcun New World residential area, Jiaobioa village, Jiaobiao primary school, Li's Family Shrine, and Hengjiao village. Most of these sensitive receptors are located at the northwest side of the road and about 10-150 m to GESRI 8 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan Guangfo road. Because of their proximity to the roads and nature, they will be sensitive to the noise and motor vehicle exhaust pipe emissions. 2.2 Construction Phase Impacts Guangfo road project will have large scale activities, with a long construction period, mostly within urban and built up areas with a high population density and congested traffic on the existing roads. Therefore, construction activities in such areas will impact the surrounding natural and socio-econo,mic environment. More specifically, the impacts will include: * Noise generated from construction activities is expected to exceed both the day and night time standard limits in the "Construction Site Boundary Noise Standards" (GB12523-90). Such noise levels will impact the area within the 50 m zone and any facilities particularly sensitive receptors will be impacted by construction noise. About 10 residential households and three schools are in these zones which will be most affected. * Bridge construction and other construction activities construction equipment and vehicle machinery washing, surface runoff from the disturbed soil, etc. near water bodies particularly Pearl river, could result in increased suspended solid and in some cases oils in the receiving water. o Many construction activities such as demolition, loading/unloading, site cleanup and preparation, vehicle movements, etc. will cause air-borne dust which will affect the surrounding areas especially those in the leeward direction. Once again, the households and schools closest to the construction site will be most affected by the air borne dust. o The construction will result in a large quantity of spoil and solid waste including demolition waste, excessive soil and other waste from construction activities. The storage of the waste on site could pollute the surrounding environment and disturb the communities. The transportation of the waste, if not properly handled could result in pollution of the transportation routes. Finally, the disposal of the waste will occupy land and impact the areas surrounding the disposal sites. o Construction activities such as materials storage, loading/unloading, truck movement and parking, etc will occupy a portion of the existing roads causing traffic jams near the construction sites. Since the roads near the sites are the major gate ways to the western Guangzhou area and towards the Foshan municipality (as this connects the bridge on the Pearl river), and they are narrow and very busy, the occupation of the roads, even temporarily could cause serious traffic problems. 2.3 Operation Phase Impacts Air Quality Impact Based on modeling prediction, on the climate conditions of average wind speed of 1.9 m/s and D atmospheric stability (normal climate conditions), the hourly average NO2 concentrations at the pedestrian roads (about 10 m to the motor vehicles lanes) will be GESRI 9 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan ranged between 0.103-0.242 mg/mr3 for the short term, 0. 106-0.251 mg/mr3 for the mid term and 0.189-0.414 mg/mr3 over the long term. Under worse climate conditions, i.e., slower wind speed or calm and E atmospheric stability, the NO2 concentrations will be ranged between 0.190-0.762 mg/m3 up to 80% higher than the standard, according to the modeling prediction. Another important air pollutant which can be related to motor vehicle emission, CO, is predicted to be always below 6 mg/mr3, within the applicable standard (10 mg/mr3). Even under the worst case conditions (I m/s wind stability and E atmospheric conditions), the CO concentrations at predicted to be below 9 mg/m3 will still be below the standard. It is noted that the modeling results show that predicted concentrations of both CO and NO2 will increase over time, indicating the increase in motor vehicle fleet and traffic volume on Guangfo road will offset the decrease in individual motor vehicle emission from the implementation of more stringent emission standards to new motor vehicles. According to relevant national and local policies, more stringent motor vehicle emission standards will be enforced to new motor vehicles in Guangzhou, as well as in the rest of the country, without which the impact of Guangfo road to ambient air quality would be much higher than currently predicted. During the operation stage, at various sensitive receptors average hourly NO2 concentrations are expected to be in the range of 0.101-0.206 mg/m3. Compared with the applicable standard of 0.24 mg/m3, the predicted concentration is below the standard indicating insignificant impacts. Under the worst climate conditions, however, the NO2 concentrations at these locations will be 0.173-0.412 mg/m3, up to 71% above the standard. Among the sensitive receptors, Jiaobiao village and Jiaobiao primary school will be worst affected as both are very closely located to the project road. The highest concentrations are predicted at these locations. In general, CO is not going to be a major affecting pollutant even under the worst case climate conditions, according to the air quality modeling simulation results which show a maximum CO concentration in the sensitive receptors of 7.439 mg/m3 under the worst case conditions over the long term which is well below the 10 mg/m3 standard. NO2 on the other hand will be the primary air pollutant which will impact the project surrounding area and sensitive receptors, particularly during the slow wind speed and stable climate conditions. Noise According the noise modeling results, at 30 m from the road, the combined road and railway noise will be 75.8-76.1 dB(A) for day time and 73.5-76.4 dB(A) for the night, significantly exceeding the applicable noise standards for the both time frames. Within this distance, there are Jiaobiao primary school and residential housing from Jiaobiao village. Compared the applicable standards for these sensitive receptors of 55 (day) 45 (night) dB(A) and 60 (day) and 55 (night) dB(A), respectively, the predicted noise levels exceed the standards by up to 22 dB(A), indicating very serious noise impacts on these GESRI 10 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan sensitive receptors. At these noise levels, the school will be able to carry classes properly and the residents sleep and rest will be seriously affected. Other sensitive receptors which are located outside the 40 m areas include Songjiang middle school, Jiangzhou primary school, Guangdong commerce school, and New World residential development. The predicted combined railway and road noise levels will be 70 to 71 dB(A) for day time, exceeding the applicable standards by up to 11 dB(A) for day time. Jiangzhou primary school, however is expected not to be affected as there is building between the school and the proposed road which will act as a very effective noise barrier reducing the noise by 15-25 dB(A). Water Impact At the operation stage, the pollutants such as dust, oil, etc. accumulated on the road surface, could be carried away by the "first flush" of rain water. The contaminated surface runoff, when drained into the receiving water, could affect the receiving water quality. The modeling results indicate that at the point where the surface runoff will be drained into the surface water bodies, COD and oil could increase slightly, up to 0.263 and 0.0006 mg/L, respectively. The affected area is mostly limited within a narrow bend of 1000 m by 15 m along the river bank. The sensitive points, the water intake for Xicun Water Purification Plant located 4.7 km up stream from the east bridge on Pearl river, will not be affected by the road operation. Traffic accidents involving tank trucks containing hazardous materials over the bridges could seriously affect water quality in project area. However, the chance of such accident occurrence is extremely small. According to the estimate, an accident resulting in release of hazardous materials into Pearl river from Guangfo road occurs about once every 236 years. GESRI 11 September, 2002  Guangfo Road Environmental Management Plan 3.0 IMPACT MITIGATION A series measures have been designed to mitigate, reduce and minimize potential adverse impacts of Guangfo road to the natural and socio-economic environment. These measures are to be taken during the design, construction and operation stages. 3.1 Design Stage Mitigation measures at the design stage are those which are considered during and/or incorporated into the design. Selection of Alternatives Many of the adverse impacts of project can be best avoided through the selection of alignments/designs with the least adverse environmental and socio-economic impacts during the feasibility study and design stage. In this project, alternative alignments and alternative design (i.e., elevated viaduct versus ground level roads) have been proposed and evaluated in terms of potential environmental impacts, as well as transportation, engineering and cost considerations, before an optimal option is selected for the design of the project. Three alternative in alignments for Guangfo road have been proposed and considered during project feasibility study and design stage. The alternative are (Figure 3-1): * Alternative I: The road will be divided into two elevated viaducts, i.e., Line A and B lines, one on each side of the existing east and west Pearl river bridges; the two lines continue towards Fangcun boulevard and merged into one line at about the Guocun residential area; the single line extends towards southwest and connects with the outer ring expressway at Huangqi interchange; o Alternative II: The road will be single elevated viaduct with six motor vehicle lane in both directions, to be built on the north side of the existing roads/bridges; after crossing the Pearl river west bridge, the road extends straightly west bound and finally connects with the outer ring expressway at Surounding interchange north of Huangqi; and * Alternative III: The alignment prior to Wuyangqiao residential area is basically identical to Alternative 1, i.e. twin elevated viaducts one on each side of the existing roads/bridges. At about the Guocun, Line A continues along the same alignment as in Alternative I but only has three lanes and remains as an one way viaduct. Line B extends around the south side of the Hengjiao village and the two lines are merged in the open field east of Quangqi interchange before connects with the outer ring expressway at Huangqi. The advantages and disadvantages of both alignments/layout are compared in Table 3-1. GESRI 12 September, 2002  1~~~~~kll F4 ;-K A J ~ r-~ 3