Public Disclosure Authorized
Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism and Community Development Project
Public Disclosure Authorized
Public Disclosure Authorized
Public Disclosure Authorized
Construction unit: Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area Management Committee
Date of Preparation: February 2020
Table of Contents
1. Project Description 1 1.1 Project Background 1 1.2 Project Basic Information 2 1.3 Project Contents 3 1.4 Site Selection 6 1.5 Construction Conditions and Consumption of Resources 9 1.6 General Layout 10 1.7 Tourist Forecast for the Scenic Area 11 1.8 Compliance with Existing Industry Policies and Planning 12 1.8.1 Compliance with Industry Policies 12 1.8.2 Compliance with Existing Plans 12 2. Basis of Environmental Impacts Assessment 16 2.1 Legislative and Regulatory Framework 16 2.1.1 Domestic Laws and Regulations 16 2.1.2 Sector Regulations and Guidance 17 2.1.3 Technical Guidance 19 2.1.4 Other Technical Documents 19 2.1.5 World Bank Safeguards Policies 20 2.2 Review of Phase I Jingtai project 20 2.2.1 Basic Information 20 2.2.2 Project Scope and Composition 21 2.2.3 Performance Review of the Phase I Jingtai Project 23 2.3 Environmental Functional Zoning and Assessment Grades 27 2.3.1 Environmental Functional Zoning 28 2.3.2 Assessment Grade 28 2.4 Applicable Standards 29 2.4.1 Environmental Quality Standards 29 2.4.2 Pollutant Discharge Standards 31 2.5 Key Environmentally Sensitive Receptors 32 3. Environmental and Social Baseline 34 3.1 Geographical Location 34 3.2 Topography and Geology 34 3.2.1 Topography and Landform 34 3.2.2 Geology 35 3.3 Meteorology 36 3.4 Hydrology 37 3.5 Ecology 37 3.6 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park 38 3.7 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area 40 3.8 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve 43
3.9 Environmental Quality 45 4. Project Pollution Analysis and Control Measures 49 4.1 Technical Process and Pollution Discharge during Construction 49 4.1.1 Technical Process 49 4.1.2 Pollution Discharge 53 4.2 Technical Process and Pollutant Discharge during Operation 57 4.2.1 Technical Process 57 4.2.2 Water Balance of the Project 62 4.2.3 Pollution Discharge 67 4.3 Summary of Pollutant Discharge 73 4.4 Pollution Control Measures 74 4.4.1 Pollution Control Measures during Construction 74 4.4.2 Pollution Control Measures during Operation 79 5. Environmental Impacts Analysis and Mitigation Measures 83 5.1 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures during Construction 83 5.1.1 Analysis of Impacts on Ambient Air in Construction Period 83 5.1.2 Analysis of Impacts on Water Environment in Construction Period 85 5.1.3 Analysis of Noise Impacts in Construction Period 88 5.1.4 Analysis of Impacts of Solid Waste in Construction Period 89 5.1.5 Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Construction Camps 90 5.1.6 Analysis of Impact on Geopark Landscape 90 5.2 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures during Operation 92 5.2.1 Analysis of Impacts on Water Environment in Operation Period 92 5.2.2 Analysis of Impacts on Ambient Air in Operation Period 95 5.2.3 Analysis of Solid Waste Impacts in Operation Period 97 5.2.4 Analysis of Impacts on Acoustic Environment in Operation Period 98 5.2.5 Analysis of Tourism Environmental Capacity 98 5.3 Ecological Impacts and Mitigation Measures 100 5.3.1 Project Necessity and Site Suitability 100 5.3.2 Scope and Period of Ecological Assessment 101 5.3.3 Ecological Baseline Survey 102 5.4.4 Analysis of Ecological Impacts and Mitigation Measures 108 5.4 Summary of Mitigation Measures 111 6. Environmental Risk Analysis and Response Measures 114 7. Social Impacts Assessment 119 7.1 Positive Impacts of the Project 119 7.2 Negative Impacts of the Project 120 7.3 Potential Social Risks of the Project 120 7.4 Recommendations and Actions 121 8. Environmental Protection Investment 124 9. Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan 125 9.1 Environmental Management plan 125
9.1.1 Institutional Arrangements for Environmental Management 125 9.1.2 Environmental Management Plan 126 9.2 Environmental Protection Training Program 128 9.3 Environmental Monitoring Plan 130 9.4 Environmental Protection Inspection and Acceptance for "Three simultaneousness" Completion 131 9.5 Supervision and Reporting Mechanism 132 9.5.1 Purpose and Method 132 9.5.2 Supervision and Reporting Mechanism 132 9.5.3 Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) 133 9.6 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Management Requirements 137 10. Public Participation and Information Disclosure 138 10.1 Online Disclosure 138 10.2 Field Disclosure and Public Consultation 139 11. Conclusions and Recommendations 141 11.1 Conclusions 141 11.2 Recommendations 147
List of Abbreviation AO Anaerobic-oxic BOD Biological oxygen demand COD Chemical oxygen demand DO Dissolved oxygen EHS Environmental, health and safety EIA Environmental impacts assessment ESMP Environmental and social management plan FSR Feasibility study report GIIP Good International Industry Practice GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism LAS Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, OHS Occupational health and safety PM Particulate matter SS Suspended solid TDS Total dissolved solid TSP Total suspended particulate WWTP Wastewater treatment plan
1. Project Description
1.1 Project Background
Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest is located near Longwan Village in the southeast of Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province. The site is about 136 km north of Jingtai County and 70 km north of Baiyin City. The Yellow River flows from east to west through the scenic spot which covers an area of 34 km2, in which the stone forest scenic area covers an area of 10 km2. Geographical coordinates of the site are as follows: 103°33'-104°43'E and 36°43'-37°38'N, with the altitude between 1340 and 1600 m. In January 2004, it was approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as a national geological park. It is also a provincial-level Geological Heritage Natural Reserve and a National AAAA Scenic Tourism Spot. The park mainly consists of three parts, namely Yinma Gully (including Laolong Gully and Leopard Gully), Panlong Cave - Guanyin Cliff and Diwan Bay.
Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is distinct in China, especially in the north of China, which is called as "Chinese natural wonder" due to its unique shape, large scale and superior combination of natural landscape. The Yellow River Stone Forest was formed about 2.1million years ago in the Cenozoic Quaternary Early Pleistocene due to the geological effects of crustal movement, weathering and rain erosion. The stone forest is decorated by yellow glutenite with varied shapes. The Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area combines various elements such as the Yellow River, stone forest, desert, gobi, oasis and farmhouses. The scenic area is suitable for sightseeing, adventure, leisure activities, business tourism and so on.
The site was first established as the scenic tourism site in 2004. Since then, efforts have been taken by local government to facilitate the tourism development there. Among others, the Yellow River Stone Forest improvement was one of the subprojects under the World Bank-financed Phase I Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project (2008-2015) (simplified as Phase I Jingtai project below), under which a 2.5km access road, a 2500m2 museum and a 3000m2 parking lot were improved and constructed together with other associated facilities such as water supply and lighting for the scenic area and community facilities for Longwan Village. With such efforts, the Yellow River Stone Forest experienced rapid growth of tourism volume in recent years, quadrupled (406%) from 2010 to 2016. However, the fast-growing tourist volume has also put tremendous pressure on the current infrastructure and facilities in the scenic site. The Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Spot is still facing the challenges of limited financial capacity, insufficient infrastructure investments and low tourism carrying capacity, which has constrained the tourism development and poverty elimination in Jingtai County. Meanwhile, in view of its great potential for tourism development, the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area has been identified as one of the 20 major scenic spots in the province in the "Gansu Silk Road Economic Belt Construction Master Plan" (2014-2020) and targets at the accreditation of 5A Scenic Tourism Spot following the requirements of Baiyin City Government.
Based on the earlier World Bank’s investments here, the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism and Community Development Project was therefore proposed as a new subproject of the World Bank-financed Second Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project for infrastructure improvements and tourism
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development while maintaining effective conservation of the geologic relics in the scenic area. The proposed project is expected to address both needs for the upgrades and improvements of scenic site facilities and the community development of Longwan Village, as summarized in the table below.
Table 1-1 Analysis of project necessity.
Prospects for the Current Status of Community Tourists’ Demand Development of Scenic Scenic Area Demand Area 1) Effective protection of heritage resources and further enhancement of heritage value. 1) Visit cultural 2) Further and more heritage landscape 1) Provide more rational development of 1) Lack of effective for aesthetic job opportunities heritage tourism resources, protection for geological experience. and increase the to attract more tourists and relics 2) Appreciate the income. bring good social and 2) Too limited space natural heritage 2) Improve road economic benefits. for tourism activities in scenery and conditions for 3) Popularization of core scenic area to meet breathing fresh air. convenient heritage knowledge to the demand of increasing 3) Experience the transportation. facilitate the heritage tourists requiring good interactions between 3) Improve protection of the heritage. experience human and the infrastructure 4) Improved 3) Infrastructure nature, between conditions and infrastructure for the development is lagged animals and plants. living scenic area for higher behind. 4) Broaden the environment. tourist satisfaction and 4) Weak in driving horizon and gain 4) Participate in revisit rate. community more knowledge the 5) Integrated development. about the heritage. decision-making development of tourism 5) Recreation and process. and community relaxation. development to achieve win-win cooperation and harmonious and sustainable development. 1.2 Project Basic Information
Project Name Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism and Community Development Construction Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area Management Committee Unit Legal Chen Qili Contact Zhang Jiancai representative Address Longwan Village, Zhongquan Town, Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province Contact 13909432663 Zip Code 730400 number Construction Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area in Jingtai County, Baiyin City. site Project Approval Gansu Province Development and Development Foreign approval document Reform Committee Investment No.19【2020】 department number
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Industry Type of Leisure and sightseeing Renovation and expansion category Construction activities (R9030) and code Green Floor area (m2) 398200 22477 Area(m2) Environmental The percentage Total protection of environmental Investment 282.8049 investment 42.2 protection 0.15% (million yuan) included (million investment in yuan) total investment Evaluation Expected funding date of
(million yuan) production There are currently 160 staff The scenic spot will be members working in the Yellow operated for 365 days a Staffing River Stone Forest Scenic Area. Schedule year, and the daily This project will not increase the operation hour is from 7am employees. to 6pm.
1.3 Project Contents
The project activities include the construction and renovation of museum, cultural heritage demonstration platform, tourist service center and other associated tourism facilities such as bridge, roads, walkways, eco-parking lots, tourist rest corridors, greening belts, etc.
The construction contents of this project include site leveling, structure and road construction, and construction of auxiliary and supporting facilities. Among them, road construction will be mainly conducted with mechanical operation, supplemented by manual construction. The roadbed foundation is paved with compaction by layers. The thickness of each compaction layer is designed according to the nature of the road and the subgrade filler.
Table 1-2 List of project activities. Name of Activities Construction contents Note A one-story new exhibition hall for the intangible cultural Exhibition hall heritage of sheepskin raft, for the consisting of indoor and intangible outdoor area with a total New cultural construction area is 1800m2, Conservation heritage of Main displaying the history, culture and display of sheepskin raft Project and production process of cultural Activities sheepskin raft. heritage Construction of a village stage, Folk Culture and reconstruction of existing Exhibition Leopard Gully square into a Renovation Base (village display area and a performance stage) area, covering an area of 1272m2
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Upgrading of existing 6-13m-wide riverside road to 30m-wide (partially 35m wide) road on the southern bank of Binhe the Yellow River with asphalt (riverside) concrete pavement, 1.67km New roads and long, part of which will be affiliated works widened to 35m for landscaping. Affiliated works include lighting, water supply and drainage pipelines, gas pipelines, handrails, etc. Tour trail New tour trails, 4km in total New Wooden 4.5km wooden plank road for New boardwalk sightseeing A new 8m-wide arch bridge No. 2 downstream of the Yellow Pedestrian River waterwheel, with the Bridge at the New span of 16m, together with the Yellow River dredging of nearby river Waterwheel channel. 170 mu of parking lot at Nanshan Square, including Ecological 11053m2 greening area, New Scenic Area parking lots 9470m2 road pavement; 4 Infrastructure small parking lots in Longwan Scenic Area, 950m2 each 15 new pavilion corridors in the apple orchard, agricultural Pavilion landscape park and Riverside New corridor Recreation Area, including 16 pavilions and 6 feature walls with a floor area of 3000m2 10 new one-story agricultural product exhibition halls Agricultural together with outdoor Products New processing demonstration Exhibition Hall zone, with a gross floor area of 1000m2. 10 new family fun parks in the Family fun leisure zone, with a floor area New parks of 5000m2 Reconstruction of 3km Ecological U-shaped channel for Reconstruction water channel landscaping Landscaping 8200 plants covering 4800m2 New Construction of one new cold Apple storage storage with the floor area of New warehouse 800m2, the refrigerant is R507A
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Construction of 10 new wooden houses along Nanshan Road, to be used as tofu workshop, vinegar workshop, Village market jam workshop, weaving New workshop, cultural product workshops, etc., 15m2 each, together with 1500m2 ground hardening Construction of new Nanshan Nanshan Visitor Service Center, 2-story Visitor Service frame structure with the floor Center area of 4,850 m2 A new entrance gate, Entrance gate H*W*L=8*3*48m New, located in Water supply Laying of 1300m DN160 Jingtai Nature pipelines pipelines Reserve Laying of 600m DN300 wastewater pipelines with a Wastewater new integrated wastewater facilities treatment station of 100m3/d at the new Visitor Service Center Reconstruction of existing Xishan Transfer Center (8mu) Transfer with 300m2 greening area; Reconstruction stations Reconstruction Leopard Gully Square transfer station and Binhe Road transfer station Two new riverside decks on Riverside deck New the riverside road Construction of seven Grade Public 3A tourist toilets, including 2 services on Binhe Road, 2 at Nanshan facilities Square, 2 in Longwan Village and 1 toilet at Xishan Transfer Center. Wastewater from the two toilets at Nanshan Square Tourist toilets New will be treated with the new integrated wastewater treatment station and the other five will send wastewater into the sewage network and then Longwan WWTP for treatment. Construction of a new garbage transfer station (40t/d, 200m2) Garbage at Nanshan Square and a New collection garbage collection station (20m2) at Longwan Village Buying 5 garbage trucks and 2 Waste high-pressure sewer-flushing New transportation trucks (8t) Smart scenic Development of a smart travel area mode of “Travel in Stone / management Forest at hand” 5
To rely on the existing tree-shape water supply network of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area and an existing 1000m3/d Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in the Already southwest of Longwan Village. implemented Water supply The water distribution during phase I pipelines will be laid along the project, except new project roads, and two two water tanks 200m3 water storage tanks will be constructed under the project to supply water for daily use of staff working in the scenic area. During operation, the domestic wastewater from the scenic area will be collected with sewage network and treated Utility with the existing Longwan Facilities WWTP before being Already discharged into the Yellow implemented Drainage River; while the domestic during phase I wastewater from the visitor project service center will be treated with a set of integrated wastewater treatment station before being reused on site for greening. Low-voltage built-in box transformer (250KVA) for the area around Nanshan Square; a Already built outdoors 125KVA box implemented Power supply transformer for the museum; during phase I and 10kV city power grid will project be connected for the lighting of Binhe Road lighting. The buildings will be equipped Heating system with air conditioners for winter / heating. 1.4 Site Selection
(1) Analysis on construction plan
① Construction camps
There will be two construction camps for the Project. #1 in the existing square in the east of Longwan Village and #2 in the parking lot near the tourist service center for the parking of construction vehicles and machinery and also the rest of construction personnel. Construction camps are temporary land occupations, which will be restored to the original status after construction completion. According to the locations, the proposed construction sites will not have significant impacts on the surroundings.
② Stock yard 6
Construction materials needed by the Project are mainly stone, gravel, medium-coarse sand, steel material and cement. They will be purchased from Jingtai County and transported to the project site directly. No stock yard is needed for the project.
③ Borrow area and spoil ground
No spoil ground is needed for the Project. The borrow area designated jointly by the water affairs bureau and the county government is 8 km from the west entrance of Yinmagou, which is outside the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Natural Reserve. The site will be leveled and spread with grass seeds after the completion of earth borrowing.
(2) Solid waste transfer station
In accordance with the Codes for the Design of Domestic Solid Waste Transfer Stations and other relevant regulations, the site selection of transfer stations should meet the following requirements:
① Compliant with the urban development master plan and the sanitation sector plan.
② Consider the impacts of service areas, transfer capacity, transportation distance, pollution control and supporting conditions.
③ With traffic convenience where transportation routes can be arranged easily.
④ With access to water supply and power supply and meet the requirements for sewage discharge.
Transfer stations should not be set up in the following regions:
① Beside any overpass or crossing;
② Busy areas such as the entrances and exits to large shopping mall and theater. If located in such areas, the structure and form of the entrances and exits to transfer station should be carefully designed;
③ Populated places, such as in the vicinity of schools, restaurants and so on.
The project will construct one solid waste transfer station will be built 1km to the southeast of Nanshan Square, outside the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park. The selected location can meet above requirements and is suitable for the construction of solid waste transfer station.
(3) Alternative analysis
Despite topographic constraints, two options have been considered for the siting of proposed entrance gate and tourist services center to minimize the project's potential impacts on geologic relics in the scenic area, as shown in the table and figure below.
Figure 1-1 Considered site options for entrance gate and tourist service center.
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Table 1-3 Alternative analysis. Option A Option B Relationship In the experimental area of the Jingtai In the experimental area of the Jingtai with the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial natural Natural Reserve Natural Reserve reserve With the construction of country highway the site is inside the experimental area of X217 in the region, the site has been Construction the natural reserve, currently uneven leveled by local government; therefore, the conditions gullies, which means more construction construction works for the Project is works for the project. reduced. Current No industry within 2.5km around the No industry within 2.5 km around the environment project site, and the environmental quality project site, and the environmental al quality is good. quality is good. Social No residential area around, involving not Additional works is needed for site impacts too much construction works; no impact levelling due to the existence of uneven during on surrounding residents during gullies; therefore, more impacts on the construction construction natural reserve. Located in the experimental zone of the The facilities will be located in the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest experimental zone of the Jingtai Yellow Provincial natural reserve. However, Impacts on River Stone Forest Provincial natural various ecological protection measures and natural reserve, and closer to the buffer zone. pollution control measures proposed in the reserve More significant impacts are anticipated EIA report will minimize the adverse of on the geological relics during project project construction and there will be no construction. significant impact on the geological relics. The tourist service center and the entrance The tourist service center and the Impacts on gate will integrate into the landscape of the entrance gate will integrate into the tourism natural reserve, which will facilitate the landscape of the natural reserve, which tourists’ visit. will facilitate the tourists’ visit. 8
Conclusions Recommended Not recommended
According to the above analysis, Option A is recommended as the site for the tourist service center and entrance gate. The site is located in the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Natural Reserve in Jingtai County of Gansu with a total area of 4.9992km2. The project site is featured by convenient traffic conditions, obvious positioning advantages and beautiful natural environment.
1.5 Construction Conditions and Consumption of Resources
(1) Transportation conditions
External transportation: Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area has good accessibility through the connection with S201 Highway, Jing (Tai)-Bai (Yin) Highway and Jing (Tai)-Wu (Wei) Highway, as well as county and township highways, which forms a convenient transportation network with the county center. The journey from the cities of Lanzhou and Yinchuan to the scenic area is only about 2.5 and 3 hours for driving.
At present, there are three ways to get to the scenic area, one is to take G109 highway at Wujiachuan of Jingyuan County and then Y469 highway (Grade IV road, 41km) until Batan, finally take the boat to get into the scenic area; or take the S308 highway at Shimen of Jingyuan County and then C022 highway (Grade IV road, 28km) until Batan, finally take the boat to go into the scenic area; or choose S217 highway at Dashui of Zhongquan Town followed by Y461 highway until Zhongquan (Naoquan), and then drive along C015 to directly arrive at the scenic area.
Internal transportation: The construction vehicles can access the scenic spot through an existing asphalt road. This project will use existing roads in the scenic area, instead of building temporary new access roads for construction.
(2) Water for construction use
The water use for this project during construction consists of two parts: production water and domestic water, which will come from existing water supply pipeline in the scenic area.
(3) Power supply
Relying on the existing 35kV substation in the scenic area and 10kV agricultural power supply in Longwan Village, which can meet the electricity demand for project construction.
(4) Construction camps
There will be 2 construction camps, of which 1# construction camp will be located in the existing square in the east of Longwan Village, and 2# construction camp will be located in the parking lot at the tourist service center (currently gravel roads).
(5) Construction materials
Stone, gravel, medium coarse sand: to be purchased from nearby quarry with legal mining procedures;
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Steel and wood: to be purchased from the construction material markets in Jingtai County and Baiyin City;
Cement: The qualified cement will be purchased from Jingtai County and transported through existing village roads and paths;
Other materials and daily necessities will be purchased in Jingtai County.
This project does not need on-site concrete and asphalt batching plants. The concrete and asphalt mixture to be used for the project will be purchased externally.
(6) Resource consumption
Table 1-4 Major consumption and other resources. No. Type Unit Annual consumption Source 1 Electric power 10MWh / a 20 Local power grid 2 water t / a 10994.9 Local water supply network 1.6 General Layout
In the supplementary design process, it is necessary to have a reasonable functional zoning and clear travel routes to improve building utilization. At the same time, attention should be paid to the architectural landscape design and the harmony between the building with surrounding environment.
The project’s general layout should be compliant with the planning of the Geopark and conform to the conditions of China. It should fully demonstrate the development guidelines of “strict protection, scientific planning, unified management, rational utilization, and coordinated development”, and follow the principles of “people-oriented, emphasis on nature, excellence in characteristics, and pursuit of harmony”.
The project will actively and rationally adopt new materials and new technologies to meet the requirements of being advanced, reasonable, economical, safe and clean.
Attention should be paid to environmental protection and effective management of wastewater, air pollutants and noise that bring adverse impacts on the environment.
Energy-saving materials and equipment should be used, and necessary thermal insulation measures should be taken.
The project contents include the exhibition hall for the intangible cultural heritage of sheepskin raft, the folk culture exhibition base (village stage), the Binhe Road and associated works, the tour trails, the wooden plank roads, a bridge near the Yellow River waterwheel, and the ecological parking lots, pavilion corridors, agricultural product exhibition hall, family fun parks, ecological water channel, greening works, apple storage warehouse, village market, a tourist service center, an entrance gate, transfer stations, riverside decks and garbage collection and transfer stations, etc. The sheepskin raft intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall is located in the east of Longwan Village; the village stage is located in the south of Longwan Village; the apple cold storage warehouse is located in the northwest corner of Longwan Village; Binhe Road is located on the southern bank of the Yellow River; the No.2 Bridge near the Yellow River Waterwheel is 10
located to the north of Longwan Village; the village cultural market is located in the south of Longwan Village; and the tourist service center, the entrance gate and the ecological parking lot are located at the entrance of the scenic area. The project’s general layout is shown below.
Figure 1-2 General layout.
Exhibition facilities Infrastructure facilities Public services facilities Tourist toilets Parking lots Wastewater and solid waste collection
1.7 Tourist Forecast for the Scenic Area
The scenic area can be operated for 365 days in a year. The peak season of the scenic area is from early April to end October, about 214 days. The tourists during the peak season accounted for 90% of the whole year. According to the Feasibility Study Report (FSR) of the project, the forecast of tourist to the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is shown in the table below.
Table 1-5 Forecast of tourist number in Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area (Unit: 100,000 people). Year 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Growth rate (%) 0% 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.25 2.5 2.75 3.0 3.0 Tourists in peak season (100,000 68.90 69.25 69.94 70.99 72.41 74.04 75.89 86.98 80.32 82.73 people/year) Tourist in low season (ten 7.66 7.69 7.77 7.89 8.05 8.23 8.43 9.66 8.92 9.19 thousand people/year)
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Total 76.56 76.94 77.71 78.88 80.46 82.27 84.32 96.64 89.24 91.92 1.8 Compliance with Existing Industry Policies and Planning 1.8.1 Compliance with Industry Policies
In accordance with the Guiding Catalogue of Industrial Restructuring (2019 Edition), the Project is classified as “integrated development, infrastructure construction and tourism information service for other tourism resources” (Para. 2), Article 34 Tourism Industry, 1st Category of Encouraged Industry, and therefore, complies with the national industry policies.
1.8.2 Compliance with Existing Plans
(1) Compliance with the Development Plan for Tourism Industry during the “13th Five-year Plan” of Gansu Province
The “Tourism Development Plan of Gansu Province During “13th Five-year Plan” requires that, “to construct the Yellow River urban culture and tourism industry cluster that integrates the Yellow River culture, urban scenery, natural mountains and waters and ethnic customs along the axes of Lanzhou-Baiyin-Linxia-Gannan, in the Yellow River Gansu section, with “the Yellow River with nine turns, magic straits and green water” as the image brand, and to focus on the development of cities by the Yellow River, ancient water towns, leisure water countries, magnificent stone forest, grassland & wetland and Tibetan scene, and construct international tourism destinations with Yellow River charm; to establish the Yellow River Stone Forest of Jingtai County as one of the 20 grand scenic areas out of the 100 key scenic spots in Gansu Province during the “13th Five-year Plan”; to enhance the fundamental conditions for serving whole-region tourism; to make efforts to promote the global orientation and full coverage of tourism infrastructures, public services and intelligent tourism; to promote the development of full-region tourism.
As the infrastructure construction project for the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area in Jingtai, the Project mainly aims at improving tourist infrastructures and enhancing the service functions of the scenic area. The Project can meet relevant requirements of the Tourism Development Plan of Gansu Province during the 13th Five-year Plan.
(2) Compliance with the Tourism Development Plan of Baiyin City (2012-2030)
As explicitly specified in the “Tourism Development Plan of Baiyin City (2012-2030), Baiyin City should make use of its advantageous resources, take proactive measures , highlight characteristics and build famous brands. Characteristics are the soul and life of tourism; therefore, the vigorous and firm Yellow River Stone Forest of Baiyin should be fully demonstrated and used as the characteristic and brand to develop and construct the geological wonder Yellow River Stone Forest and Yellow River charm visiting area; the radiation of large scenic areas should be taken advantage of to drive and realize the development tourism sequence, promote the formation of large Yellow River stone forest tourism and economic zone and realize the objective of a strong tourism county of Jingtai. The scenic area is divided into Yellow River charm tourist area, country leisure resort, green Eco-leisure area, screen culture experience area, the Silk Road relics area and red tourist area.
The Project is about the infrastructure construction of the Yellow River Stone Forest
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Scenic Area at Jingtai; its construction contents are consistent with the relevant planning requirements of the “Tourism Development Plan for Baiyin City (2012-2030)”.
(3) Compliance of project construction with Master Plan for Yellow River Stone Forest Grand Scenic Area (2016-2020)
According to the Master Plan for Yellow River Stone Forest Grand Scenic Area (Revision) (2016-2020): a) Overall planning objectives of the scenic area:
Bring the advantages and potentials of scenic resources into full play; improve the artistic quality, tourism value, environmental quality and operation & management level of the scenic area; realize the coordinated development among ecological environment protection, social economy, and scenery tourism cause of the region finally. Besides, bring up the development pattern of northern development, southern control, surrounding drive and eastern service, in terms of spatial development strategy. b) Development plan:
① Build one of the 20 grand scenic areas in the province in 2017 and make it a leader of the tourism industry of Baiyin City, an emerging growth pole of Gansu Province and an exquisite 5A tourist area in northwest China.
② Highlight the natural landscape of the scenic area, and construct it as a national major geological research base suiting its geological characteristics.
③ Develop the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area up to high standards and make it a quality 1-day tour to Baiyin City.
④ Lead and drive the scenic spots within the radiation area.
⑤ The spectacle stone forests within the scenic area should be protected to with all efforts that can be made.
⑥ Improve the existing infrastructures and enhance the service reception capability of the scenic area.
⑦ Construct and improve the infrastructures of the surrounding communities, and promote the mutual benefits and coordinated development of the scenic area and community.
As a high-quality construction activity, natural heritage protection and development project of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area constructs, promotes and publicize local tourism resources in a wider platform, striving for forging it an “internationally influential sightseeing and tourist resort” among the 18 scenic spots of Gansu Province.
Therefore, the construction scope of the Project is compliant with relevant planning requirements of the Master Plan for Yellow River Stone Forest Grand Scenic Area (Revision) (2016-2020).
(4) Compliance of project construction with the Master Plan for Yellow River Stone 13
Forest National Geological Park in Jingtai County, Gansu (2016-2030) a) Planning of protection zones
The protected geological relics of the park is divided into Grade 1 protection zone, Grade 2 protection zone and Grade 3 protection zone; the other areas beyond the protection zones are defined as the general control zone where tourist service facilities and traffic facilities are allowed and other geological relics not vulnerable to damage are located. b) Main protection object
The geological park consists of five parts, namely geological relic landscape area, cultural landscape area, comprehensive services area, natural ecological area and residential area reservation area.
As the infrastructure construction project of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area, the Project is mainly designed to improve tourist infrastructure and enhance the service functions of the scenic area. The construction contents are all distributed within the general control zone. Project construction is consistent with the plan requirements.
(5) Compliance with the Regulations for the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Natural Reserve in Jingtai County, Gansu a) Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves (revised on October 7, 2017)
As specified in Article 32 of Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves: In the experimental zone of a natural reserve, the construction of any production facility that may pollute the environment or bring damage to the resources or landscape are not allowed; all the other construction activities are allowed only if the resulted pollutant discharge is compliant with applicable national and local pollutants discharge standards.
Under the project, only the tourist service center and the entrance are proposed in the experimental zone of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park, which involve small-scale civil works without any major source of pollution throughout project implementation. There are effective mitigation measures to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts to an acceptable level during both construction and operation so that applicable standards for pollutant discharge is compliant with. Therefore, the project proposed the requirements of Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves can be met. b) Management Rules for Natural Reserves of Gansu Province (January 1, 2019)
Article 21 of the Management Rules for Natural Reserves of Gansu Province stipulates “The following behaviors are forbidden in natural reserves: (i) Tree-felling, herding, earth-borrowing, hunting, fishing, herb gathering, land reclamation, grass burning, mining, quarrying or sand quarrying are forbidden in natural reserves, unless otherwise specified by laws & regulations; (ii) Solid waste dumping and discharge/emission of harmful or toxic sewage and waste gases is forbidden in the natural reserve”.
Under the project, only the tourist service center and the entrance are proposed in the
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experimental zone of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park, which involve small-scale civil works without any major source of pollution throughout project implementation. During construction, all construction wastewater will be reused on site after sedimentation. At operational stage, domestic wastewater generated at the entrance area will be treated with the new integrated wastewater treatment facilities before being re-used for greening. Therefore, the project construction is compliant with the Management Rules for Natural Reserves of Gansu Province.
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2. Basis of Environmental Impacts Assessment
Following the requirements of both domestic regulations and the applicable safeguards policies of the World Bank, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted to provide scientific basis for the project’s environmental sustainability during implementation. The project proponent, the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area Management Committee, has thus entrusted Gansu Innovation Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. to undertake the EIA study, from which the findings and recommendations are presented in this report.
2.1 Legislative and Regulatory Framework 2.1.1 Domestic Laws and Regulations
(1) Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China (January 1, 2015);
(2) Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution (October 26, 2018);
(3) Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (January 1, 2018);
(4) Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Noise Pollution (December 29, 2018);
(5) Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes (November 7, 2016);
(6) Law of the People's Republic of China on Environmental Impact Assessment (December 29, 2018);
(7) Law of the People's Republic of China on Cleaner Production Promotion (July 1, 2012);
(8) Safe Production Law of the People's Republic of China (December 1, 2014);
(9) Law of the People's Republic of China on Soil Pollution Prevention and Control, January 1, 2019;
(10) Water Law of the People's Republic of China, July 2, 2016;
(11) Law of the People's Republic of China on Energy Conservation, July 2, 2016;
(12) Law of the People's Republic of China on Circular Economy Promotion, January 1, 2009;
(13) Law of the People's Republic of China on Urban and Rural Planning, January 1, 2008;
(14) The Land Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, August 28, 2004;
(15) Law of the People's Republic of China on Soil and Water Conservation (implemented on March 1, 2011);
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(16) Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wild Animals (implemented on October 26, 2018);
(17) Regulations on Environmental Protection Management of Construction Projects, State Council Order No. 682, October 1, 2017;
(18) Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves (implemented on October 7, 2017);
(19) Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wild Plants (revised on October 7, 2017);
(20) Regulations on Environmental Protection Management of Construction Projects (Order No. 682 of the State Council, October 1, 2017);
(21) Gansu Provincial Environmental Protection Regulations (Amendment) (Gansu Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, June 4, 2004);
(22) Regulations on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in Gansu Province (Announcement of the Standing Committee of the Gansu Provincial People's Congress, January 1, 2019);
(23) Gansu Provincial Soil and Water Conservation Regulations (implemented on October 1, 2012);
(24) Regulations on Geological Environment Protection of Gansu Province (June 4, 2004);
(25) Gansu Provincial Nature Reserve Regulations (Gansu Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, January 1, 2019).
2.1.2 Sector Regulations and Guidance
(1) Catalogue of Classified Management of Environmental Impact Assessment of Construction Projects (amended on April 28, 2018);
(2) Guidelines Catalogue for Adjustment of Industry Structure (2019) (National Development and Reform Commission Order No. 29, January 1, 2020）;
(3) Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue (Revised Edition of 2013) (National Development and Reform Commission Order No. 21, February 16, 2013);
(4) Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (National [2016] No. 31, May 28, 2016);
(5) Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control (National [2013] No. 37, September 10, 2013);
(6) Water Pollution Prevention Action Plan (National [2015] No. 17, April 2, 2015);
(7) Notice on Further Strengthening Environmental Impact Assessment Management to Prevent Environmental Risks (Ministry of Environmental Protection [2012] No. 77, July 3, 2012);
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(8) Regulations on the Protection of Geological Remains (Order No. 21 of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, May 4, 1995);
(9) National Outline of Ecological Environment Protection (National [2000] No. 38);
(10) Notice on Issues Related to Environmental Management of Development and Construction Projects Involving Nature Reserves (Ministry of Environmental Protection [1999] No. 177);
(11) Notice of the General Office of the State Council in the Management of Nature Reserves (Office of State Council [2010] No. 63);
(12) Notice on Strengthening the Management of Nature Reserves (Office of the State Environmental Protection Administration [2004] No. 101);
(13) Notice on Doing a Good Job of Management on Nature Reserve (Ministry of Environmental Protection [2011] No. 65);
(14) Notice on Printing and Distributing the Guidelines for the Preparation of the Special Report on Ecological Impacts of National Nature Reserve Construction Projects (Trial) (Circular Letter [2014] No. 1419, General Office of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, October 29, 2014);
(15) Notice on Further Strengthening the Supervision and Management of Development and Construction Activities Related to Nature Reserves (Ministry of Environmental Protection [2015] No. 57);
(16) Notice on Doing a Good Job of Supervision and Management Concerning Decentralization and Cancellation of Nature Reserves (Ministry of Environmental Protection Office [2015] No. 66);
(17) Opinions of the Gansu Provincial People's Government on Further Strengthening Environmental Protection Work (Government of Gansu Province [2012] No. 17 Document, February 15, 2012);
(18) Gansu Province Blue Sky Defence Three-Year Action Plan (2018-2020) (Government of Gansu Province [2018] No. 68);
(19) Gansu Provincial Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Work Plan (Government of Gansu Province [2016] No. 112);
(20) Gansu Province Ecological Protection and Construction Planning (2014-2020) (Office of Gansu Province Government [2015] No. 36;
(21) Gansu Provincial Water Pollution Prevention and Control Work Plan (2015-2050) (Government of Gansu Province [2015] No. 103);
(22) Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wild Animals in Gansu Province (January 1, 2019);
(23) Notice on Printing and Distributing the Work Plan for Water Pollution Prevention and Control in Baiyin City in 2019 (Baiyin City People's Government Office, February 11, 2019); 18
(24) Notice on Printing and Distributing the Implementation Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control in Baiyin City in 2019 (Baiyin City People's Government Office, May 28, 2019);
(25) "Baiyin City Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Work Plan" (Baiyin City People's Government, June 16, 2017);
(26) Notice of Printing and Distributing the Implementation Plan of Win the Fight to Keep Blue Sky in Jingtai County (Government of Baiyin City, December 29, 2018)
(27) Notice of Printing and Distributing the Work Plan for Water Pollution Prevention and Control in Jingtai County in 2019 (Jing Zheng Ban Fa [2018] No. 247, December 28, 2018);
(28) Jingtai County 2019 Air Pollution Prevention and Control Implementation Plan (Jingtai County People's Government Office, August 9, 2019)
(29) Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Tourism Development in Gansu Province (2016);
(30) Baiyin City Tourism Development Plan (2012-2030).
2.1.3 Technical Guidance
(1) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of Construction Projects (HJ2.1-2016);
(2) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Atmospheric Environment (HJ2.2-2018);
(3) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Surface Water Environment (HJ2.3-2018);
(4) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Acoustic Environment (HJ2.4-2009);
(5) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Ecological Impact (HJ19-2011);
(6) Technical Guidelines for Soil Impact Assessment Ecological Impact（HJ964-2018）
(7) Technical Specifications for Prevention and Control of Municipal Dust Pollution (HJ/T393-2007);
(8) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Risk Assessment of Construction Projects (HJ169-2018);
(9) Technical Guidelines for Environmental Noise and Vibration Control Engineering (HJ2034-2013);
(10) Technical Specifications for Evaluation of Ecological Environment Conditions (HJ192-2015).
2.1.4 Other Technical Documents 19
(1) Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area Development Master Plan (Revision) (2016-2020) (October 2016);
(2) Detailed Rules for the Construction of Important Nodes of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism Area (2016-2020) (October 2016);
(3) Gansu Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park Overall Plan (Revision) (2016-2030) (September 2017);
(4) Feasibility Study Report of World Bank Loan Gansu Cultural Natural Heritage Conservation and Development Phase II Sub-project of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest (Suzhou Transport Technical Group (Gansu) Transport Planning and Design Co., Ltd., May 2019);
(5) Attorney for the Environmental Impact Report Form of World Bank Loan Gansu Cultural Natural Heritage Conservation and Development Phase II Sub-project of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest (June 2019);
(6) Reply of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Geology Heritage Nature Reserve Management Station for Whether World Bank Loan Gansu Cultural Natural Heritage Conservation and Development Phase II Sub-project of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest in Provincial Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve (Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Geology Heritage Nature Reserve Management Station, October 11, 2019).
(7) Environmental Assessment for Second Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project, March 18th, 2016.
2.1.5 World Bank Safeguards Policies
The following World Bank’s safeguards policies and guidelines are applicable to the project:
(1) OP/BP4.01 Environmental Assessment: as the umbrella policy to guide the project’s environmental assessment.
(2) OP/BP4.04 Natural Habitat: Though the project areas involve no natural reserve and any other protected natural habitat, the ecological impact assessment was conducted as part of the EIA to prevent any significant negative ecological impacts on local biodiversity and rivers during project implementation.
(3) BP7.15 Information Disclosure: To provide guidance on public consultation during EIA preparation and EMP implementation.
(4) Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines: General Guidelines: technical reference documents with general examples of Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) on EHS management.
2.2 Review of Phase I Jingtai project 2.2.1 Basic Information
Project Name: World Bank Loan Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation and Development Project - Jingtai County Yellow Stone Forest National Geological Park 20
Infrastructure Construction
Location: Longwan Village, Zhongquan Township, Jingtai County, Gansu Province
Construction units: Jingtai County Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area Management Committee and Yellow River Stone Forest Development Corporation
2.2.2 Project Scope and Composition
The east boundary of construction scope is Guanyin Cliff, the southern boundary is Dasha River, the western boundary is the Shiquan Bay, and the northern boundary is Shimen Gully. The geographical coordinates are 104°15'51”—104°21'54”E, 35°52'4”-36°56'17N.
The implemented Phase I Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest project covers the investments on road construction and renovation, heritage conservation, water supply, drainage and solid waste management and other associated works in the scenic areas, as summarized in the table and shown in the following pictures below.
Table 2-1 List of activities under the Phase I Jingtai Yellow River Forest Stone Project. No. Project Component Designed Activities Implementation Status 1 Roads and transportation facilities 1.1 Renovation of 22-turn road Renovation of 2.75km winding roads completed Road from the dock to 1km in length, constructed as national 1.2 completed Qingliang Temple level III highway 1.3 Tourist Trail 1.39km completed 1.4 Parking Lot 3000m2 completed 2 Water supply and drainage pipelines 1.8km water supply pipelines for 2.1 Water Supply pipelines completed Longwan Village 3.1km drainage pipelines for Longwan 2.2 Drainage pipelines completed Village 3 Tourism Service Facilities Environmental rehabilitation of Nanwan 3.1 10000m2 completed Tourism Management Service Area 3.2 Signs 60 completed 140 solar power street lights and 16 3.3 Lighting completed lights for the garden 4 Heritage Conservation 4.1 Exhibition hall 2630m2 completed 40 pieces with the size of 4.2 Boundary monuments completed 2.5x1.5x0.2m 2000 pieces with the size of 4.3 Boundary pillar completed 1.6*0.15*0.15m 5 Environmental protection works 5.1 Longwan Wastewater One wastewater treatment plant The station is constructed
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treatment plant (WWTP) (WWTP) for the scenic area adopting with the capacity of SBR process, with the capacity of 600m3/d adopting AO 800m3/d for short term and 1000 m3/d process. for long term 5.2 Dustbin 100 pieces completed 5.3 Yellow River embankment 700m completed
22-turn Road Yellow River Embankment
Exhibition Hall Road from Dock to Qingliang Temple
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Tourist Trail Solar power Street Lights
Signs Dustbin
Wastewater Treatment Station Wastewater Treatment Station 2.2.3 Performance Review of the Phase I Jingtai Project
The field investigation was conducted to review the performance of Phase I Jingtai project during the EIA process, which found that all the proposed activities had been completed, but some of the completed works has not yet completed the inspection and acceptance
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procedure. The Ecology and Environment Bureau of Baiyin City has issued sewage discharge license to Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. for the operation of constructed sewage treatment station. Current environmental performance of the Phase I Jingtai Project was reviewed and presented below.
2.2.3.1 Implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment Requirements
The following table summarizes the implementation status of EIA requirements for the Phase I Jingtai Project, particularly the requirements of “three simultaneousness ”.
Table 2-2 Implementation status of EIA requirements and “Three Simultaneousness” requirements. Mitigation measures required by EIA Pollutants On-site investigation and its approval Spray water on construction sites and All measures were access roads to suppress dust; Construction implemented according to Construction materials cannot be transported without the requirements of EIA Period cover; storage yards for lime and other report and its approval, and materials should be sprayed with water for there is no pending issue in dust control. this aspect. Fruit trees have been Air planted around the WWTP, emission Green belts are required around the and the dewatered sludge WWTP; the dewatered sludge should is regularly utilized as Operation be transported out regularly; strengthen fertilizer for farmland. The period traffic management during construction to parking lot has avoid traffic jam, and thereby reduce strengthened traffic vehicle exhaust emissions. management and there is no traffic jam. These measures have been Domestic sewage should be reused for site Construction implemented according to cleaning and dust control after Period the EIA report and its sedimentation. approval. The Longwan WWTP was Construction of the Longwan WWTP to constructed with the treat domestic wastewater from Longwan Waste- treatment capacity of village. The WWTP is proposed water 600m3/d adopting with SBR technology, the treatment the AO process. After Operation capacity of 800m3/d for the short term and treatment, the wastewater period 1000m3/d for the long term. Treated is discharged into the wastewater should be used for irrigation on Yellow River. The WWTP farmland during irrigation season and be capacity and process was discharged into the Yellow River during changed during non-irrigation season implementation. Low-noise equipment should be used. Temporary enclosure should be used These measures have been Construction during construction. During the implemented according to Period construction of parking lot, a temporary the EIA report and its sound barrier should be installed near the approval. Noise sensitive receptors. These measures have been Low-noise pumps should be used in the Operation implemented according to WWTP, and the base of the pump should period the EIA report and its be installed with vibration isolation pads approval.
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All construction waste is comprehensively used, and Construction waste should be used for site domestic waste is regularly Construction leveling, and domestic waste should be cleaned and transported to Period landfilled in the domestic waste station Baiyin city Solid Waste outside the scenic area. Incineration Plant for disposal. Solid Domestic garbage is Waste regularly cleaned and Domestic garbage is transported to transported to Baiyin city the proposed landfill Solid Waste Incineration Operation site 1.5 kilometers southeast of the south Plant for disposal; sludge period entrance of the scenic spot ; sludge from from sewage treatment sewage treatment station is used for station is used for comprehensive utilization of farm manure comprehensive utilization of farm manure
2.2.3.2 Pollutant Discharge during Operation
(1) Air emission
Air emission from the project operation is mainly vehicle exhaust and odor from the sewage treatment station. However, the project parking lot is only operated for about six months in a year and not fully loaded in use, the resulted exhaust from vehicles will be not significant and is easily diffused in the open air with little impacts on the surrounding environment. Also, the impacts of odor from sewage treatment is minimal due to the low quantity and quality of sewage influent for the WWTP during operation (more information is provided in the following paragraph).
(2) Wastewater
During project operation, domestic wastewater from staff and tourists is being collected and treated by the Longwan WWTP constructed under the Phase I Jingtai project, whose performance was monitored and evaluated during the preparation of the new Jingtai subproject. It was found that the wastewater received daily by the WWTP is only about 10% of its designed capacity and the pollutant concentrations of the influent are much lower than the original expectation. During May-October 2019, five rounds of influent and effluent quality monitoring was conducted by the qualified agency (Gansu Green Innovative Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.) and the results are shown in the table below. The discharge amount of domestic sewage and pollutants is shown in below Table.
Table 2-3 Monitoring results of Longwan WWTP during operation. Monitoring Date Main pollutants in wastewater Monitoring Sample pH SS COD NH3-N BOD5 Influent 7.81 62 203 61 98.2 May 29, 2019 Effluent 7.24 34 91 32.2 73.8 Influent 7.92 46 269 43.7 101.4 Jun. 25, 2019 Effluent 7.63 14 97 0.978 27.6 Influent 7.97 31 348 70.2 15.7 Jul. 25, 2019 Effluent 7.62 9 59 35.3 15.1
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Influent 7.85 27 269 71.1 22.7 Aug. 22, 2019 Effluent 7.21 6 72 33.3 20.1 Influent 7.98 106 312 43.8 26.9 Sep. 5, 2019 Effluent 7.52 15 62 0.978 24.6 Designed Influent Quality 6.5-7.5 200 500 25 300 Original Designed Effluent Quality (Class IB 6-9 20 60 8 20 Requirements of GB18918-2002) Currently Applied Standard 6-9 70 100 15 30 (Class I Requirements of GB8978-1996)
According to the above monitoring results, the BOD/COD ratio of received wastewater is low, sometimes lower than 0.3, which means its biodegradability is poor. In additional, frequent non-compliance was found, particularly when compared to the original target of effluent quality (Class IB) set during project preparation, which also indicated the malfunctioning of Longwan WWTP due to the failure of its biological reactor and sludge pumps. With the identification of existing operational issues, corrective measures have been proposed during the preparation of the new Jingtai subproject targeting at the full environmental compliance of Longwan WWTP to support the environmental sustainability of Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area during operation. These corrective measures have been included as part of the design and ESMP for the new Jingtai subproject.
(3) Noise
Noise during operation is limited to the noise from vehicles and tourists’ activities, which is scattered and has minimal impacts on the ambient environment.
(4) Solid waste
Dustbins are installed in the scenic area under the Phase I Jingtai project, with which domestic waste is collected (around 3.3t/d) and regularly transported to the Baiyin city domestic waste incineration plant for disposal. The generation of sewage sludge from Longwan WWTP is still low due to abnormal operation of the WWTP, and all sewage sludge is used by local farmers as the fertilizer for nearby farmland.
2.2.3.3 Analysis of Existing Environmental Issues in Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area
As presented above, the environmental infrastructure in the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area has been improved with the implementation of Phase I Jingtai project. However, the Longwan WWTP under the Phase I project was originally designed with the short-term treatment capacity of 800m3/d (1000m3/d for the long term) adopting SBR process; however, during project implementation, the constructed treatment capacity of the WWTP was changed to 600m3/d based on actual situation and the AO process was used. The domestic wastewater from Longwan Village was collected by the sewage network constructed under the Phase I project and was discharged into the Yellow River after being treated by the Longwan WWTP. However, current performance of Longwan WWTP was not satisfactory according to the operational data listed in the last section, particularly in the following aspects:
1) The wastewater received by Longwan WWTP was only 60m3/d (10% of its treatment
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capacity) in wet season and 5m3/d (0.8% of its treatment capacity) in dry season, which means the WWTP has being operated under-loaded for long. Consequently, the activated sludge process was negatively affected with massive death of bacteria in the biochemical reaction tank, and the biological treatment process is actually out of function.
2) According to the wastewater monitoring report, the BOD/COD ratio of received wastewater is lower than 0.3, which indicates poor biodegradability of the influent. Though the WWTP is being operated at a very low load, the quality of treated wastewater is still found with frequent non-compliance against the applicable wastewater discharge standard.
3) The return sludge pump and the residual sludge pump in the settling tank are not functioning properly. The designed water intake capacity for the first phase of the sewage treatment station is 600m3 / d. Now in the peak season it is 60m3/d, and in the low season, it is 5m3/d. The water intake is seriously insufficient, the sewage treatment system runs for a long time under low load, and the nutrients are seriously insufficient;
Based on the above findings, the following mitigation measures are proposed for future implementation.
① Repair the return sludge pump and the residual sludge pump in time to ensure the normal operation of the equipment.
② Check all equipment to ensure the proper and stable operation of wastewater treatment process; also, the conditions of all treatment tanks should be checked to prevent any leakage.
③ The aeration tank of Longwan WWTP should be seeded with activated sludge from the county WWTP to re-activate the treatment process. During the cultivation process, the sludge conditions (color, volume, sedimentation speed, etc.) of each treatment stage should be closely monitored every day. After re-commissioning, an agreement should be signed with the county WWTP to ensure continuous supply of activated sludge as needed.
④ Considering the incoming wastewater is currently low, additional nutrients, such as industrial glucose and starch, need to be added into the aeration tank to restart the operation for healthy bacteria in the sludge. After the project is put into operation, the operation log book of Longwan WWTP will be better used for daily records.
⑤ Perform laboratory analysis on the quality of influent and effluent on a daily basis, and the treatment process should be properly adjusted based on the observations of sludge conditions and monitoring results.
⑥ During operation, external carbon sources should be added when needed to ensure the sufficiency of biosolid content and activity to maintain uninterrupted operation of aeration pump and sludge return pump.
The Environmental Impact Assessment requires that the above-mentioned corrective measures should be implemented for Longwan WWTP during the construction of the new Jingtai project.
2.3 Environmental Functional Zoning and Assessment Grades
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2.3.1 Environmental Functional Zoning
The environmental functional zoning for the project area is as follows:
(1) Ambient air: Grade I of Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB 3095-2012)
(2) Surface water: In accordance with Surface Water Functional Zoning of Gansu Province (2012~2030) and the secondary water functional zoning map for the main stream of Yellow River within Gansu Province, the water quality target of Jingyuan industrial and fishery water use zone (from Beiwan to Wufo Temple) is Class III.
(3) Acoustic environment: Grade 1 of Environmental Quality Standard for Noise (GB 3096-2008).
(4) Ecological environment: In accordance with the Ecological Functional Zoning of Gansu Province, the Project is located in the hilly desert steppe and agricultural ecological subregion in the north of central Gansu and in the middle of Ningxia, categorized as “27. Water Conservation and Water & Soil Conservation Ecological Function Zone of Wushao Mountain Range and Changlin Mountain”.
2.3.2 Assessment Grade
(1) Eco-environment Assessment
Located in the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park at Jingtai within the great tourist area, the main works of the Project involve the construction and renovation of tourism and infrastructure facilities including exhibition halls, village stage, roads, trails, wooden boardwalk, bridge, parking lots, storage house, tourist service center, entrance and other associated works. Among others, the tourist service center and the main entrance are within the experimental zone of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Natural Reserve, which is identified as special ecologically sensitive zone. In accordance with the Technical Guidelines of Environment Impact Assessment on Ecological Impacts (HJ19-2011), the ecological impact assessment for the project is rated Grade I, which will be conducted for the area within 1000m beyond the project boundary.
(2) Acoustic Environment Assessment
Located in the Grade 1 acoustic environment functional zone, the impact assessment on acoustic environment should be conducted following the Grade II requirements according to HJ/T2.4-2009 Technical Guidelines for Noise Impact Assessment. The assessment scope covers the area within 200m area on both sides around the project area.
(3) Atmospheric Environment Assessment
Focusing on small-scale civil works, no major source of air pollutants is expected during project implementation. In accordance with HJ 2.2-2018 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment - Atmospheric Environment, the impact assessment of atmospheric environment for the Project is rated as Grade III. No need to specify the scope of assessment.
(4) Water Environment Assessment
① Surface water 28
The Project focuses on small-scale infrastructure construction for the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area. The impact assessment of surface water environment for the project is rated as Grade IIIA according to the HJ2.3-2018 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment – Surface Water Environment.
② Groundwater
In accordance with HJ 610-2016 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment, Groundwater Environment, the project needs no groundwater impact assessment.
(5) Soil Environment Assessment
In accordance with Appendix A of HJ 964-2018 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment, Soil Environment, the project needs no soil impact assessment.
2.4 Applicable Standards 2.4.1 Environmental Quality Standards
(1) Ambient air
The applicable standard requirements for ambient air are Grade I of GB 3095-2012 Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Table 2-4 Ambient air quality standards (unit: ug/m3). Concentration Measurement Pollutants Limits Standards Duration Grade I Average per hour 150 SO 2 Daily average 50 Average per hour 200 NO 2 Daily average 80 Average per hour 250 GB3095-2012 NO x Daily average 100 Ambient Air Average per hour 10000 Quality Standards CO Daily average 4000 PM10 Daily average 50 PM2.5 Daily average 35 TSP Daily average 120 Comprehensive Emission Non-methane Average per hour 2000 Standards for hydrocarbon Atmospheric Pollutants
Solid waste transfer stations should be built following Appendix D of HJ 2.2-2018 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment – Atmospheric Environment for the emission of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
Table 2-5 Appendix D, HJ 2.2-2018 Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment - Atmospheric Environment, in ug/m3. 29
Measurement Concentration Pollutants Standards Duration Limits
NH3 Average per hour 200 Appendix D, HJ 2.2-2018 Technical Guidelines for
H2S Average per hour 10 Impact Assessment – Atmospheric Environment
(2) Acoustic environment
For acoustic environment, Grade 1 standards of GB 3096-2008 Acoustic Environmental Quality Standard should apply.
Table 2-6 GB 3096-2008 Acoustic Environmental Quality Standard (Abstract) Unit: dB(A).
Category Daytime Nighttime 1 55 45
(3) Surface water
For surface water, the project site is subject to Class III of GB 3838-2002 Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water.
Table 2-7 GB 3838-2002 Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water (Abstract) in mg/L (excl. pH).
Ammoni Volatil CO BOD Indicator pH a e Cyanide As Hg LAS D 5 Nitrogen Phenol Class III ≤0.0 ≤0.000 requirement 6~9 ≤20 ≤4 ≤1.0 ≤0.005 ≤0.2 ≤0.2 5 1 s Fecal Fluorid Petroleu coli. Indexes Cd Cr6+ Pb Cu Zn Sulfide e m (10,00 0 pc/L) Class III ≤0.00 ≤0.0 ≤10,00 requirement ≤0.05 ≤1.0 ≤1.0 ≤0.05 ≤1.0 ≤0.2 5 5 0 s
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2.4.2 Pollutant Discharge Standards
(1) Air emission
During construction period, fugitive air emission should be accessed according to Table 2 of GB 16297-1996 Integrated Emission Standard of Air Pollutants, as detailed below.
Table 2-8 Integrated emission standard of air pollutants. Pollutant Fugitive Emission No. s Monitoring points Concentrations (mg/m3) Highest concentration point outside 1 Particle 1.0 the site boundary Maximum allowable emission Asphalt No obvious fugitive emission is 2 concentration, 75 (batching fume allowed for production equipment. plant) Benzo-a-p Highest concentration point outside 8×10-6 (asphalt production and 3 yrene the site boundary processing)
During operation period, air emission from domestic solid waste transfer station and public toilets is subject to Grade 1 of GB 14554-93 Odor Pollutant Emission Standard.
Table 2-9 Odor pollutant emission standard for site boundary (GB 14554-93).
Ammonia 3 Odor concentration Pollutants H2S (mg/m ) (mg/m3) (dimensionless) Standard values 1.0 0.03 10
During operation, cooking fume from the tourist service center should be accessed following the requirements for small-scale emission in Table 2 of GB 18483-2001 Emission Standard of Cooking Fume.
Table 2-10 Emission standard of cooking fume. Scale Small Scale Maximum allowable emission 2.0 concentration (mg/m3)
(2) Wastewater
Domestic sewage from the main entrance of the scenic area will be treated according to the urban greening standard specified in the Reuse Standard for Urban Recycling Water – Water Quality Standard for Urban Miscellaneous Water Use.
Table 2-11 Reuse standard for urban recycling water – water quality standard for urban miscellaneous water use. Total Turbidity BOD5 pH TDS (mg/l) DO (mg/l) Coli-Group per (NTU) (mg/l) L 6-9 10 20 1000 1.0 3
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(3) Noise
During construction, noises should be subject to GB12523-2011 Noise Standard for Boundary of Construction Site, as detailed below.
Table 2-12 Emission limits of environment noise for boundary of construction site in dB(A). Daytime Nighttime 70 55
During operation, noises should be subject to Class 1 limits of GB 22337-2008 Standard for Community Noise, as detailed below.
Table 2-13 Emission standard for community noise (Unit: dB (A)). Category Daytime Nighttime 1 55 45
(4) Solid waste
General solid wastes should be managed in accordance with GB 18599-2001 Pollution Control Standard for Storage and Disposal of General Industrial Solid Waste and its modifications.
(5) Total volume control targets
According to the requirements on the total discharge of pollutants specified in “13th Five-year Plan”, the main pollutants should be controlled according to total emission control plan.
During project operation, wastewater is mainly composed of domestic sewage and kitchen wastewater. Domestic sewage from the main entrance and the pre-treated kitchen wastewater will be treated with an integrated sewage treatment station and then used for greening; domestic sewage inside the scenic area will be discharged into the sewage pipe network of the scenic area, and be finally discharged into the Longwan WWTP of the Yellow River Stone Forest Natural Reserve, after which the treated wastewater will be discharged into the Yellow River.
Domestic sewage will be increased into 29.1m3/d for the peak period during operation, the pollutant concentrations of effluent for the long term will be controlled at 0.5t/a for COD and 0.27t/a for NH3-N.
As specified in the Discharge Permit issued by Baiyin Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the total discharge of Longwan WWTP will be controlled at 3.6t/a for COD and 0.69t/a for NH3-N.
Therefore, the pollutant discharge from the project during operation are within the limits specified in the Discharge Permit, and there is no need for additional total emission control.
2.5 Key Environmentally Sensitive Receptors
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According to the pollutant discharge characteristics and external environmental characteristics of the Project, the following environmental protection targets are identified:
Table 2-14 List of key environmental protection targets. Env. Env. Protection Relevance with Protection Environmental Protection Aspect Objects project site Contents Functional Zone Targets Longwan Residential In the project Grade I of GB 2600 villagers Village area area 3095-2012 Air Batan Residential Ambient Air NE, 1.3 km 2000 villagers Village area Quality Standard Grade 1 of GB 3096-2008 Acoustic Longwan Residential In the project 2600 villagers Acoustic env. Village area area Environmental Quality Standard Class III of GB Protect the 3838-2002 Surface Yellow Surface N, adjacent water body Environmental water River water from pollution Quality Standard for Surface Water Nanshan Tourist Keep the Jingtai Center is located ecosystem Yellow in the integrity and River Stone Experimental protect Desert Forest Zone of Jingtai animals and NA ecosystem Provincial Yellow River plants within Natural Stone Forest the Reserve Provincial construction Natural Reserve site Ecological Yellow Natural Protect stone The project is in env. River Stone landform, forests within Not affecting the Stone Forest Forest terrain and the scenic area service functions Scenic Area Scenic Area landscape from damages Jingtai Yellow Protect River Stone Geological The project is geological Not affecting Forest relics area, inside the relics from service functions National etc. geological park. damage Geological Park
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3. Environmental and Social Baseline
3.1 Geographical Location
Jingtai County is located in the northern side of middle Gansu Province, under the jurisdiction of Baiyin City. It used to be an important ferry on the Silk Road with a long culture and history. Jingtai County is located in the transitional zone between the Loess Plateau and the Tengger Desert. It is a crucial point in Hexi Corridor, bordering the Yellow River in the east, Wuwei in the west, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia in the north, and Yongdeng in the south. The geographical position of Jingtai County is 36°43'~37°38N and 103*33'~104°43'E, about 84km wide from east to west and 102km long from north to south, with a total area of 5400km2.
The Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area is located at the junction of three prefectures (Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia), bordering Ningxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture. Its distances to Lanzhou City, Baiyin City, Wuwei City and Yinchuan City are 170km, 70km, 261km and 352km respectively with easy accessibility. The transportation system integrating highway, railway and aviation provides necessary supports for tourism development. Highways: With S201, S217 (Jing-Bai Highway) and Yingshuang Expressway (Wuwei-Jingtai-Yinchuan) as the backbone and the supplement of county and township highways, a transportation network centered at the county downtown has been formed. The driving time from Lanzhou and Yinchuan to the main scenic area is about 2.5 hours and 4.5 hours. Railway: The Baolan Railway passes through Jingtai County, and the Ganwu Railway (Gangtang-Wuwei) passes through the northwest of the county, which connected Jingtai County with the surrounding major cities. Aviation: The Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area is only 123km away from Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport, which increases the number of tourists.
The project is located in the Stone Forest Scenic Area of Jingtai County, with the coordinates of 104°18'41.88"E and 36°53'52.29"N.
3.2 Topography and Geology 3.2.1 Topography and Landform
Jingtai County is in the alluvial plain at the eastern foot of the Qilian Mountain. The terrain of the tourist area is generally high in the southwest and northeast and low in the middle. Mijia Mountain and Song Mountain in the north, Hunan Mountain and Songjialiang Mountain in the south belong to the Yulian Mountains, and the central part is the brain spring depression. The Yellow River flows in from the southeast and turns northward at Longwan. Various landform types of the tourist area are good environmental resources and high landscape value, which provides a unique natural environment for local tourism development and project construction. See the table below for details.
Table 3-1 List of topographical features of the project area. Landform Features Distribution Type The hill is a fold mountain with a block of uplift. The valley Distributed in the areas Massif is with intense dissection and the valley bottom is narrow. around Song
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Most of them are “V” shaped valleys and canyons. The Mountain, Mijia slopes on both sides are more than 20° Mountain and Songjialiang Mountain. The western and southern parts of the hills are composed of Distributed in the area conglomerate and mudstone. They are soothing and wavy, around the brain spring with round tops and many U-shaped valleys. The eastern and the Yellow River, Hill part is composed of sandstone and mudstone, and the mainly composed by bedrock is bare. The top of the mountain is dog-toothed and Gansu group flat and bald. The valley plain consists of the I-III terraces of the Yellow River. The I, II, and III terraces are interracial terraces, and the I and II terraces have binary structures. The surface Mainly distributed on layer is sub-clay, the lower part is sand gravel, which is Valley both banks of the 3-15m above the surface of the Yellow River, and the plain Yellow River. terrain is flat. The rear edge of the II-level terrace is
distributed with crescent-shaped sand dunes. The grade III terrace is mainly composed of sand and gravel, forming a Gobi landscape, 33-37m above the river surface. The basin is mainly controlled by three groups of NWW, It mainly refers to the Basin NEE and NNE faults, and the plane shape approximates the Laolong Gully Basin. triangle. The stone gully is cut deep, mostly in a "V" shape or box shape and forms a lattice or comb-like water system. In the upper reaches of the valley, a multi-stage water-climbing steep ridge is formed. The side wall of the ditch is upright. Stone Yellow River Stone It is controlled by faults and joints. It has developed Forest Forest micro-geomorphisms such as independent pinnacles and stone pillars. Wind-formed geomorphology such as wind-eroded caves and wind-eroded niches are generally developed on the ditch walls. 3.2.2 Geology
After the early uplift and denudation of the Yan Mountain Movement, at the end of the Early Tertiary, some of the ground decreased relatively, the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Spot accepting the Late Tertiary Red River lacustrine deposit. By the beginning of the Quaternary, the uplifting movement of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau increased the height between the mountains and the basin. In the basin, the lower part of the gray-yellow gravel and the upper part of the pale red with a small amount of breccia were accumulated, and developed vertically. The main strata that constitute the "Yellow River Stone Forest" are the Quaternary semi-diagenetic rock strata. The rock strata are found an angle in southwest 15 to 20 degrees. The stratigraphic era belongs to the early Pleistocene, which is 2.1 million years ago. Late Quaternary alluvial deposits were deposited on Longwan Village and its opposite bank of Yellow River terrace.
Stratigraphic lithology: The strata exposed along the project are briefly described as follows:
(1) The Tertiary Xianshuihe Formation (N18) in the Cenozoic: it mainly distributed along the Longwan area, with thick sandstone, pebbly sandstone and conglomerate as the main components. Composition is complex, poorly sorting out with thin layer of mudstone and gypsum, sandy mudstone and argillaceous sandstone. The color is orange red, orange, gray, brick red, purple red and so on. With horizontal bedding and staggered bedding, 35
argillaceous cementation is constructed for the river-lake-mountain-phase red clastic rocks in the inter-mountain basin, which can be divided into five rock groups, and the lithologic facies changes greatly.
(2) Cenozoic Tertiary Linxia Formation (N21): The lithology is mainly brown-red sandstone, brown-red continental clastic rock, marl, gypsum, etc., distributed along the Yellow River Stone Forest.
(3) Quaternary strata (Q)
The temperate of the alluvial deposit (Q3al-pl) is sand gravel layer, sand layer and loess-like silt.
Aeolian loess (Q3eol) is also known as Malan loess. It is widely distributed along the line. It is grayish yellow-light brownish. The soil is uniform and loose, with columnar joints and thickness of 5-30m. It is distributed on hillsides and mountaintops, forming a gentle loess hilly landscape.
Updlement system - New system (Q3-4): Saline soil, dark gray-brown, white crystals on the surface of the surface, local distribution in the valley.
New system (Q4):It distributed in the floodplain, riverbed terrace I and the Yellow River Stone Forest area. The alluvial sand and gravel layer (Q4al-pl) on the I-level terrace, the alluvial gravel layer (Q4al) on the modern riverbed and the floodplain, the alluvial blocks and gravel in each channel and ditch The soil and gravel layer (Q4pl) distributes on the various slopes, the collapsed stone gravel soil (Q4dl-col), and the artificial fill (Q4me).
According to the 2016 edition of the Code for Seismic Design of Buildings (GB50011-2010), the seismic fortification intensity of Jingtai County is 8 degrees. According to the "China Earthquake Parameter Zoning Map" (GB18306-2015), the peak acceleration of ground motion in Jingtai County of Baiyin City is 0.2g, the characteristic period of ground motion response spectrum is 0.45s, and the design earthquake group is the third group.
3.3 Meteorology
Climatic conditions are an important factor affecting tourism activities, and also the main issues considered by tourists before they conduct tourism activities. The Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area is a temperate continental climate with large temperature difference between day and night, with drought and little rain, and large evaporation. Quantitative assessment of the climate comfort and duration of the tourist destinations will provide a scientific basis for the development of tourism resources in the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area and the choice of tourism seasons and modes of travel. According to the comprehensive comfort index calculation formula and the data of the nearly 10 years (2005-2014) measured by the Baiyun Municipal Meteorological Bureau, the monthly comfort index of the Yellow River Stone Forest is obtained. In general, the planning area has a shorter period of comfortable season, with a time of 5 to 10 months, and unsuitable seasons up to six months. According to the characteristics of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area, the flowering period and mature season of jujube trees and apple trees are the best viewing time in May and October.
(1) Illumination: The area has sufficient sunshine. The annual sunshine hours are 2726 36
hours, and the percentage of sunshine is 62%. The average number of sunshine hours per month is 264 hours, and the smallest in February is 203 hours.
(2) Temperature: The average annual temperature of Sitan Township is 8.2°C, the coldest month is January, the extreme minimum temperature is -27.3°C (January 15, 1958), the hottest month is July, and the extreme maximum temperature is 36.6°C (1966). June 20th).
(3) Precipitation: The average annual precipitation in Jingtai County is 182.4mm. Precipitation in Jingtai County is concentrated in the summer half year, with little precipitation in the winter half year.
(4) Evaporation: The average annual evaporation of Jingtai County is 3038.5mm. The maximum annual evaporation is 3565.7mm, and the minimum annual evaporation is 1963.6mm.
(5) Wind speed and wind direction: The average annual wind speed of Jingtai County is 1.9m/s. The dominant wind direction is the west wind. The maximum wind speed over the years was 21m/s (January 26, 1969).
(6) According to the Gansu Provincial Climate and Environmental Parameter Table, the maximum frozen soil depth in Jingtai County is 99cm, which is seasonal frozen soil.
3.4 Hydrology
Yellow River, the only river passing through Jingtai County, which flows through Lanzhou Municipality, Baiyin City and Jingyuan County before entering Jingtai at Jingquan with many canyons along the way. The average annual sediment concentration of river water is more than 5 kilograms per cubic meter, and the measured maximum sediment concentration is 380 kilograms per cubic meter. The annual sediment load is 47 million tons to 450 million tons, with an average of 17 million tons. The maximum amount of sediment transport is from June to September, accounting for more than 90% of the year. According to Zhongwei Xiahe Hydrological Station, the annual average flow is 993-1040 cubic meters per second, and the annual runoff is 31-328 billion cubic meters. There are 43 Shahe rivers in Jingtai County, with a total length of about 542 kilometers. Most of them are dry after the floods. After the flash floods, several sand rivers in the north of Changling Mountain enter the desert, and the rest of the floods flow into the Yellow River. The rivers that are now flowing all the year are only the downstream sections of the Xiangshui Gully and the brain spring, both of which are large in the upstream basin, and the downstream groundwater is collected into the canyon to flow out to the surface.
3.5 Ecology
The vegetation type in the project area is mainly desert steppe with sparse and short plants and the vegetation coverage less than 10%. The main plant species include cephalosperm, pearl, red sand, white stalk, artemisia, camel stalk, stipula and multiple roots onions and so on. No rare and protected plant is identified.
According to statistics, the wild animals in the project area are mainly of common species, including frogs and pheasants, mountain pheasants, cockroaches, geese, finch and other birds, and brown rat, black-lined squirrel Rats, mus musculus, long-tailed hamster, and mole. No rare and protected wild animal is identified. 37
3.6 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park
(1) Location and scope
With about 10km2 of ancient stone forest, Gansu Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park (hereinafter referred to as the Park) was approved as the national geological park in 2004. It is located in the central part of Gansu Province, in Jingtai County of Baiyin City, north of Lanzhou, bordering Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture. It is 60km away from the downtown of Jingtai County, with the geographic coordinates of E104°15'51"-104°21'54", N35°52'04"-36°56'17". The Park covers an area of 50km2, including the scenes of peak cluster, peak forest, Yellow River bends, Longwan Oasis and Batan Gobi. The east boundary is Guanyin cliffs of Yellow River, the southern boundary is Dasha River, the western boundary is Shiquan Bay-Donkey tail line, and the northern boundary is Shimengou.
(2) Protection planning
With the valuable landscape of conglomerate stone forest, the geological park is the records of regional changes in terms of ancient geographic environment, as well as the combination of unique landform, geological structure, natural landscape and human history and culture. It was approved as a national geological park in 2004 for the conservation of geological relics. In the updated protection plan, the park still covers a total area of 50km2; however, the scope for geological relics conservation is changed from the original 50km2 to 19.31km2, divided into the Grade I protection zone, the Grade II protection zone and the Grade III protection zone. The area outside the protection zone is defined as the general control zone, with the distribution of invulnerable geological relics or available for the developments of tourism and transportation facilities. The updated planning for Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park is illustrated below.
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Figure 3-1 General layout of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park.
Park boundary Grade I Prot. Zone Grade II Prot. Zone Grade III Prot. Zone Grade I boundary Roads Paths Residential areas Proposed Project Activities
(3) Protection requirements
⚫ General control requirements:
Hill excavation, wasteland reclamation and any other activities that destroy landscape and vegetation are not allowed in the geological park, and no industrial project of any form is not allowed.
⚫ Protection measures for protected areas:
Any construction activity inconsistent with the protection functions is not allowed in all geological relics protection zones; no mineral resource exploration and development activity shall not be carried out; no large-scale service facility, such as hotels, guest houses, training centers and sanatoriums, shall not be established.
- Grade I protection zone: a. Non-destructive activities are allowed in Grade I protection zone, such as science popularization, scientific research, teaching practice and so on. All profitable production and business activities that could bring damage to the geological relics must be prohibited.
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Boundary markers should be set around the Grade I protection zone; b. Except for necessary walking trails and associated safety, sanitation and tourist facilities, it is strictly forbidden to construct any structure and facility that are not related to the protection of geological relics. No hotel and accommodation facility are allowed. The width of walking trails should be strictly controlled, and avoid the damage to nearby protection areas due to the construction of walking trails, and the access of motor vehicles was strictly forbidden. c. Establish relevant protection signs at the entrance of the Grade I protection zone to provide reminders to the tourists when entering the key protection zone and to enhance the protection awareness of tourists; d. Formulate a reward and punishment system for the park with severe punishments against any damage of geological relics, assign dedicated personnel for protection supervision and strengthen protection.
- Grade II protection zone: a. The Grade II protection zone allows the establishment of a small number of geological tourism service facilities that are in harmony with surrounding landscape and environment, but no large-scale building such as tall buildings and recreation facilities is allowed; b. Control the number of tourists and prohibit the access of motor vehicles.
- Grade III protection zone: a. Strengthen the restoration of ecological environment and maintain ecosystem stability of the park; b. It is allowed to set up a proper amount of geological tourism service facilities that are in harmony with the surrounding landscape and environment. No large-scale building such as tall buildings and recreation facilities is allowed.
As shown in the figure above, none of the project activities is located in the areas requiring special protection of geological relics in the geological park.
3.7 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area
With the combination of unique landform, geological structure, natural landscape and human culture and history, Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park has been developed for tourism since 2000 and was approved as the national AAAA scenic area by the China State Tourism Administration (Ministry of Culture and Tourism since March 2018) in 2007. The scenic area was divided into the following functional zones.
(1) Entrance and tourist service area:
A 1km2 flat area outside the main entrance of the scenic spot (currently Nanshan Square), along the sides of the access road. It is to the south of the Yellow River ancient village experience area with stone forest sightseeing areas on its eastern and western sides. The area is designed based on the story of “Jade Bottle” to provide comprehensive tourism services such as car parking, tourist rest, information consultation and tourism management. 40
(2) Stone Forest Sightseeing Area:
The Stone Forest Sightseeing Area is in southwest and southeast of the park, including both the established scenes (e.g., Yinma Gully and Leopard Gully) and not fully developed scenes along the region of Guanyin cliff - Panlong Cave, with a total area of about 30km2. This area is the essence of the whole scenic area, integrating the functions of stone forest sightseeing, science popularization and film shooting. It is the core tourism area, as well as the geological relics protection zone. It is the main attractions for tourists. It is recommended to increase public service facilities and to diversify ways of travelling. No large-scale development and construction are not allowed in this area.
(3) Ancient village experience area
The area is developed based on Longwan Village with limited expansion of scope (Group 6 community recently merged into Longwan Village), covering a total area of about 12 km2. It undertakes the functions of experiencing the life of traditional residential villages in Northwest China. Through the renovation and upgrading of village facilities, it is defined as the main tourist reception area and cultural tourism experience area.
(4) Film-shooting and leisure area
The film-shooting and leisure area is at Batan (river shoal) and the receding area, to the east and northwest of the stone forest sightseeing areas, to the southeast of the ecological agriculture leisure area, and to the southwest of adventure tourism area. It covers a total area of about 9.5 km2, integrating the functions of film shooting, leisure entertainment, age care and health care, religious tourism, water sports and vacation. Also, it is the core area for further development of comprehensive leisure resort in the later stage of planning, and will become the secondary entrance of the entire scenic area in its norther part.
(5) Ecological agriculture leisure area
The area is planned to the northwest of the Yellow River, which mainly includes the farmland and orchards of Changsheng Village, Humashui Village and Longwan Village. It is to the north of stone forest sightseeing area, to the west of ecological adventure tourism area, to the northwest of Batan leisure area, with a total area of about 23.5 km2. It mainly undertakes functions of ecological agriculture sightseeing and field leisure, which is the main direction for the expansion and enrichment of existing tourist areas and also an important area for self-service tourism in the future. In addition, according to market demand, this area can provide appropriate health care services.
(6) Outdoor adventure tourism area
Outdoor adventure tourism area is in the northeastern area, to the east of ecological agriculture leisure area, to the northwest of Batan leisure area, to the northeast of the stone forest sightseeing area, with a total area of about 10.6 km2. The area is planned for adventure and outdoor activities and also the important direction for future function expansion, which is currently facing the challenges of weak infrastructure and incomplete tourism public service system.
In the scenic area, the ecological environment is divided into three types: Grade I protection zone, Grade II protection zone and Grade III transitional zone (Also shown in the figure below).
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Figure 3-2 Development plan of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area.
Grade I Prot. Zone
Grade II Prot. Zone
Grade III Prot. Zone Yellow River Villages
- GradProposede I protectionProject zone: mainly the core part of the Yellow River Stone Forest 2 TourismActivities Area with an area of about 15.1 km , where all activities that may damage the stone forest are prohibited. With ecological restoration and protection as the main objective, it restricts any construction activity irrelevant to the protection of landscape resources and sightseeing. The flora and fauna in the area will be monitored to prevent ecological disasters within the region. The protection facilities required are mainly separation nets and apparent notice and signs.
- Grade II protection zone: landscape restoration zone with an area of about 20.5km2. The area is designed to protect the integrity of natural topography, landform and landscapes. The necessary tourism service facilities and management facilities should be placed where the landscape value is low without destroying local greening and landform. The boundaries should be protected by boundary pillars and billboards.
- Grade III protection zone (transitional zone): the area outside the Grade I and Grade II protection zones in the scenic area, with an area of about 51km2. The area focuses on the protection of overall integrity of natural topography, landform and mountain landscapes, with the control of various constructions and facilities by applying the control over the total amount of land used for tourism and service facilities while maintaining the coordination between the developments and the landscape environment. The residential areas should be rationally planned. Conduct artificial 42
afforestation or mountain closure according to different conditions of the land to improve the quality of the scenic area and effectively protect the scenic environment.
3.8 Introduction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve
(1) General
In 2001, “Jingtai Longwan Yellow River Stone Forest” was approved as a provincial nature reserve by the Gansu Provincial Department of Land and Resources (Gan Zhenghan [2001] Document No. 22), for the protection of geological relics. In September 2001, Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve Management Station was established under Jingtai County Geology and Mineral Resources Bureau, which was moved under the administration of Baiyin City State Land Resource Bureau in January 2015 and then back under administration of Jingtai County State Land Resource Bureau in July 2017. Since its establishment in 2001, Jingtai County government has paid high attention to the construction and management of the natural reserve following the requirements of relevant laws and regulations.
(2) Key Features of Geological Relics
The natural reserve was established for protecting the geological relics of the Yellow River Stone Forest, which is the rare and non-renewable geological and landform landscape formed in the Late Pleistocene in the Quaternary as the result of internal and external forces. The new tectonic movement controls the pattern of the stone forest distribution, and the erosion of the water shapes the landscape of the Yellow River Stone Forest. The types of landform of the Yellow River Stone Forest are composed of stone pillars, stone peaks, stone walls, arciform gate, peak cluster, peak forest and monadnock. They are widely distributed in various areas of the Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve. Stone pillars and stone peaks are magnificent, generally 80-100m in height, up to 200m sometime, and with contiguous distribution.
The landform of stone forest mainly have the following distribution rules: First, stone pillars, peaks and stalagmites are normally developed on both sides of the main gully area, better developed in the lower reach. As the gully extends upstream, the gully becomes narrower and narrower (except the Yinma Gully), presenting the scene of “Thin-Strip-of-Sky” with the length up to several hundred meters. Second, the development of Stone Forest landform is strictly controlled by the Group 5 joint. Third, the density and scale of the wind erosion wall are increasing in all dimension. It reflects the different wind erosion intensity in different sections, and the degree of geomorphological development is also different.
According to the categorization of geological relics, the geological relics of the Yellow River Stone Forest are mainly glutenite peak clusters and peak cluster landscapes. At the turn of the Yellow River and in the project area, there are two major categories: landform landscape and water landscape, as detailed below.
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Table 3-2 Categorization of geological relics.
Major Class Subclass Geological relics scenic spots category Geological relics scenic spots are named by animals, Chinese idioms, fairy tales according to their shape, such as kisses in the air, historical scrolls, goshawks look back, spring rains, magnolia expeditions, golden turtles look at the sea, stone guardian gods, male lions wake up, the Clastic rock landscape couple under moon, Double Canine, Santa Landform Rock landform Claus, rabies, elephants drink water, ape landscape monkey, Qu Yuan ask for the heaven, dinosaurs, wind erosion castle, Laolong Gully, Panlong Cave, Phoenix Spreading Wing, Ancient City Wall, Guanyin Cliff and etc. Sandy landform Dunes on river shoal Fluvial Gobi on river shoal, Longwan Oasis landscape Water River River section for Turn of the Yellow river landscape landscape sightseeing
To summarize, in the natural reserve, there are peak clusters and peak forest developed through a complicated process and varied landform types with several types of developed fluvial erosion landforms and wind-erosion landforms. The Yellow River Stone Forest geological park presents the systematic and complete features of stone forest geological relics.
(3) Ongoing Adjustments of Natural Reserve Scope and Zoning
Based on current status of protection and developments, some adjustments of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Natural Reserve were proposed by the People’s Government of Baiyin City in 2018 on scoping and zoning, as shown in the table and figure below. The proposed adjustments are being reviewed and will be approved by Gansu Province Forestry and Grassland Bureau. Though the adjustment proposal has been reviewed by the provincial expert panel, the official approval has not yet been acquired. Therefore, the EIA was conducted based on the original scope and zoning before the proposed adjustments to make sure potential impacts associated with project activities are insignificant and manageable even without the proposed adjustments.
Table 3-3 Proposed Adjustments for the Scope and Zoning of Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve. Surface area Name of Reasons for Original Key protected after Natural Location Proposed Surface features adjustments Reserve Adjustments Area (ha) (ha) Stone forest Changes of local Yellow River Jingtai landform in environment, and Stone Forest County of the arid area in the irrational Provincial 3040 2712 Baiyin the upper scoping and zoning Nature City reach of of original natural Reserve Yellow River reserve 44
Figure 3-3 Proposed adjustments for the scope and zoning of Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve. Original Scope and Zoning
Core zone Buffer zone Experimental zone
Roads Paths River Residential areas
Scope and Zoning after Proposed Adjustments
Core zone Buffer zone Experimental zone
Roads Paths River Residential areas
3.9 Environmental Quality
The environmental quality status and main environmental issues in the project area are summarized below. 45
(1) Ambient air
According to the "Baiyin City Ambient Environmental Quality Bulletin (2018)", the annual 3 average concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 in Baiyin City in 2018 were 46ug/m , 26ug/m3, 82ug/m3, and 34ug/m3 respectively. The only pollutant with non-compliance is PM10 with reference to the Grade II requirements of Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012).
Table 3-4 Compliance evaluation of regional ambient air quality Current Standard value Occupancy Standard Pollutant concentration/ （µg/m3） rate/% compliance （µg/m3） SO2 46 60 76.7 Compliant NO2 26 40 65.0 Compliant PM10 82 70 117.14 Incompliant PM2.5 34 35 97.14 Compliant
(2) Water environment
Yellow River is the only river running through Jingtai County. It passes through Lanzhou Municipality, Baiyin City and Jingyuan County before entering Jingtai at Weiquan. The main stream of the Yellow River (Beiwan-Wufo Temple) in the project area is defined as the Jingyuan river section for fishery and industrial water use, subject to the Class III water quality target according to the of Surface Water Environmental Quality Standard (GB3838-2002).
According to the water quality monitoring results of the Baiyin section on the Yellow River dated February 2019 (conducted by Baiyin City Environmental Monitoring Station on Feb. 14th as the routine monitoring at the Wufo Temple cross-section located about 30km downstream of the project site as shown in the figure below), the water quality was actually good, even one level above the requirements to be compliant with Class II of GB3838-2002. The detailed results are shown below.
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Figure 3-4 Location of surface water monitoring point (Wufo Temple) in relation to project location.
Jingtai Wufo Temple County
Project location
Table 3-5 Water Quality Monitoring Results of Yellow River at Wufo Temple (Feb. 2019). Applicable Standard Monitoring Monitoring section Monitoring projects Requirements (Class results III of GB3838-2002) Water temperature 2.0 / Flow rate (m3/S) 568 / pH 8.06 6～9 Conductivity（ms/m） 48.5 / Dissolved oxygen 9.23 ≥5 Permanganate index 2.6 ≤6 Baiyin Section of the BOD5 1.6 ≤4 Yellow River at Wufo Ammonia nitrogen 0.16 ≤1.0 Temple Petroleum 0.01L ≤0.05
Volatile phenol 0.0003L ≤0.005
Mercury 0.00004L ≤0.0001 Lead 0.002L ≤0.05 COD 10 ≤20 Total nitrogen 3.07 ≤1.0 Total phosphorus 0.06 ≤0.2 Copper 0.001 ≤1.0
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Zinc 0.05L ≤1.0 Fluoride 0.205 ≤1.0 Selenium 0.0004L ≤0.01 Arsenic 0.0014 ≤0.05 Cadmium 0.0001L ≤0.005 Hexavalent chromium 0.004L ≤0.05 Cyanide 0.004L ≤0.2 Anionic surfactant 0.05L ≤0.2 Sulfide 0.005L ≤0.2 Fecal coliforms (pieces per 567 ≤10000 liter) Compliant with the Evaluation results -- standard
(3) Acoustic Environment
The data of the acoustic environment quality for the project area is obtained from the report on acoustic environment monitoring (conducted around the project site on July 30/31, 2019) prepared by Gansu Huading Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. Applicable national standard (Acoustic environmental quality standard GB3096-2008) was followed during the monitoring. The monitoring results are shown in the table below.
Table 3-6 Monitoring Results of Acoustic Environment (Leq) around project area (Unit: dB(A)). Monitoring Results (2019) Monitoring July 30 July 31 Point No. Daytime Nighttime Daytime Nighttime #1 45.6 36.7 46.2 35.8 #2 49.9 38.1 49.1 39.2 #3 48.5 39.4 47.7 38.4 #4 49.2 37.7 48.6 38.2
The monitoring results are fully compliant with the applicable Grade 1 standard requirements (55 dB (A) during daytime and 45 dB (A) at night). The acoustic environment quality of the project area is good.
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4. Project Pollution Analysis and Control Measures
4.1 Technical Process and Pollution Discharge during Construction 4.1.1 Technical Process (1) Protection and Development of Natural Heritage a) Main works
Build a new sheepskin rafts museum, which is of one-story frame structure with the floor area of 1,440 m2.
Build a new folk culture heritage and demonstration base (Village Stage), which is of two-story steel structure with the floor area of 1,272 m2. b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly the spoil, flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and the waste water generated from concrete curing.
② Building construction: The museum is designed with concrete frame structure, and the village stage will use steel structure. In this stage, main pollutants generated are construction waste, flying dust, noise from vehicles and construction machinery, as well as the wastewater generated during concrete curing.
③ Decoration works: Main pollutants generated in this process are mainly waste packages of decoration material, flying dust, and noise of construction equipment.
④ Site cleaning and completion acceptance: When the building is completed, the site will be cleaned for completion acceptance to check and confirm all applicable standards are met before operation. Main pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction waste, cleaning wastewater and flying dust generated during cleaning.
(2) Binhe Road a) Main works
Binhe Road is a secondary trunk road with a total length of 1,603.273 m and the design speed of 30 km/h. It connects the existing road with the village road at Longwan. Its cross-section is designed as: 5.5m crawler lane +1.5 m greening belt +7 m e-bike lane + 1 m greening belt +15 m landscape belt (partially widened to 35 m). b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Groove foundation excavation: During excavation, the pollutants generated are mainly spoil and flying dust.
② Bed course construction: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly flying dust and noise from vehicles and construction machinery.
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③ Base course construction: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction noise and wastewater from concrete curing.
④ Paving of asphalt pavement: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly the asphalt fume generated during pavement and the noise of pavement equipment.
(3) #2 Bridge at Yellow River Waterwheel a) Main works
A 16m-span and 8m-wide bridge will be constructed as the second connection with an island in the river for pedestrian use. Since the proposed small bridge will be built on existing earth embankment (as shown below), no significant adverse impact on the Yellow River is anticipated during bridge construction.
Figure 4-1 Location of proposed #2 bridge.
Proposed #2 Bridge
Yellow River
Waterwhe Existing el Bridge
b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation pit excavation: During excavation, the anticipated pollutants are mainly spoil and flying dust.
② Bridge construction
Commercial concrete will be used, therefore, the pollutants generated are mainly construction noise and wastewater from concrete curing.
(4) Eco Parking lots a) Construction contents
A 170-mu Eco-parking lot will be constructed at Nanshan Square with a total area of 9,470m2 with hard pavement and a total greening area of 11,053m2. In the Longwan scenic area, four small Eco-parking lots will be constructed, each covering an area of 950 m2. 50
b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly spoil and flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater from concrete curing.
② Ground works: The pavement for eco-parking lot is mainly granite slab stone. In this stage, the pollutants generated are mainly construction waste, flying dust and noise from vehicles and construction machinery.
③ Greening works: Pollutants generated in this process are mainly waste packages of decoration materials, flying dust and noise of construction equipment.
(5) Agricultural product exhibition hall and apple storage a) Construction contents: a one-story exhibition hall for agricultural products with the floor area of 1,000 m2 with frame structure; and a two-story new refrigerated storage of 1,800 m³ with steel structure b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly spoil and flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater from concrete curing.
② Building construction: In this stage, main pollutants generated are construction waste, flying dust, noise from vehicles and construction machinery, as well as the wastewater generated during concrete curing.
③ Decoration works: Main pollutants generated in this process are mainly waste packages of decoration material, flying dust, and noise of construction equipment.
④ Site cleaning and completion acceptance: When the building is completed, the site will be cleaned for completion acceptance to check and confirm all applicable standards are met before operation. Main pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction waste, cleaning wastewater and flying dust generated during cleaning.
(6) Village market a) Construction contents: 10 new wooden houses will be constructed along Nanshan Road for the sales of local traditional delicacies, such as tofu, vinegar, jam, rice wine, oil and fermented glutinous rice, and cloth, paper cuttings and spice. Each of them covers an area of 15m2. b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly spoil and flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater from concrete curing.
② House construction: In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly leftover materials and construction noise.
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③ Site cleaning and completion acceptance: When the building is completed, the site will be cleaned for completion acceptance to check and confirm all applicable standards are met before operation. Main pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction waste, cleaning wastewater and flying dust generated during cleaning.
(7) Tourist Service Center and Entrance Gate a) Construction contents: An entrance gate and a tourist service center with the floor area of 4850m2 and will be constructed at Nanshan Square. b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly spoil and flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater from concrete curing.
② Building construction: In this stage, main pollutants generated are construction waste, flying dust, noise from vehicles and construction machinery, as well as the wastewater generated during concrete curing.
③ Decoration works: Main pollutants generated in this process are mainly waste packages of decoration material, flying dust, and noise of construction equipment.
④ Site cleaning and completion acceptance: When the building is completed, the site will be cleaned for completion acceptance to check and confirm all applicable standards are met before operation. Main pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction waste, cleaning wastewater and flying dust generated during cleaning.
(8) Riverside decks a) Main works: two new riverside decks will be constructed on Binhe Road. b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Piling: In this stage, pollutants are mainly construction noise.
② Foundation construction: In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly the spoil generated by excavation, construction noise and flying dust.
③ Main structure works: Commercial concrete will be used. In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly noise of vehicle and construction machinery and wastewater from concrete curing.
④ Masonry construction: In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly construction noise.
(9) Tourist Toilets and Solid Waste Transfer Facilities a) Main works: seven new 3A tourist toilets will be built, including two on Binhe Road, two in Nanshan Square, and two in Longwan Village and one in Xishan Transfer Center. The project will also construct a new solid waste collection and transfer station and one solid waste collection point in Longwan Village.
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b) The construction process and associated potential pollution are as below:
① Foundation excavation and tamping: Pollutants generated in this stage are mainly spoil and flying dust generated from foundation treatment, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater from concrete curing.
② Building construction: In this stage, pollutants generated are mainly construction waste, flying dust, noise of vehicle and construction machinery, and wastewater generated during concrete curing.
③ Decoration works: Main pollutants generated in this process are mainly waste packages of decoration material, flying dust, and noise of construction equipment.
④ Site cleaning and completion acceptance: When the building is completed, the site will be cleaned for completion acceptance to check and confirm all applicable standards are met before operation. Main pollutants generated in this stage are mainly construction waste, cleaning wastewater and flying dust generated during cleaning.
4.1.2 Pollution Discharge
The pollution discharge during construction process is identified in the table below.
Table 4-1 Pollution discharge during construction period. Environmental Construction activities with adverse Key pollution elements environmental impacts Site leveling, foundation treatment, earthworks, transportation and storage of Flying dust, TSP construction materials Ambient air Asphalt smoke, Asphalt paving, decoration works organic waste gas Exhaust gas emission of construction SO , NO , THC, etc. machinery and vehicles 2 X Construction wastewater, concrete curing, COD , BOD , Water environment Cr 5 domestic wastewater NH3-N, SS Acoustic Construction machinery and vehicles Construction noise environment Construction waste, domestic solid waste Solid waste generated by construction workers, earthwork Construction waste excavation
(1) Air pollution
In the process of project construction, the air pollutants will mainly come from the following aspects: a) Flying Dust
Flying dust will be generated during site leveling, foundation excavation, stacking, handling, loading, unloading and transportation of construction materials, particularly the dust generated during material transportation.
The flying dust generated at the construction site can be caused by both wind and construction disturbance. The analogical analysis shows the dust generation rate is
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0.05~0.10mg/m2·s. Considering the characteristics of soil and wind at the project site, the dust generation rate is calculated as 0.06 mg/m2·s. Besides, the amount of dust generation is closely related to the exposed surface of construction area. The exposed area of this project is about 15790m2, and the active ratio of construction site is calculated as 30%, then the dust generation within the project construction site is about 0.37 t/d.
The flying dust generated by transportation vehicles is closely related to the conditions of road surface and management measures. In the construction site, the road surface is exposed without pavement, so the dust generation is relatively high. According to related data, the flying dust generated by transportation vehicles in the construction site accounts for about 60% of the total amount of construction dust, which is closely related to the site conditions. In general, without any dust control measures, the hourly concentration of TSP within 5m around the pollution sources can reach 10mg/m3. The flying dust generated under the action of natural wind generally has an influence scope within 100m, and the hourly concentration of TSP 100m downwind of the pollution source can be reduced to less than 1mg/ m3. b) Vehicle exhaust from transportation vehicles and construction machinery
Construction machinery (such as excavators and loaders) and transportation vehicles will produce exhaust emission with the key pollutants of NOx, SO2 and THC. The impacts is mainly expected within 100-150m around the pollution source and on both sides of the transportation route. As the amount of emission is rather small, its impact is also relatively small. c) Asphalt Fume
This project will build a Binhe Road along the southern bank of the Yellow River, 1.603 km long and 30 meters wide, with asphalt concrete pavement, which needs to use asphalt products. The asphalt products will be transported in an enclosed way and will only lead to the volatilization of fugitive asphalt fumes in the process of paving. The asphalt fume contains poisonous and harmful substances such as benzoapyrene, which is a kind of carcinogen and easy to harm human health. According to the results of measurement by Beijing Highway Administration during the construction of asphalt paving in Dayangfang, a part of Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan highway, the density of asphalt smoke generated by different types of paving equipment ranges from 12.0 to 17.0mg/ m3, which conforms to the limit of asphalt smoke emission (75mg/m3) in the Integrated Emission Standard of Air Pollutants (GB16397-1996), and has little impact on the ambient air. d) Air emission from decoration
The organic waste gas mainly comes from interior decoration work, mostly volatilized emission from oil paint and coating for the interior decoration and exterior wall decoration. The main pollutants are xylene, toluene, solvent gasoline, butanol, acetone, etc. To ensure the indoor environmental quality, the selected decoration material should meet 10 national standard requirements such as the Limits on Harmful Substances of Interior Decoration Materials (GB18588-2001 ~ GB18588-2001 and GB6566-2001). It is encouraged to use benzene-free environmentally friendly thinner and environmentally friendly paints to reduce the emission of pollutants.
(2) Wastewater 54
a) Construction Wastewater
Construction wastewater mainly comes from vehicle washing and concrete curing.
• Concrete Curing Wastewater:
The main pollutants in the wastewater from concrete curing are suspended solids (with the concentration around 2000mg/L) and alkaline wastewater (with the pH value of 10-12). According to the analogy with similar projects, the concrete curing wastewater is either absorbed by the surface or evaporated, and it is difficult to form surface runoff to get into the surface water body to pollute it. It will not affect the surface water.
• Vehicle Washing Wastewater:
The vehicle washing water will be mainly generated from wheel washing at the entrance and exit of the construction site at the amount of about 1.5m3/d. Sedimentation tanks will be installed on the site for vehicle washing. After settling treatment, the wastewater will be used for site watering to suppress dust in the construction area. It will have little effect on the water environment. b) Domestic Sewage
There will be about 50 construction workers on this project site. Based on the water use rate of 30L/ person •d, the water consumption of construction workers is 1.5 m3/d. The sewage discharge coefficient is calculated as 80%. The domestic sewage will be disposed by the existing public toilets in the scenic area, causing little impact on the surrounding environment.
(3) Noise
During the construction period, noise will be mainly generated by various construction machinery equipment and transportation vehicles. The noise value will be between 75 and 110dB (A). The main construction machinery used in the construction and noise source intensity are as shown in Table below.
Table 4-2 Noise source intensity of construction Machinery. No. Noise source Sound level at the distance of 5m dB(A) 1 Bulldozer 85 2 Excavator 80 3 Loader 85 4 Tamper 110 5 Pump 90 6 Air compressor 85 7 Cutting machine 90 8 Vibrator 85 9 Generator 85 10 Transport vehicles 75 11 Chainsaw 100
(4) Solid Waste 55
The solid waste generated during the construction period is mainly construction waste and domestic solid waste from construction workers. a) Construction Waste
A small amount of construction waste will be generated during the construction period of the project (such as sand, stone, lime, concrete, wood, waste packaging materials, bricks, etc.).
Estimation is based on the building area:
JS=QS×CS
In the formula:
JS -- Total amount of construction waste (t);
2 QS -- Total building area (m ) of construction activities;
2 CS -- Average waste production in one square meter of construction area, 0.005t/m .
The construction area of this project is 17,722 m2. According to the above formula, the total amount of construction waste generated by this project is about 88.61t. The construction waste is a kind of harmless waste, which can be collected by the construction units. Some of the waste will be recycled, and the rest will be regularly transported to the place designated by the urban construction department for disposal.
In this project, about 1.5t waste will be generated when the earth embankment and steel bellows are removed. The steel bellows can be sold to the reclamation depot. The reusable part of the other waste will be recycled and the rest of it will be regularly transported to the place designated by the urban construction department for proper disposal. b) Domestic Garbage
The number of construction workers of this project is about 50, and the garbage production is calculated on the basis of 0.5kg/person/day, so the domestic garbage production is 25kg/day. According to the requirements of this environmental assessment, domestic garbage is not allowed to be discarded at will, therefore recycling trash cans will be placed in the project area for garbage segregation. After the garbage is collected, it will be sent to the domestic solid waste transfer station of the scenic area, and will be regularly transported by the sanitation department to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator for disposal. c) Construction Spoil
According to the characteristics of the project construction, the earthworks is mainly generated during the excavation of building foundation and the roadbed of Binhe Road. As shown below, no spoil will be generated during project construction.
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Table 4-3 Earthwork balance (Unit: m3). No. Constructions Excavation Fill Out In Borrow Spoil Sheepskin raft sourc (1) 1584 1161 423 To 0 From 0 0 museum e (2) Village stage 1399 1049 350 (3) (3) Binhe road 10020 96196 0 / 2038 84138 No.2 Bridge at (4) Yellow River 60 45 15 (3) Waterwheel (5) Parking lot 0 758 0 / 758 (9) Exhibition hall (6) for agricultural 1100 825 275 (3) products Apple (7) 880 660 220 (3) Warehouse (8) Village market 165 123 42 (3) Tourist service (3) (9) 2546 1782 764 center (5) (10) Tourist toilets 588 441 147 (3) Garbage transfer (11) 1760 1200 560 (3) station 10424 Total 20102 2796 2796 84138 0 4.2 Technical Process and Pollutant Discharge during Operation 4.2.1 Technical Process
Under the project, only the Village Market involves small-scale production activities, since small workshops (15m2 each) to be constructed in the market are designed for the production/processing and sales of local traditional delicacies/specialties such as tofu, vinegar, jam, rice wine, oil and fermented glutinous rice, cloth, paper cutting works and spice. Thus, some negative environmental impacts are anticipated during production and food processing, mainly noise, wastewater and solid waste. However, none of these impacts will be significant considering the scale of production activities. More specific analysis on the production/processing procedure of these workshops and their potential impacts is presented below.
(1) Tofu Workshop
Put the purchased high-quality soybeans inside the soaking tank and pour cold water to make soybeans fully absorb water and swell. Filter impurities and extra moisture of soaked soybeans, and then send them to the refiner to mill them into soybean milk. Filter the bean dregs out, boil the separated soybean for 5-15 minutes under the temperature of 90-110℃. Put gypsum inside the boiled soybean milk to make it cure. Add gypsum slowly and filter yellow serofluid out. Serofluid should be clear and should not be turbid. Finished water Tofu is ready until curd pudding appears in the soybean milk.
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Figure 4-2 Process and pollutant generation during tofu production.
W1 N1 S1 S2 W2
泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡
1 2 3 4 5 6 泡 泡 7 N—泡 泡 S—泡 泡 W—泡 泡
1 Soybean 2 Soybean soaking 3 Milling 4 Milk and dreg separation 5 Milk boiling 6 Forming 7 Finished water Tofu N Noise S Solid waste W Wastewater
(2) Mature Vinegar Workshop
Put raw materials and water into the cooking pot at the same time and steam them for 90 min under (90~92℃). After steaming, pour materials out and spread them out on bamboo mat to cool down, and then mix table vinegar with them uniformly. Then, start diastatic fermentation. When the vinegar yeast becomes sour, add 4~4.5 times clear water into every 50 kg of rice to make the alcohol strength of liquor decrease, so that acetic acid bacteria can grow and be acetified naturally.
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Figure 4-3 Process and pollutant generation of vinegar production.
N1 G1 S1
小米、 蒸煮 降温 糖化发酵 加水醋化 成品着色 大米 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 醋曲 7 水 图例 N—噪声 S—醋槽 8 —异味 G 1 Millet and rice 2 Steaming 3 Cooling 4 Diastatic fermentation 5 Add water and acetify 6 Finished product coloring 7 Vinegar yeast 8 Water N Noise S Solid waste G Odor
(3) Jam Workshop
Unfreeze the purchased quick-frozen fresh fruits first, and then put them into a hot pot, and add sugar, citric acid and flavoring essence of a certain proportion according to jam variety. At last, heat to make them condense and become jam.
Figure 4-4 Process and pollutant generation during jam production.
N1
泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 1 2 3 4 5 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 6 N—泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡
1 Quick-frozen fresh fruits 2 Unfreezing 3 Proportioning 4 Heating and condensing 5 Finished jam 6 Sugar, citric acid and flavoring essence
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N Noise
(4) Rice Wine and Fermented Glutinous Rice Workshop
Wash and soak sticky rice materials, and then soak it for 10h-14h, until the rice can be crushed up with finger. After draining, put the sticky rice into rice cooker and cook it for 30-40 min until the rice is ready. Then, spread rice out to cool it down to 32-34℃. Add a fixed quantity of liquor according to the rice quantity, mix them uniformly and then add a certain amount of water. Cover it up with a thin film and ferment it for 1-3 days.
Figure 4-5 Process and pollutant generation during rice wine and fermented glutinous rice production.
W1 N1 G1
泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡
1 2 3 4 5
6 泡 泡 泡 泡 G—泡 泡 W—泡 泡
1 S ticky rice 7 2 Rice washing 3 Steaming 4 Cooling rice and mix with liquor 5 Fermentation 6 Finished product 7 Sweet liquor G Air emission W Wastewater
(5) Seed oil shop
Pick large and small impurities out the materials (flaxseed, rapeseed), and then bake the cleaned materials uniformly, in order to ensure the internal protein of material is fully denatured and hardened; then, put them inside oil press to press and filter them to obtain finished crude oil.
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Figure 4-6 Oil squeezing process and pollutant generation.
S1 N1 N2 S2
胡麻、 去杂 炒制 压榨 过滤 成品 菜籽 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 图例 N—噪声 S—杂质、油粕
1 Flaxseed and rapeseed 2 Impurity removal 3 Frying 4 Pressing 5 Filtering 6 Finished product N Noise S Solid waste (Impurities and oil cake)
(6) Spice (Condiment) Workshop
Put purchased licorice, figs, prunes, cattle strongly and millettia speciosa and tap water into the cooling boiler and boil them. Then, let them settle, filter them and make them condense. After condensation, add medicinal propylene glycol and mix them together in a sealed stainless-steel tank. After mixing, let them stand still and settle, and then filter them to obtain this product. The boiling waste water of the Project will be reused and not be discharged outside.
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Figure 4-7 Process and pollutant generation during spice production.
G1 S1 N1泡 G2 S2
泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 泡 泡
泡 泡 泡 泡 泡 N—泡 泡 G—泡 泡 9 S—泡 泡
1 Raw material 2 Steaming 3 Filtering 4 Condensing 5 Mixing 6 Settling 7 Filtering 8 Finished product 9 Medicinal propylene glycol N Noise G Air emission (Odor) S Solid waste (Filter residue)
4.2.2 Water Balance of the Project
During operation period, the main water demand of the Project is mainly for domestic use, kitchen/restaurant use and greening purpose, including. With full operation, the peak period of the scenic area is from early April to end October. Water consumption and wastewater generation of tourists in 2023, 2028 and 2032 are calculated respectively.
① Domestic sewage
In accordance with the Industry Water-use Quota of Gansu Province (2017 Edition), the domestic water demand for tourists is calculated as 6L/person.d, then the water consumption and wastewater generation of tourists are projected in 2023 will be 4134.24 m3/a in the peak season and 477.12 m3/a in the off season; the water consumption of tourists in 2028 will be 4442.58 m3/a in the peak season and 493.62 m3/a in the off season; the water consumption of tourists in 2032 will be 4963.68 m3/a in the peak season and 551.52 m3/a in the off season. Assuming the sewage generated is 80% of the water consumption, then the sewage generated in 2023 will be 3307.39 m3/a in the peak season and 367.49 m3/a in the off season; the sewage generated in 2028will be 3554.06 m3/a in the peak season and 394.9 m3/a in the off season; the sewage generated in 2032 will be 3970.94 m3/a in the peak season and 441.22 m3/a in the off season.
② Restaurant wastewater 62
Assuming 40% of the tourists will have meals in the scenic area and the restaurant wastewater quota is calculated as 10 L/person.d, the restaurants’ water consumption in 2023 will be 3062.4 m3/a in the peak season and 306.24 m3/a in the off season; the restaurants’ water consumption in 2028 will be 3290.8 m3/a in the peak season and 329.08 m3/a in the off season; the restaurants’ water consumption of tourists in 2032 will be 3676.8 m3/a in the peak season and 367.68 m3/a in the off season of 2032. Assuming the wastewater generation rate is 60% of water consumption for restaurants, then the generation of restaurant wastewater in 2023 will be 1837.44 m3/a in the peak season and 183.74 m3/a in the off season; the restaurant wastewater generation in 2028 will be 1974.48 m3/a in the peak season and 197.45 m3/a in the off season; the restaurant wastewater generation in 2032 will be 2206.08 m3/a in the peak season and 220.61 m3/a in the off season.
③ Water for small workshops
During operation, the water consumption for workshops in the village market will be 324 m3/a in the peak season and 36 m3/a in the off season; and about 15% of the water consumption will turn into wastewater, i.e., 48.6 m3/a in the peak season and 5.4 m3/a in the off season.
④ Water for greening works
The scenic area has about 22,477 m2 of greening area. Based on the greening water quota of 2L/m2.time and the watering frequency of 50 times per year according to the Industry Water-use Quota of Gansu Province (2017 Edition), the water consumption for greening works is 2,247.7 m3/a during project operation.
The following tables and water balance charts summarize the results of water consumption and wastewater projection.
Table 4-4 Summary of water consumption of the project during operation in m3/a. Peak Season Off Season Total Water Type of Water Number of Water Water S/N Number of Consumptio Use Users Consumpti Consumpti Users n (persons) on on I 2023 Domestic 1 689,000 4,134.24 76,600 459.36 4593.6 water Restaurant 2 306,200 3062.4 30,600 306.24 3368.64 water Production of 3 150 m3 324 150 m3 36 360 workshops 4 Greening 22,477 m2 2247.7 2,247.7 II 2028 Domestic 1 740,400 4,442.58 82,300 493.62 4936.2 water Restaurant 2 329,100 4,669.2 32,900 329.08 3619.88 water Production of 3 150 m3 324 150 m3 36 360 workshop 4 Greening 22,477 m2 2,247.7 2,247.7 III 2032 1 Domestic 827,300 4963.68 91,900 551.52 5515.2 63
water Restaurant 2 367,700 3676.8 36,800 367.68 4044.48 water Production of 3 150 m3 324 150 m3 36 360 workshops 4 Greening 22,477 m2 2,247.7 2,247.7
Table 4-5 Water supply and drainage of the project in m3/a. Total Water Water Demand Loss Type of Consumption S/N Water Use Peak Peak Off Peak Off Off Season Season Season Season Season Season I 2023 Domestic 1 4134.24 459.36 826.85 91.87 3307.39 367.49 water Restaurant 2 3062.4 306.24 1224.96 122.5 1837.44 183.74 water Production 3 of 324 36 275.40 30.60 48.60 5.40 workshop 4 Greening 2,247.7 2,247.7 0 Total 10569.94 4819.88 5750.06 II 2028 Domestic 1 4442.58 493.62 888.52 98.72 3554.06 394.90 water Restaurant 2 3290.8 329.08 1316.32 131.63 1974.48 197.45 water Production 3 of 324 36 275.40 30.60 48.60 5.40 workshops 4 Greening 2,247.7 2247.7 0 Total 11163.78 4988.89 6174.89 III 2032 Domestic 1 4963.68 551.52 992.74 110.30 3970.94 441.22 water Restaurant 2206.08 2 3676.8 367.68 1470.72 147.07 220.61 water Production 48.60 5.40 3 of 324 36 275.40 30.60 Workshops 4 Greening 2,247.7 2,247.7 0 Total 12167.38 5274.53 6892.85
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Figure 4-8 Water balance of the project (2023) in m3/a.
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Figure 4-9 Water balance of the project (2028) in m3/a.
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Figure 4-10 Water balance of the project (2032) in m3/a.
4.2.3 Pollution Discharge
The specific pollution discharge identified during the operation period is shown in the following table.
Table 4-6 Pollution discharge during operation period. Environmental Main impacts Major indicators elements Odor from public toilets NH3, H2S Kitchen fume Cooking fume Air emission Vehicle exhaust SO2, NOX, THC Odor from food-processing workshops Non-methane hydrocarbon Domestic wastewater COD, NH -N, P, etc. Kitchen wastewater from tourist center 3 Wastewater Wastewater from food-processing COD, BOD , NH -N workshops 5 3 Noise Social activities, Road traffic Life noise, traffic noise Domestic garbage, kitchen waste, sewage Domestic solid waste, kitchen Solid waste sludge, small amounts of waste from waste, sewage sludge, vinegar
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food-processing workshops (vinegar tank, oil tank, oil meal, soybean residue, meal, soybean residue, filter residue and filter residue, impurities impurities) (1) Air Emission
During the operation period of this project, the gas air emission mainly comes from the odor of public toilets and garbage transfer stations, automobile exhaust, kitchen fume and the odor of food-processing workshops. a) Vehicle Exhaust
Vehicles produce exhaust when get in and out of the parking lots and run on the roads and the main pollutants are SO2, NOx, CO and THC. As the parking lots and roads are open space, the exhaust is usually emitted in the open air within a short time and diffuses quickly, thus the exhaust will not cause the accumulation of pollutants and there will be no significant impact. b) Odor
The source of odor in this project is mainly the proposed garbage collection and transfer facilities and public toilets.
• Odor from Garbage Collection and Transfer Facilities
As there are various kinds of easily fermentable organic matters in the domestic garbage, especially under high temperature, domestic garbage will emit more unpleasant odor in the process of storage, compaction and transportation, which mainly includes the pollutants of ammonia, H2S and so on. These malodorous pollutants affect the environment mainly through people’s sense of smell.
According to the investigation of existing garbage collection stations in China, the emission of NH3 and H2S from per ton of waste at normal temperature are 60.59g and 0.62g respectively. The daily transfer capacity of the proposed garbage transfer station is 40 tons. Therefore, the calculated generation of NH3 is 0.01kg/h (0.0876t/a), and the generation of H2S is about 0.01kg/h (0.00876t/a). The project plans to use enclosed waste bins to reduce the odorous emission and to spray microbial deodorant to reduce odor production. Based on the actual operational experience of the same type of transfer stations in China, over 90% of NH3 and H2S will be removed with the application of biological deodorant.
The generation and emission of odorous pollutants at the project waste transfer station is shown in the table below.
Table 4-7 Generation and emission of odor pollutants at garbage transfer stations. Countermeasu Removal Pollutant Generation rate Emission rate and amount res rate（%） Enclosed Bins + NH3 0.01kg/h（0.876t/a） 90 0.001kg/h（0.131t/a） biological H2S 0.001kg/h（0.0876t/a） deodorant 90 0.0001kg/h（0.013t/a）
• Public Toilets 68
The project will build seven public toilets with water flushing. Deodorant or air freshener will be regularly sprayed in the public toilets, meanwhile measures will be taken to maintain good indoor ventilation and strengthen the maintenance of public toilet facilities. Therefore, the odor generation will be very small and the resulted impacts will be minimal. c) Kitchen fume
According to the survey, the daily consumption of cooking oil per capita of residents is about 22g/person·d, and the restaurants in the scenic area will receive 306,200 tourists annually (2023 projection), so the consumption of cooking oil is about 6.74t/a, and with the volatility coefficient of cooking oil is calculated as 2.5%, the production of oil fume is 0.17t/a. Since the restaurants will use the cooking fume purification facilities with the removal efficiency above 75%, the oil fume emission is 0.05t/a. The emission concentration of cooking fume is less than 2mg/m3, which is compliant with the Emission Standard of Catering Industry (trial) (GB18483-2001). d) Odor from Food-processing Workshops
The food-processing workshops to be operated in the village market will produce odor during the production of their food products, such as vinegar, tofu and so on. However, since the production scale is very small and forced ventilation measures will be adopted in the workshops, the odor from these small workshops will have little impact on the surrounding environment.
(2) Wastewater
The treatment of wastewater generated during project operation will rely on the existing Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area, which was constructed under the Phase I Jingtai in Longwan Village project to collect and treat the domestic sewage of Longwan Village and the scenic area. The sewage will be discharged into the Yellow River after treatment. Its current treatment capacity is 600m3/d, adopting the AO process; however, currently the maximum wastewater received by Longwan WWTP was only 60m3/d (10% of its treatment capacity) in wet season. After the completion of this project, the domestic sewage generated in the scenic area in peak season will increase by 29.1m3/d, accounting for 4.85% of the WWTP’s treatment capacity. The existing WWTP has sufficient surplus capacity to treat the additional domestic wastewater to be generated during project operation.
On the other hand, according to the monitoring results of influent and effluent quality for Longwan WWTP (from Gansu Green Innovative Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.), the BOD/COD ratio of current influent is lower than 0.3, which means its biodegradability is poor. This EIA requires to better control the sludge concentration in the bioreactor of Longwan WWTP through timely replenishment of carbon source, standardization of daily operations, etc. All the proposed corrective measures should be taken to improve the operation efficiency before the new Jingtai project is completed and put into operation so that the effluent quality of the WWTP can meet the applicable Class 1 requirements of the " Integrated Sewage Discharge Standard" before being discharged into the Yellow River.
The wastewater produced during project operation mainly includes domestic sewage,
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kitchen wastewater from the tourist center, wastewater from the small-scale food-processing workshops (from raw material cleaning and processing). The cleaning wastewater from workshops can be reused for landscaping; while the processing wastewater from the bean curd (Tofu) workshop can be reused by local villagers for livestock feeding. The kitchen wastewater from the tourist center will be pre-treated with a grease trap and then, together with the domestic sewage from the tourist center, be discharged into the separate on-site integrated sewage treatment facility for treatment before being used for watering plants at the entrance of scenic area. The domestic sewage from the main scenic area and Longwan Village will be discharged into the sewage network in the scenic area, and finally transported to the Longwan WWTP for treatment to meet the standard requirements before being discharged into the Yellow River. The wastewater generation is detailed in the table below.
Table 4-8 Wastewater generation during project operation (Unit: m3/a). Horizon Short-term Middle-term Long-term Season Peak season 5193.43 5577.14 6225.61 Low season 556.63 597.74 667.22
The influent and effluent quality during project operation is shown as following.
Table 4-9 Production and discharge of pollutants in domestic wastewater.
Pollutants CODcr BOD5 SS NH3-N Oil Domestic sewage 400 320 250 30 21.5and Concentration of raw grease wastewater Kitchen wastewater 560 300 165 19.4 50
Concentration of mixed Peak season 457.14 312.86 219.64 26.21 31.68 wastewater mg/L Low season 453.33 313.33 221.67 26.47 31.00
Peak season 96.00 18.77 68.09 14.68 9.50 Effluent concentration mg/L Low season 95.20 18.80 68.72 14.82 9.30
Peak 0.494 0.097 0.350 0.077 0.049 Short season term Low 0.052 0.010 0.038 0.008 0.005 season Peak Total Volume of Pollutant 0.531 0.104 0.376 0.083 0.053 Middle season （ ） Discharge t/a term Low 0.056 0.011 0.041 0.009 0.006 season Peak 0.593 0.116 0.421 0.092 0.059 Long season term Low 0.063 0.012 0.045 0.010 0.006 season Pollutant removal rate（%） 79 94 69 44 70
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(3) Noise
The noise produced during the operation period is mainly vehicle noise and noise from social activities in the project area. a)Traffic Noise
Vehicle noise in the scenic area mainly comes from the parking lots when vehicles enter or leave the parking lots. According to the analogical survey, the source intensity of vehicle noise is shown in the following table.
Table 4-10 Source intensity of the vehicle noise. Vehicle type Status Noise value (dB(A)) Idle speed 59-76 Small car Normal speed 61-70 Whistling 78-84 Idle speed 62-76 Medium-size car Normal speed 62-72 Whistling 75-85
According to the nature of the project, the vehicles in the project area are mainly small and medium-sized vehicles, with the driving noise between 59 and 76dB (A).
(4) Solid Waste
The solid waste generated during project operation mainly includes domestic garbage produced by tourists, kitchen waste, septic-tank sludge, and food-processing waste from small workshops (vinegar residue, oil meal, soybean residue, filter residue and impurities). a) Domestic Garbage
Based on the unit generation of 0.2kg/person for domestic garbage and the annual tourist volume of this project estimated at 795,200 person-times, the annual tourist garbage to be produced is 159.04t/a. The domestic garbage will be collected at the domestic garbage transfer station of the scenic area and will be regularly transported to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. b)Sludge from Integrated Sewage Treatment Station
The sludge in the integrated sewage treatment station will be removed once a year, and the total sludge production is about 21.41t/a. After being removed, the sludge will be used for composting on nearby farmland. c) Food-processing waste from workshops
The food-processing waste from small workshops of the village market, including vinegar residue, oil meal and soybean residue, is about 1.2t/a, which will be taken by the local farmers to feed livestock. d) Filter Residue
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The annual production of filter residue from the candle and incense workshop is about 0.4t/a. It will be sent to the garbage transfer station of the scenic area and will be regularly transported by the sanitation department to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. e) Impurities
The impurities produced by the oil manufacture workshop is estimated to have an annual production of about 0.02t/a. It will be sent to the garbage transfer station of the scenic area and will be regularly transported by the sanitation department to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. f) Kitchen Waste from the Tourist Services Center
The total amount of kitchen waste generated by the tourist center of this project is about 4.5t/a, which will be collected and treated by the local licensed service supplier with specialized kitchen waste trucks.
The list of solid waste generation and disposal during the project operation period is shown in the following table.
Table 4-11 Solid waste generation and disposal during operation period. Annual Pollution Generation No. Pollutants Nature Generation Way of Disposal Source Rate (t/a) Domestic General 0.2kg/person Garbage transfer 1 Tourists 159.04 garbage Solid waste •d station Regularly Integrated removed and sewage General 2 Sludge 21.41 used for treatment Solid waste farmland station composting Workshops for Vinegar mature residual, oil Taken by local General 3 vinegar, bean meal and 1.2 farmers to feed Solid waste curd and oil bean livestock manufacture residue Candle and Filter General Garbage transfer 4 incense 0.4 residue Solid waste station workshop Oil General Garbage transfer 5 manufacture Impurities 0.02 Solid waste station workshop Collected and processed by Restaurant of Kitchen General 6 4.5 local specialized tourist center waste Solid waste kitchen waste trucks 7 Total —— —— 186.57
During operation, the estimated amount of all types of pollutant from the project is summarized in the following table.
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Table 4-12 Summary of pollutant generation and discharge from the project operation (Unit: t/a). Emission Emission of Total Type Pollutant of existing Substitution Change planned amount project project Not Minimal Vehicle exhaust Little Little 0 estimated increase Air Cooking fume / 0.04 0 0.04 +0.04 Emission NH / 0.001 0 0.001 +0.001 Odor 3 H2S / 0.0001 0 0.0001 +0.0001 Waste Domestic sewage 14600 6202.56 0 6217.16 +6202.56 water Domestic garbage 600 159.04 0 759.04 +159.04 Sewage sludge / 21.41 0 21.41 +21.41 Kitchen and 0 4.5 0 4.5 +4.5 restaurant waste Solid Impurities 0 0.02 0 0.02 +0.02 waste Filter residue 0 0.4 0 0.4 +0.4 Food-processing waste (vinegar 0 1.2 0 1.2 +1.2 residual, oil meal and bean residue 4.3 Summary of Pollutant Discharge
Concentration and Content Project Concentration and amount of Pollutants amount of production Types phase emission/discharge(unit) before treatment (unit) Exhaust from construction little fugitive emission Construc machinery tion Flying dust little fugitive emission period Air emission Asphalt little fugitive emission fume
Operatio Vehicle exhaust little fugitive emission n period Kitchen fume 0.17t/a 0.05t/a Domestic 1.2m3/d 0 Construc sewage Wastewater tion Vehicle cleaning period 1.5m3/d 0 wastewater Construc Solid waste Domestic waste 25kg/d 25kg/d tion
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period Construction 90.11t 90.11t waste
Domestic waste 159.04 t/a 159.04 t/a Sludge from Integrated Sewage 21.41t/a 21.41t/a treatment Operatio station n period Food-processin g waste (vinegar residual, oil 1.2t/a 1.2t/a meal and bean residue) Filter residue 0.4t/a 0.4t/a Impurities 0.02t/a 0.02t/a Construc During construction, noise is mainly generated by the operation of various tion construction equipment (excavators, bulldozers, transport vehicles, etc). The period noise source intensity is 75~90dB(A). Noise During operation, noise mainly comes from social activities, road traffic and Operatio equipment. The noise source intensity is between 50 and 85dB(A) during the n period daytime.
4.4 Pollution Control Measures 4.4.1 Pollution Control Measures during Construction
(1)Water Pollution Control Measures
The wastewater generated during the construction period is mainly construction wastewater and domestic sewage from construction workers.
• Concrete Curing Wastewater
The concrete curing wastewater produced during project construction will be completely absorbed by concretes and evaporated. The tyre flushing wastewater produced at the entrance and exit of the construction site will be used for watering to suppress dust in the construction area after being treated with the anti-seepage settling tank (5m3).
• Domestic Sewage
The domestic sewage produced during project construction will be treated with existing public toilets in the scenic area, so it will only have minor impacts on the surrounding environment.
Measures for Surface Water Protection:
• Strengthen construction management and take strict measures to control the oil leakage of construction machinery.
• Cover construction materials and excavated earthwork in heavy rain or windy weather to avoid polluted runoff in rainy days. 74
• Strictly prohibit wastewater discharge into the Yellow River.
• The dismantling of earth embankment, steel pipes and cofferdam should be done layer by layer from the top down. Complete the dismantlement in one go and tidy the site after that. During project construction, the width of construction operation belt should be strictly controlled, and it is strictly forbidden to expand the operation scope at will.
• The temporary storage yard for the construction of Binhe Road must be set far away from the water body as far as possible, and anti-flushing measures, such as building rainproof shelter and setting up interception ditches around the storage yard, should be taken to prevent the loss of construction materials and reduce the impacts on the water body. The use of materials should be well arranged to reduce storage time as far as possible.
• Considering construction conditions and the requirements of environmental protection, it is strictly prohibited to perform asphalt concrete pavement in rainy days.
From above, with effective control measures, the wastewater produced in construction period will have minor impacts on the surrounding environment. The proposed measures are feasible.
(2)Measures for Air Pollution Control
According to the requirements in the Technical Specifications for Urban Flying Dust Pollution Prevention and Control (HJ/T393-2007), with reference to the “Six 100%” Working Standard for Construction Dust Control in Municipal and House Construction Projects, the Regulations on Air Pollution Control in Gansu Province and the Implementation Scheme for Air Pollution Control Measures of Baiyin City, 2019, and considering the fact that part of the project is within the nature reserve, the following mitigation measures are proposed for the construction period in order to prevent the impacts of flying dust and air emission on surrounding environmentally sensitive receptors during construction. a) Control Measures for Flying Dust
• Flying dust within construction site
In the process of construction, fence and enclosure will be set around the construction site to reduce dust diffusion. Fence and enclosure could alleviate the impacts of dust pollution on the environment. Strong and beautiful fence no lower than 1.8m will be set around the construction site continuously. During excavation, the operational surface and mounds should appropriately watered to maintain certain humidity and to reduce flying dust. And the excavated earth and construction waste should be timely cleared to prevent dust generation from the dry surface after long storage.
Urge the construction enterprises to strictly fulfill their responsibilities on flying dust control. Develop a dust control plan and improve dust control work mechanism. Assign dedicated personnel to be responsible for dust control to ensure the implementation of all dust control measures before, during and after construction;
Before the excavation of construction site, a dust control plan should be developed with the equipping of water sprinkling facilities. During construction, all operational surface 75
should be sprayed with water or other dust suppression measures with equivalent functions should be taken;
Perform civilized construction during the construction period. Construction materials are not allowed to be stored in the open air, but should be stored in the warehouse at the construction camp or covered with tarpaulins. After the completion of material loading and unloading, the doors and windows of warehouse should be closed immediately, or the materials should be immediately covered with tarpaulins, so as to prevent the generation of flying dust. In dry and windy weather when it is easy to generate flying dust, water should be sprinkled over the material piles in storage yard. The watering amount should be appropriate to prevent wastewater flow in the storage yard.
For all kinds of construction sites, any outdoor construction activities should be suspended when there is strong wind of Grade 4 or above, sand storm or moderate, severe and serious pollution. All slag heaps and material heaps shall be covered, and frequent water sprinkling shall be carried out for dust suppression.
Powder materials such as lime should be canned or bagged, and bulk transportation of it should be prohibited. Vehicles for transporting earth and construction materials should be equipped with anti-scattering equipment and not be overloaded to prevent being blown up by the wind. To fully avoid fugitive dust and scattering, during the transportation, vehicles must be covered with felt to assure the transportation out of scattering. The transportation route and time should be well planned to minimize the influence on sensitive areas. The management of stacking of materials which are easy to scatter should be enhanced through setting windshield wall (net) around it, reasonable arrangement of stacking position and cover it with tarpaulins.
Implement cleaning scheme over the roads around the construction site to ensure the roads be timely cleaned and sprinkled with water, so as to reduce the impact of fugitive dust on the environment as far as possible.
Commercial concrete will be chosen for construction and mixing station will be prohibited to be set at the construction site, in order to reduce the impact of stove and fugitive dust;
Make a reasonable arrangement of construction time, perform civilized construction, and shorten the construction time as far as possible.
• Off-site Flying Dust from Transportation
- Ways of transport: All vehicles for spoil transportation shall be registered for records. Vehicles with poor carriage airtightness or not equipped with complete covering and washing equipment shall not be registered. Conduct strict management of spoil transportation routes for vehicles. Make clear the road sections and time allowed for spoil transportation vehicles. In the urban areas, the time periods and areas for spoil transportation vehicles should be well planned.
- Vehicle speed limit: the recommended driving speed is no more than 50km/h;
- Transportation time: Select the time periods with less traffic flow and passenger flow. Time periods for spoil transportation: 9:00 am ~ 1:00 pm, 3:30 ~ 6:00 pm, 7:30 ~ 10:30 pm .
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b) Mitigation Measures for Vehicle Exhaust
① During the construction period, transport vehicles and construction machinery should work according to their respective loads to reduce the production of vehicle exhaust. Besides, requirements should be put forward for construction vehicles. Scrapped vehicles are strictly prohibited to be used at the construction site. Maintenance and management of vehicles should be well performed during the construction period to ensure their regular operation.
②Conduct regular maintenance to the construction machinery and vehicles. Attach importance to the maintenance of the machinery and vehicles to ensure they are in a good state of operation. Try to use light fuel oil as much as possible and avoid fuel leakage. c) Mitigation Measures for Asphalt Fume
In the project, asphalt fume is mainly from the construction of the proposed Binhe Road, which is 1.603 km long and 30m wide. The road construction needs asphalt products. It is required in the environmental impact assessment that:
Asphalt heating and the establishment of asphalt mixing station are prohibited at the construction site of asphalt concrete. The asphalt concrete for road construction will be made of commercial asphalt, which will be transported to the construction site with closed insulation vehicles.
Road asphalt paving construction will be performed in the off-season of the scenic area. Meanwhile, the construction area will be placed and the surrounding tourists will be evacuated.
Construction workers will wear protective masks.
According to the results of measurement by Beijing Highway Administration during the construction of asphalt paving in Dayangfang, a part of Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan highway, the density of asphalt smoke generated by different types of paving equipment ranges from 12.0 to 17.0mg/ m3, which conforms to the limit of asphalt smoke emission (75mg/ m3) in the Integrated Emission Standard of Air Pollutants (GB16397-1996), and has little impact on the surrounding air. Through the above measures, the emission of asphalt fume can be further reduced, so as to prevent the harm of the fume and lessen its impact on the surrounding environment. The measures are feasible.
This environmental impact assessment concludes that the above measures are effective and feasible and can effectively minimize the impacts of air emission during the construction period of proposed project. d) Measures for Air Emission from Decoration Works
① The selected construction materials for decoration, especially those for indoor decoration such as floor stone, board, adhesive, paint and coating, should be environmental-friendly construction materials certified by the authorities, so as to prevent the noncompliance emission of formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene series, radon and other toxic or harmful substances and prevent health hazards of radioactive substances.
② The glass curtain wall is not recommended for exterior wall decoration since it will 77
produce specular reflection to cause light pollution and unsafe factors.
Through the above measures, the impacts on ambient air quality during the construction period can be minimized, and the mitigation measures are feasible.
(3) Measures for Noise Control
• Construction units must choose construction machines and vehicles in compliant with the relevant national standards and choose low-noise construction machinery and technologies if possible. The fixed mechanical equipment with large vibration should be equipped with a vibration absorber, and the maintenance of all kinds of construction equipment should be strengthened at the same time, to maintain a better operation state to reduce the source intensity of noise as far as possible.
• Construction units should reasonably arrange the workers to operate construction machinery that radiates high noise in turns, so as to reduce their exposure to high noise. The maintenance of construction machinery should be well done to keep the lowest sound level when they are working.
• When the construction reaches Longwan village (from k1+453.273 to the end), mobile noise abatement and sound insulation screen should be adopted, and the construction equipment should be maintained in a good state of operation. Night construction shall be prohibited. High-noise equipment shall be prohibited to be used from 13:00 to 14:30 and from 22:00 to 6:00 in the next day to reduce the impact of noise on the surrounding environment.
• Monitor the sensitive points close to the construction site with sampling inspections, strictly control the operation time of large construction machinery according to the sampling results and take corresponding noise reduction measures.
• The construction plane map shall be reasonably used to arrange high-noise mechanical equipment away from sensitive spots as far as possible.
• Control the construction noise from the perspectives of controlling the sound sources and noise transmission and strengthening management.
- Sound source control: consciously choose low noise mechanical equipment;
- Noise transmission control: all kinds of noisy mechanical equipment should be arranged in the middle of the project area as far as possible, and away from the sensitive spots, and then be disposed of with certain sound insulation and noise reduction treatment;
- Management enhancement: the impact management of the noise made by the construction of vehicles should be strengthened. Transport vehicles shall lower sound level horns as far as possible, and vehicle horn should be prohibited to be made around the noise sensitive spots.
Through reasonable layout of the construction site, the use of low-noise equipment, and the enhancement of transmission control and management measures, the impact of noise on the surrounding environment will be greatly reduced. Therefore, the measures are feasible. 78
(4) Measures for Solid Waste Management
According to the Regulations on the Management of Urban Construction Waste, the disposal of construction waste shall be implemented in line with the principles of minimization, reutilization, harmlessness and self-commitment, which means the construction units should be responsible for the disposal of the waste produced by themselves. The government encourages comprehensive utilization of construction waste and encourages construction units to give priority to the use of products of comprehensive utilization of construction waste. The muck generated in this project is mainly construction waste. In order to properly deal with the solid waste generated during construction, the following measures should be taken to ensure the proper disposal of it according to its characteristics:
• The waste shall be treated separately, and some useful solid construction waste, such as steel bar and wood, shall be recycled as far as possible to avoid waste;
• When transporting construction waste, reasonable transportation routes and time periods should be determined (generally in the morning when the traffic flow is small), to avoid the roads with relatively large traffic flow. Do not dump, scatter or pile up construction waste at will, or pile up materials on both sides of streets and public places;
• The useless construction waste shall be collected centrally by the construction unit and transported to the places designated by the urban construction department for disposal at regular intervals;
• In line with the principles of economy, practicality and environmental protection, formulate environment-friendly construction schemes to control waste production from the sources. Strengthen construction management and perform civilized construction. Improve the utilization rate of raw materials to save raw materials and reduce the production of solid waste;
• The domestic garbage generated by the project will be collected with garbage bags from the classified garbage recycling cans and then transferred to the domestic garbage transfer station in the scenic area. The environmental sanitation department will regularly transport it to the Baiyin Municipal Domestic Garbage Incineration Plant for disposal.
To sum up, solid waste produced during the construction period of the project will be properly disposed of with little impact on the surrounding environment. The measures are feasible.
4.4.2 Pollution Control Measures during Operation
(1)Noise Prevention and Control a) Vehicle noise
The prevention and control measures of vehicle noise are to strengthen the management of vehicle access, conduct appropriate traffic control, set the No Honking sign, shorten the idle travel time, reinforce the road design and maintenance, and avoid the tire friction noise source of the road laying fabric. The places around the buildings, the entrance and 79
exit, both sides of the road, clearing land along the streets and other reserved plots need to be combined with lawns, hedges, flowers, shrubs and trees to play the role of sound insulation and noise reduction in the green belt. b) Noise from social activities
When the project is put into use, it will produce much noise of social activities which are fluctuant and random. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the management properly and limit the noise source.
After the above measures are taken, the noise generated during the operation period of the project has little influence on the environment of the project area and the surrounding areas, so the measures are feasible.
(2)Prevention and control of wastewater pollution
The wastewater generated during project operation is mainly domestic sewage, kitchen wastewater from the tourist service center, and wastewater from food-processing workshops. The wastewater from raw material washing in food-processing workshops can be reused, for example, for watering greening belts. The wastewater of bean grinding in tofu workshops can be recycled by the local villagers to feed the livestock. After being pre-treated with the grease trap, the kitchen wastewater from the tourist center will be sent to the integrated sewage treatment station together with domestic sewage from entrance area. The domestic sewage of the scenic area is discharged into the existing sewage network and finally into the Longwan WWTP for treatment, from which the treated effluent will be discharged into the Yellow River in compliance with standard requirements.
Longwan WWTP is in the north of Laolongwan Village and was constructed under the Phase I Jingtai project. Currently, the influent of Longwan WWTP has poor biodegradability, in which B/C <0.3 and the total phosphorus concentration in the treated effluent exceeds the Class I standard requirements of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard. Therefore, it is required in the EIA that measures should be taken to maintain sludge concentration in the biological process with timely replenishment of carbon source, and to improve the operational conditions of the WWTP so that the effluent quality can fully comply with the Class I standard requirements of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard before it is discharged into the Yellow River. The designed sewage treatment capacity of the treatment station is 600m3/d, and the maximum influent currently received by the WWTP is only about 60m3/d. The increase of domestic sewage during operation is only estimated as 29.1 m3/d, accounting for 4.85% of the treatment capacity of the WWTP. Therefore, with corrective measures implemented for the WWTP before the project operation, Longwan WWTP will have adequate capacity to receive and treat the increased domestic wastewater of the scenic area upon project operation.
(3) Prevention and control of air pollution a) Automobile exhaust
Automobile exhaust during the operation is little. The emission of SO2, NOx, CO, and THC in automobile exhaust will be reduced by decreasing the low-speed driving time of the vehicles. Besides, the greening of the project area and surrounding area should be strengthened. Through the decontamination of the outdoor atmosphere and green belts, 80
vehicle exhaust pollutants will have little impact on the internal and external environment. b) Malodorous gas
The source of malodor in this project is mainly the malodorous gas generated by the collection and transfer facilities of garbage and public toilets.
• Transfer facilities of garbage
Domestic garbage contains various readily-fermentable organic matters. When the temperature is high, the garbage will emit unpleasant malodorous gases during its storage, press-fitting, and transportation. These malodorous substances mainly include ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, etc. Malodorous pollutants mainly affect the environment through the human sense of smell.
The project proposes to take the following odor control measures:
①The garbage will be collected in closed boxes to reduce the emission of malodorous gas from the garbage;
②Microbial deodorant will be sprayed to reduce malodorous gas.
Combined with the actual operating experience of the same type of transfer stations in China, it can be evaluated that the removal rate of NH3 and H2S is above 90% by applying the above microbial deodorant. The concentration of H2S and NH3 in the field can reach the class 1 standard in the Emission Standards for Odor Pollutants (GB14554-93).
• Public toilets
The sanitation workers are responsible for cleaning the public toilets and spraying deodorant or air freshener to the public toilets regularly. Low-noise ventilators should be installed in public toilets, of which air outlets should meet the national or local environmental protection requirements. The indoor natural ventilation should be maintained well, and the maintenance of public toilet facilities should be improved. After taking the above measures, the amount of malodor is little, and the impact on the surrounding environment is acceptable. c) Catering waste gas
Fume purification facilities should be adopted for the cooking fume of the visitor center with a removal efficiency of >75%. The soot emission concentration can reach the standard of the Emission Standard of Cooking Fume (Trial) (GB18483-2001). The measures for cooking fume are feasible. d) Odor produced by workshops
The odor generated during the operation of food-processing workshops in the village market is mainly from saccharification and fermentation. Due to the small scale of the construction, the concentration of odor is low. Furthermore, when adopting forced ventilation measures in the workshop, the odor has little impact on the surrounding environment.
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After being treated through the above measures, the exhaust gas during the operation period has little impact on the surrounding environment, which means the measures are feasible.
(4)Prevention and control of solid waste pollution
Solid waste mainly includes domestic garbage, food residue generated by the staff and tourists of the scenic area and sludge from the Integrated Wastewater Treatment Station during the operation period.
The domestic garbage produced by tourists, the filter residue of food-processing workshops, and the impurities produced by oil-press workshops will be collected and sent to the garbage transfer station of the scenic area. Then, the garbage will be regularly transported by the sanitation department to the Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. The sludge in the Integrated Wastewater Treatment Station should be cleaned once every half year, then sent to the surrounding farmland for composting. Vinegar residue, bean dregs, and oil meal produced by the vinegar, tofu, and oil-pressing workshops will be transported to local farmers for feeding livestock. The catering waste of the visitor center will be carried away by local professional food residue trucks.
To reduce the impact of solid waste generated by the project on the environment in the region, the following pollution prevention and control measures proposed as below:
• Reminder signs in the scenic areas should be set up to guide and remind visitors to stop littering and sort their trash into separate bins for recycling.
• Domestic garbage from the collection point of Longwan Village should be cleaned daily. Moreover, it is forbidden to store garbage for a long time to avoid breeding mosquitoes and flies, generating odor and polluting the surrounding atmosphere.
After adopting the above measures, the solid waste generated during the operation of the project will have little impact on the surrounding environment, and the proposed measures are feasible.
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5. Environmental Impacts Analysis and Mitigation Measures
5.1 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures during Construction
The construction period of this project is from March 2020 to July 2020, with about 50 construction workers all of whom will be locally recruited from the Longwan village.
5.1.1 Analysis of Impacts on Ambient Air in Construction Period
During the construction period, the pollution to the ambient air mainly includes the flying dust caused by material transportation, earthwork excavation and running vehicles on unpaved roads, the asphalt fume generated during road pavement, and the exhaust from construction machinery. Among these, flying dust and asphalt fume will be the main pollution sources.
(1) Dust (TSP)
The main sources of dust pollution are ash mixing, storage yard, leakage during material transportation, dust rising from the surface of temporary roads and unpaved roads, and the filling, excavation, loading, unloading and transportation of bulk earthworks. a) Flying Dust from Roads
Dust pollution from the roads is mainly diffused along the sides of the transportation route, and the maximum dust concentration appears on both sides of the road. With the increase of distance from the road, the concentration gradually decreases until the background value. Under general conditions, the scope of impacts is within 30 meters on both sides of the road.
According to relevant literature, the flying dust generated by running vehicles accounts for more than 60% of the total amount of dust pollution. In dry days, the generation of flying dust by a 10t truck over a 1km road at different levels of road cleanliness and diving speeds is shown in Table below.
Table 5-1 Generation of flying dust at different levels of road cleanliness and driving speeds(Unit：kg/vehicle.km). Level of Cleanliness 0.1(kg/m2) 0.2(kg/m2) 0.3(kg/m2) 0.4(kg/m2) 0.5(kg/m2) 1(kg/m2) Driving Speed
5(km/hr) 0.0511 0.0859 0.1163 0.1444 0.1707 0.2871 10(km/hr) 0.1021 0.1717 0.2328 0.2888 0.3414 0.5742 15(km/hr) 0.1531 0.2576 0.3491 0.4332 0.5121 0.8613 25(km/hr) 0.2553 0.4293 0.5819 0.7220 0.8536 1.4355
It is shown that under the same condition of road cleanliness, the faster the vehicle travels, the more flying dust will be generated; at the same speed, the dirtier the road surface is, 83
the larger amount of flying dust will be generated. According to the analogical survey, a simple and effective measure for dust control is water sprinkling. Therefore, during the construction period, it is necessary to strengthen water sprinkling on the road for dust suppression. If the water sprinkling is conducted for 4-5 times every day, the generation of flying dust will be reduced by 70%. b)Construction Dust
Construction dust is generated in the process of surface removal, earthwork excavation and backfilling. As fugitive non-point source emission, dust on the ground will be raised in to air when wind speed is high enough (faster than the starting speed of granular sand). Its source intensity is related to the size and portion of particulate matter in the dust, as well as subject to other environmental factors such as wind speed, temperature, humidity, etc. When the wind speed is faster, the particle size is smaller and the moisture content of soil/sand is smaller, the moisture content of dust will be smaller and there will be more generation of flying dust. According to analogy, the area affected by construction dust is mainly within the scope of the construction site. The downwind direction of the site will also be affected to a certain extent, but the influence scope does not exceed 200m. No TSP non-compliance will be resulted beyond 100m downwind. The impacts of construction dust on the surrounding environment is shown in Table below.
Table 5-2 Impacts of construction dust on the surrounding environment. Downwind distance（m） Wind speed＜3m/s Wind speed 3~5m/a Wind speed 5~8m/s 20 0.20 0.44 0.65 50 0.16 0.38 0.42 100 0.12 0.20 0.28 200 0.06 0.10 0.12
According to the above table, generally the influence scope of construction dust is within 200m. The areas within 0~ 50m downwind of pollution sources are subject to relatively heavy pollution, the areas within 50~100m are affected by pollution, and minor pollution remains in the areas within 100~200m downwind of pollution sources. For the areas beyond 200m, the impacts of flying dust on the atmospheric environment are minimal. c)Flying Dust in Material Storage Yard
The construction site is generally equipped with a material storage yard. The dust generation in the material storage yard is related to the type and nature of construction material as well as the wind speed. The material with less weight is easy to be disturbed to generate dust. The flying dust in the storage yard includes the dust caused by wind, the dust generated during material loading and unloading, and the secondary flying dust generated on roads caused by passing vehicles, which will have certain impacts on the surrounding environment. However, the dust can be effectively restrained by sprinkling water within the project site, which can reduce the dust generation by 70%. In addition, the dust pollution can be effectively reduced through the coverage of powder material. The experience shows that the material storage yard should be placed over 200m away downwind of the environmentally sensitive receptors, and the full enclosure operation should be adopted for effective reduction of dust pollution.
(2) Exhaust of Construction Machinery
This project will use a lot of machinery in the process of construction, such as: transport
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vehicles, excavators, loaders, etc. Most of these machineries consume diesel fuel, which will produce a lot of exhaust gas during operation. The exhaust mainly contains the pollutants such as CO, THC (total hydrocarbon), NOX and SO2, and will cause certain impacts on the ambient air. As there will be only a limited number of construction machinery working at the same time, the resulted pollution will be relatively minor. The environmental impacts of exhaust gas depends on the amount of emissions and climate conditions, which will be limited within 100-150m around the construction site.
(3) Asphalt Fume
Under this project, asphalt fume will mainly come from the construction of proposed Binhe Road. Binhe Road is 1.603km long and 30m wide. There will be bitumen smoke and benzoapyrene emission generated in the process of asphalt paving operation. According to the monitoring results of a similar project, namely the Dayangfang section of Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan Highway, during asphalt pavement, the concentration of asphalt fume generated by different types of paving equipment is shown in Table below.
Table 5-3 Density of asphalt fume generated by different types of paving equipment. Concentration of Concentration of Asphalt No. Equipment type Benzoapyrene Fume（mg/m3) （100m downwind)（mg/m3） Xi 'an road machinery factory 1 12.5~15.5 0.09 M3000 Germany Villeroy & Boch 2 12.0~16.8 13.9 WKC100 3 UK Parker M36 13.4~17.0 14.2
According to the above table, if advanced asphalt concrete paving equipment is used, the concentration of asphalt fume will range between 12.0~17.0mg/m3 under normal operation, which is compliant with the limit for asphalt fume emission (75mg/m3) in the Integrated Emission Standard of Air Pollutants (GB16397-1996).
To sum up, there will only be minor environmental impacts resulting from asphalt fume produced during construction, which will be temporary and will disappear with the construction completion.
(4) Air emission from decoration works
Organic waste gas will be generated during interior decoration works, mainly volatile waste gas from paints and coating products used for interior decoration and exterior wall decoration. The key pollutants are xylene, toluene, solvent gasoline, butanol, acetone, etc. To ensure the indoor environmental quality, the used decoration material should meet 10 national standard requirements such as the Limits on Harmful Substances of Interior Decoration Materials (GB18588-2001~GB18588-2001 and GB6566-2001). It is recommended to use benzene-free environmental protection thinner and environmental protection paint to reduce the emission of pollutants.
5.1.2 Analysis of Impacts on Water Environment in Construction Period
(1) Construction Wastewater 85
Construction wastewater is mainly from vehicle washing and concrete curing. a) Concrete Curing Wastewater
The main pollutants in concrete curing wastewater are suspended solids (with the concentration around 2000mg/L) and alkalinity (with the PH value between 10 and 12). According to the analogy of similar projects, the concrete curing wastewater is consumed through the absorption by the curing surface and through evaporation. It is difficult to form surface runoff to get into the surface water body and cause pollution. There will be no negative impacts on the surface water. b)Vehicle Washing Wastewater
The vehicle washing water will be mainly generated from tyre washing at the entrance and exit of the construction site, and the generation is about 1.5m3/d. Sedimentation tanks will be set at the places for vehicle washing. After sedimentation treatment, the wastewater will be reused for site watering to suppress dust in the construction area. There will be only minor impacts on the water environment.
(2) Domestic Sewage
50 construction workers for the project will be all recruited from nearby villages. Take the unit water consumption as 30L/person•d, so the water consumption of construction workers is 1.5m3/d. The sewage discharge coefficient is calculated as 80%, so the generation of domestic wastewater will be 1.2m3/d, which will be treated with the existing public toilets in the scenic area. There will be no major environmental impacts on the surrounding environment.
(3) Impacts of river works (No. 2 Bridge and river side decks) on Surface Water a) Impacts on the Yellow River during the Construction of No.2 Bridge
A new arch bridge will be built at the downstream side of the middle-river island near the water wheel of Yellow River, which has a span of 16m and a width of 8m without any piers set in the river.
The bridge site is currently earth embankment, in which a 1m-diameter steel bellows is buried. During the construction of No. 2 Bridge, the earth embankment will not be removed during construction. The bridge structure will be prefabricated with commercial concrete. Therefore, with strict construction management, the bridge construction will cause no impact on the water body of the river.
After the bridge construction is completed, the earth embankment and steel pipes will be removed, which will have certain impacts on water quality of the Yellow River. Therefore, during demolition, cofferdams will be set on both sides of the embankment, when the river sediment will be temporarily disturbed, and the SS concentration will rise locally. However, the scope of impacts will be limited and the duration will be short. According to the study of similar projects, the local SS concentration during cofferdam construction will be between 80-160mg/L. The impact will disappear when the structure and cofferdam are removed. b) Impacts of river works on Aquatic Organisms
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• Impacts on Plankton
The suspended solids generated during the piling for bridge and riverside decks and the demolition of earth embankment after the completion of bridge construction will increase the turbidity in the water and decrease the transparency, which is harmful to the reproduction and growth of phytoplankton. Moreover, it will also affect the growth rate and feeding rate of zooplankton.
According to the features of construction technology and the low flow rate of the project site, the impact scope of suspended solids will be limited. Additionally, as the duration of piling works and embankment demolition is short, the impacts will be temporary, which will disappear with the completion of construction and demolition. When the construction is finished，the plankton and benthic organisms will redistribute and restore themselves. Therefore, no significant impact will be caused on the biomass, density and population structure of the plankton and benthos in the region.
• Impacts on Nektons
Most nektonic organisms are fish. Firstly, the water turbidity will increase and the transparency reduces when there are too many suspended particles in the water, which is harmful to the reproduction and growth of natural bait to fish. Secondly, massive suspended solids in the water will lead to breathing difficulties and asphyxia of the nektons, especially the fish, because the suspended particulates will get into the gills of fish when they breathe. The suspended particulates will deposit in their gill lamellas and gill filaments and damage their gill tissue or cut off the air exchange, or even lead to suffocation when situation gets worse.
Since the small scope and short duration for the impacts of suspended solids generated during piling and embankment demolition under this project, and the open water area provides large space for nektonic organisms to get away from the impacts.
• Impacts on Benthos
The suspended solids generated during piling and embankment demolition under this project will increase the water turbidity, which will bring damage to the habitat of benthic animals. The scope of impacts for suspended solids is limited, and the duration of piling and embankment demolition is short. Besides, there are also distribution of the same aquatic benthic species in other similar regions, which means that they are not endemic in this region. Therefore, from the perspective of biodiversity protection, the project construction will not lead to the extinction of these species.
• Impact on the “wintering grounds, spawning grounds and feeding grounds of Fish”
The No. 2 bridge to be constructed under this project has a span of 16m and a width of 8m, without any pier. Suspended solids will be generated during the construction of No.2 Bridge, the piling works for riverside decks and the demolition of earth embankment upon bridge completion, which will have certain impacts on the fish around. When the earth embankment is removed, cofferdam will be built along the sides of embankment. The cofferdam will result in the disturbance of river sediment and increase the SS concentration in the water. However, the scope of impacts will be limited, and the during of piling works and embankment demolition will be as short as 2-3 days, therefore, the impacts will be temporary and will disappear when the construction and demolition is 87
completed.
According to the survey, the fish species in the project-affected areas mainly include Silurus lanzhouensis, Leuciscus chuanchicus, Cyprinus carpio, Rhinogobio nasutus and other local fish in the Yellow River. As there is spacious space in the Yellow River, the fish there have enough space to escape from the impacts of project construction. Furthermore, there is no fish wintering, spawning and feeding ground around the construction site. Therefore, there will be minimal impact on fish reproduction and habitat.
5.1.3 Analysis of Noise Impacts in Construction Period
During project construction, construction machinery and transportation vehicles will be used. Construction noise will mainly come from various construction machinery such as excavators, bulldozers, transportation vehicles and so on. Construction noise is intermittent and temporary without fixed source. According to the analogical data, the noise levels of construction machinery will be between 75 and 110dB (A). The main construction machinery used in the construction and their noise source intensity are as shown in Table below.
Table 5-4 Noise source intensity of construction machinery. No. Noise source 5m sound level dB(A) 1 Bulldozer 85 2 Excavator 80 3 Loader 85 4 Tamper 110 5 Pump 90 6 Air compressor 85 7 Cutting machine 90 8 Vibrator 85 9 Generator 85 10 Transport vehicles 75 11 Chainsaw 100
When predicting the noise impacts, only its diffusion attenuation will be considered, and the prediction model selected is shown as follows:
L2=L1-20lgr2/r1(r2>r1)
Where L1 and L2 are respectively the equivalent A sound level (dB(A)) at the distance of r1 and r2 away from the sound source; r1and r2 are the distance (m) from the receiving point to the source.
With the formula, Δ L, the amount of noise attenuation with the increase of distance, can be worked out;
ΔL=L1-L2=20lgr2/r1
From this formula, the attenuation of noise level with distance can be calculated, which is shown in Table below. 88
Table 5-5 Attenuation of noise value with distance (unit：dB(A)).
Type of Predicted noise value（dB(A)） No. machine 5m 10m 20m 40m 50m 100m 200m 1 Bulldozer 85 79 73 67 65 59 53 2 Excavator 80 74 68 62 60 54 48 3 Loader 85 79 73 67 65 59 53 4 Tamper 110 84 78 72 70 64 58 5 Pump 90 84 78 72 70 64 58 6 Air compressor 85 79 73 67 65 59 53 Cutting 90 7 84 78 72 70 64 58 machine 8 Vibrator 85 79 73 67 65 59 53 9 Generator 85 79 73 67 65 59 53 Transport 75 10 69 63 57 55 49 43 vehicles 11 Chainsaw 84 78 72 66 64 58 52
According to the prediction results, if only one machine is working without barrier, the daytime limit of 70dB(A) set in the Environment Noise Standard for the Boundary of Construction Site（GB12523-2011）can be met at a distance of over 50m away from the construction site, while its nighttime limit (55dB(A)) can be met at a distance of more than 270m. During road construction under the project, the distance between the project road (at k1+453.273) and the sensitive receptor of Longwan village is less than 50m. The noise caused by road construction will exceed the limit specified in the Environment Noise Standard for the Boundary of Construction Site (GB12523-2011), so the construction near Longwan village (for the section from k1+453.273 to the end point) should be conducted with the use of mobile noise barriers and the construction equipment should be well maintained during operation. Construction activities should be prohibited at night. High-noise equipment will not be allowed for use during 13:00-14:30 and 22:00-6:00 to reduce the noise impacts on the surrounding environment.
The impacts on the acoustic environment during project construction will be temporary, so it is recommended to strengthen the organization and management during construction, make reasonable arrangements of construction schedule, perform a civilized and rapid construction with the implementation of environmental protection measures, and effectively adapt temporary noise reduction measures to local conditions, in order to minimize the noise impacts during construction.
5.1.4 Analysis of Impacts of Solid Waste in Construction Period
(1) Domestic Garbage
The number of construction workers for this project is about 50 persons, and the unit garbage production is calculated as 0.5kg/person/day, so the domestic garbage generation during project construction will be 25kg/day. According to the requirements of this environmental impact assessment, domestic garbage is not allowed to be discarded at will, therefore trash cans will be placed in the project area. After the garbage is collected with garbage bags, it will be sent to the domestic garbage transfer station of the scenic area, and
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will be regularly transported by the sanitation department to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator for disposal.
(2) Excavated Earthwork
The excavation under this project mainly is mainly related to structure foundation with a total volume estimated at 20,102 m3. The volume needed for earth fill is about 104,240 m3, the earth use is 2,796m3, and the borrow yardage of about 84,138 m3 will be needed. Therefore, there will be no generation of spoil.
(3) Construction Waste
The total amount of construction waste generated from this project is about 88.61t, which is harmless and will be collected by the construction units. Some of the waste will be recycled, and the rest will be regularly transported to the place designated by local urban construction department for disposal.
In this project, about 1.5t of construction waste will be generated when the earthwork embankment and steel bellows are removed. The steel bellows can be sold for reclamation. Other reusable waste will be recycled and the rest will be regularly transported to the place designated by local urban construction department for proper disposal.
In conclusion, with effective implementation of management measures, solid waste generated during the construction period can be properly disposed with minimal impacts on the surrounding environment.
5.1.5 Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Construction Camps
Two construction camps (No.1 and No.2 respectively) will be set up for the project. No.1 construction camp is located in the Nanshan square to the east of Longwan village, while No.2 construction camp is located at the parking lot of tourist service center. Both covers an area of 1000 m2.
The ground of No. 1 construction camp is currently covered by concrete pavement, while the No. 2 construction camp is now covered by sand and gravel pavement. Both camps will not disturb the original topography of the area or affect the growth of vegetation.
The construction camps are mainly used for the parking of construction machinery and temporary storage of construction materials. The construction workers will be locally recruited and no labor influx is anticipated during project construction. As the project is located in a scenic area with frequent human activities, there are fewer wild animals and no endangered species or large fauna in the project area. There will be only minimal impacts on the animals and plants in the scenic area during construction.
5.1.6 Analysis of Impact on Geopark Landscape
(1) Landscape Heterogeneity
The landscape is composed of patches, substrates and corridors. The substrate of the project area consists of vegetation and desert, the corridors are roads, and the patches refer to all kinds of buildings and scenic spots. Among them, buildings are the patches with highest heterogeneity in the scenic area, and the scenic spots are the most scattered
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patches. All kinds of roads run through the scenic area to divide the landscape and increase the heterogeneity of the landscape. However, the architectural and decorative styles of all structures are consistent with the local landscape. Overall, the landscape heterogeneity of the assessed area is not high.
(2) Landscape Stability
Landscape stability refers to the landscape’s resistance to interference and its ability to recover after disturbance. Each landscape unit has its own stability, so the overall stability of the landscape reflects the proportion of each type of landscape unit. In fact, when there is no biomass in a landscape unit, such as a road or exposed sand dune, where there is no photosynthetic surface to absorb useful sunlight, the system can rapidly change its physical properties such as temperature and thermal radiation to keep or recover its physical system stability. When there is low biomass in an area, the system is less resistant to interference but has the ability to quickly recover, as in the case of arable land. But with high biomass, there is strong resistance to interference as in forest systems, but the recovery is rather slow.
The geomorphic landscape in the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is composed of vegetation and desert, which is difficult to recover after external disturbance with poor stability.
(3)Analysis of Impacts of Project Construction on Local Landscape
Project construction will have temporary negative aesthetic impacts on the surrounding natural landscape, primarily visual impacts. The impacts on the landscape during construction period mainly comes from earth excavation and filling as well as other construction activities. The negative impacts on the landscape are mainly reflected by the destruction of the continuousness and consistency of local natural landscape and the increase of landscape fragmentation, which will cause damage to the visual harmony and the integral beauty of the landscape. During the construction period, the remarkable increase of flying dust will increase local air pollution and affect the aesthetic value of nearby scenic spots to a certain extent. a)As shown in the map of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest GeoPark below, all the buildings proposed under the project will be located in the cultural landscape zone, residential areas and tourism services zone where no fragile geological relics or natural landscape will be affected. The tourist service center and entrance gate proposed in the experimental zone of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Natural Reserve are currently the Gobi hilly area with the ground covered by gravels. The project construction will not have any significant impact on the landscape of the GeoPark.
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Figure 5-1 Location of project activities in Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Geopark.
Park scope
Geo relics landscape
Cultural landscape
Tourism Services
Natural landscape
Residential areas
Boundary of Grade 1
protection zone
Road
Path
Proposed proj. buildings
b)The results of comparative analysis on landscape compatibility after project implementation showed that: The main tone of the scenic area should be applied to all the projects around the important scenic spots; the selected raw materials for the construction of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Exhibition Hall for Sheepskin raft, village stage, parking lots and other structures should match and be consistent with the original landscape and color tone. c)The color selection of guard rails should take into account the main tone of the protected area and be consistent with the tone of surrounding landscape as far as possible.
5.2 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures during Operation 5.2.1 Analysis of Impacts on Water Environment in Operation Period
The wastewater produced in the operation period of the project is mainly domestic sewage, kitchen wastewater from the tourist center, and food-processing wastewater from the small workshops in the village market. Among others, the food-processing wastewater from the workshops can be reused for greening or livestock feeding. The kitchen wastewater produced in the tourist center will be pre-treated with a grease trap and then, together with other domestic sewage from the tourist center, discharged into the on-site integrated sewage treatment station for treatment before being re-used for greening at the gate of scenic area. The domestic sewage generated in other parts of the scenic area will be discharged into the sewage network of the scenic area, and sent to the Longwan WWTP
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for treatment before being finally discharged into the Yellow River in compliance with the standard requirements, whose potential impacts on the water quality of the Yellow River is analyzed below.
(1) Methodology of Water Impact Assessment
According to the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment on Surface Water Environment (HJ2.3-2018), this project is a construction project with water pollution impacts. The volume of wastewater discharge from the project is 29.1m3/d, which will be discharged into the Yellow River after treatment. The project-related section of the Yellow River belongs to the Jingyuan section for fishery and industrial water use, subject to the Class III water quality target according to the of Surface Water Environmental Quality Standard (GB3838-2002). In the assessment, the dry seasons under normal discharge conditions and accidental discharge conditions are both selected as the scenarios for modelling considering uneven water distribution of the Yellow River in a year. The flow rate of the Yellow River in dry season is calculated as 476m3/s.
COD, BOD5 and NH3-N are considered as the key pollution indicators, which are all non-persistent pollutants, thus the one-dimension steady-state water quality model was applied to estimate the pollutant concentrations with full mixing in the river.
In the formula: C0 =（CpQp + ChQh）/(Qp+Qh)
K -- first-order kinetic reaction rate, 1/d;
U -- river velocity, m/s;
X -- distance along the river, m;
C -- the pollutant concentration at the place downstream at the distance of x from the pollution source (discharge outlet) (mg/L);
Cp-- pollutant concentration in the discharged sewage, mg/L;
3 Qp -- sewage discharge volume, m /s;
Ch -- concentration of pollutants in the upstream water, mg/L;
3 Qh – flow rate of upstream water, m /s.
(2) Selection of Modeling Scenarios and Parameter Values a) Selection of modeling scenarios
According to the actual situation of the project and the characteristics of surface water environment, the water quality models were developed based on the following scenarios.
Table 5-6 Scenarios for water quality impact analysis. No. Period Wastewater Discharge Status Scenario ① Dry season Normal conditions 93
Scenario ② Dry season Accidental conditions
b) Selection of parameter values
Based on the selected scenarios, the values of the parameters used in the model are selected as follows.
Table 5-7 Value selection of parameters used in the water quality impact projection model. Parameters Conditions Value Remarks
Normal CpCOD=90 CpBOD5=18 Pollutant concentration in the conditions Cp NH3-N=14.5 discharged sewage Cp （mg/L） Pollutant concentration in the Accidental C =300 C =200 pCOD pBOD5 discharged sewage under the conditions C =25 p NH3-N accidental conditions Upstream water quality is calculated based on the Class CpCOD=20 CpBOD5=4 III water quality standard of the Ch（mg/L） - CpNH3-N=1.0 Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water （GB3838-2002） Normal 0.00034 conditions Discharge of treated Q （m3/s） Accidental wastewater is 29.1m3/d p 0.00034 conditions Dry season 476 Dry season flow First-order kinetic reaction rate, K（1/d） - 0.8 1/d u（m/s） - 1.0 River velocity
(3)Modeling Results and Assessment Conclusions
a)Scenario ①——Dry Season Under Normal Conditions
Table 5-8 Modeling result of scenario 1 (dry season under normal conditions) unit: mg/L.
Item COD BOD5 NH3-N Standard Limits ≤20 ≤4 ≤1.0 Present water quality 20 4 1.0 Water Quality of River Section upon effluent 20.0 4.0 1.0 discharge (C0) 10 19.998 3.999 0.9999 Pollutant Concentratio 20 19.996 3.999 0.9998 n at the 30 19.994 3.999 0.9997 distance of X 40 19.993 3.998 0.9996 downstream of sewage 50 19.991 3.998 0.9995 discharge 100 19.982 3.996 0.9991 (Cx) 150 19.973 3.994 0.9986
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200 19.963 3.993 0.9982
As shown by the results, when the WWTP is operated under normal working conditions in dry season, with the discharge of treated sewage from the WWTP into the Yellow River, the water quality of the Yellow River can meet the Class Ⅲ standard requirements of the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838-2002). Therefore, when the river’s self-purification capacity is normal in dry season, regular wastewater discharge from the project has minimal impact on the Yellow River’s water quality.
b)Scenario ②——Dry Season Under Accidental Conditions
Table 5-9 Modeling results of scenario 2 (dry season under accidental conditions) (unit: mg/L).
Item COD BOD5 NH3-N Standard ≤20 ≤4 ≤1.0 Present water quality 20 4 1.0 Water Quality of River Section upon effluent 20.0 4.0 1.0 discharge (C0) Pollutant 10 19.9983 3.9998 0.9999 Concentrat 20 19.9965 3.9994 0.9998 ion at the 30 19.9946 3.9990 0.9997 distance of X 40 19.9928 3.9987 0.9996 downstrea 50 19.9909 3.9983 0.9995 m of
sewage 100 19.9817 3.9964 0.9991 discharge 150 19.9724 3.9946 0.9992 (Cx) 200 19.9632 3.9927 0.9982
As shown above, due to the small treatment capacity of Longwan WWTP in comparison to the large environmental carrying capacity of the Yellow River, the accidental discharge from Longwan WWTP will only have very minor impacts on the water quality of the Yellow River, even in dry season. The targeted Class III standard requirements of the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838-2002) can still be met. In order to minimize the impacts of discharged sewage on the Yellow River, it is required that the effluent quality of Longwan WWTP should meet the Class I requirements of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard before being discharged into the Yellow River.
5.2.2 Analysis of Impacts on Ambient Air in Operation Period
(1) Odor from Garbage Transfer Station
Following the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment-Atmospheric Environment (HJ2.2-2018), the recommended model AERSCREEN was adopted to evaluate the impacts of the project-supported garbage transfer station on local air quality. The results are shown below.
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Table 5-10 Estimation results of unorganized pollutants at project garbage transfer station. Rectangular surface source Distance Concentration of Proportion of H2S Concentration of NH3 Proportion of NH3 downwind (m) 3 3 H2S （ug/m ） （%） （ug/m ） （%） 25 0.075 0.753 0.753 0.376 41 0.087 0.873 0.873 0.436 50 0.081 0.809 0.809 0.405 75 0.067 0.670 0.670 0.335 100 0.057 0.570 0.570 0.285 125 0.049 0.494 0.494 0.247 150 0.044 0.438 0.438 0.219 175 0.039 0.393 0.393 0.197 200 0.036 0.358 0.358 0.179 225 0.033 0.329 0.329 0.165 250 0.031 0.305 0.305 0.153 275 0.028 0.284 0.284 0.142 300 0.027 0.267 0.267 0.133 325 0.025 0.251 0.251 0.126 350 0.024 0.238 0.238 0.119 375 0.023 0.225 0.225 0.113 400 0.021 0.215 0.215 0.107 425 0.020 0.205 0.205 0.102 450 0.020 0.196 0.196 0.098 475 0.019 0.188 0.188 0.094 500 0.018 0.180 0.180 0.090 525 0.017 0.173 0.173 0.087 550 0.017 0.167 0.167 0.084 575 0.016 0.161 0.161 0.081 600 0.016 0.156 0.156 0.078 625 0.015 0.151 0.151 0.075 650 0.015 0.147 0.147 0.074 675 0.014 0.143 0.143 0.071 700 0.014 0.138 0.138 0.069 725 0.013 0.134 0.134 0.067 750 0.013 0.130 0.130 0.065 775 0.013 0.127 0.127 0.063 800 0.012 0.123 0.123 0.062 825 0.012 0.120 0.120 0.060 850 0.012 0.117 0.117 0.059 875 0.011 0.114 0.114 0.057
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900 0.011 0.111 0.111 0.056 925 0.011 0.109 0.109 0.054 950 0.011 0.106 0.106 0.053 975 0.010 0.104 0.104 0.052 1000 0.010 0.101 0.101 0.051
According to the projection, for both NH3 and H2S, the maximum landing concentrations will be expected at the distance of 41m downwind of the project garbage transfer station at a level of 0.087ug/m3, which is in compliance with the standard requirements of Appendix D of the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment - Atmospheric Environment (HJ2.2-2018). Thus, there will be minimal impacts on the surrounding environment.
(2)Public Toilets
The project will build seven A-grade public toilets with water flushing. Deodorant or air freshener will be regularly sprayed to the public toilets with good maintenance of indoor ventilation and public toilet facilities. The generation of fugitive odor emission from public toilets will be minimal.
(3)Vehicle Exhaust
During project operation, a small amount of automobile exhaust will be generated with the main pollutants of SO2, NOx, CO and THC. The pollutant concentrations in automobile exhaust will be closely related to the driving conditions of vehicles. Since the vehicles will be mostly parked in the open parking ground, to reduce the driving time of vehicles at low speed in the project area will help to reduce the generation of pollutants. In addition, the planting of trees and flowers in the surrounding areas will be implemented under the project. Therefore, there will be little impact on the environment within and beyond the project area.
(4)Kitchen Fume
The production of cooking fume is 0.17t/a. With the use of cooking fume purification facilities with the removal efficiency above 75% in the restaurants, the fume emission will be 0.04t/a. The emission concentration of cooking fume can meet the requirements of the Emission Standard for Catering Industry (trial) (GB18483-2001) with a value of less than 2mg/m3. It will have very little impact on the environment.
(5) Air emission from food-processing workshops
Odor will be generated in the process of diastatic fermentation from the food-processing workshops in the village market. However, considering the small scale of these workshops and the low concentration of odor emission generated during operation, its impacts on the surrounding environment will be minimal with the implementation of forced ventilation measures in the workshops.
5.2.3 Analysis of Solid Waste Impacts in Operation Period
The solid waste generated during project operation mainly includes domestic garbage produced by tourists, kitchen waste, sludge from the new integrated sewage treatment
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station at the tourist service center and the waste from small workshops in the village market (vinegar residue, oil meal, soybean residue, filter residue and impurities).
The annual generation of domestic waste from tourists will be 159.04t/a. Together with about 0.4t/a filter residue and 0.02t/a impurities from the workshops in the village market, the domestic waste will be gathered at the garbage transfer station to be constructed under the project, and will be regularly transported to Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. The sludge (about 21.41t/a) in the new integrated sewage treatment station under this project will be removed once a year and used for composting on surrounding farmland. The 1.2t/a food-processing waste (such as vinegar residue, soybean residue and oil meal) will be taken by the local farmers to feed livestock. In addition, the total amount of kitchen waste generated by the tourist service center is about 4.5t/a, which will be collected and processed by the local qualified service providers with kitchen waste tankers.
5.2.4 Analysis of Impacts on Acoustic Environment in Operation Period
The noise generated in operation period is mainly from vehicles and social activities.
(1) Vehicle Noise
The vehicle noise in the scenic area will mainly come from the parking lots during operation, particularly when vehicles entering and leaving the parking. The monitoring results of similar ground parking lot show that, with only a few vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot without traffic jam under normal conditions, the noise level around the entrance and exit of the parking lot is below 76dB (A). In the peak tourism season, due to the substantial increase of vehicle flow into the parking lot, there could be traffic jam, and the noise level around the entrance and exit of parking lots could sometimes reach 76dB (A) or above leading to local noise impacts. Considering noise attenuation during transmission and with the greening belt, the noise level at the distance of 100m from the noise source will be reduced to 36dB(A), which can meet the Grade 1 requirements of the Noise Standards for the Boundary of Industrial Enterprises (GB 12348-2008) (55dB(A) for daytime and 45dB(A) for night). Therefore, there will be minimal noise impacts during operation.
(2) Noise from social activities
This project plans to build the tourism facilities including an intangible cultural heritage protection and exhibition hall for sheepskin raft and a folk culture exhibition hall (village stage). The visitors will generate noise when visiting and resting. According to the data from similar projects, the noise level is generally between 50 and 60dB (A). Due to the block of surrounding buildings and the discontinuousness of the noise, it will have little impact on the staff and the external environment in the project are after the erasure by the ground and trees.
5.2.5 Analysis of Tourism Environmental Capacity
(1) Overview
The tourism environmental capacity is an important issue in the planning, design and management of scenic spot, which is an important safeguard to maintain the balance of the ecological system in scenic spot and the important scientific grounds for people to 98
correctly deal with the relationship between scenic spot tourism activities and ecological protection. Tourism environmental capacity, also known as tourism ecological capacity, refers to the number of tourists that can be accepted by the environment of a tourist spot or a tourist area without causing permanent damage to it. For a scenic spot with various tourist facilities, the verification of its capacity depends not only on the tourist carrying capacity of the spot, but also the environmental carrying capacity of the area. The main impact of tourists on the scenic area is the damage to natural landscape resources. Therefore, the tourism environmental capacity of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area is calculated as the number of tourists the area can bear without permanent harm to its natural landscape resources. Tourism environmental capacity is a variable indicator, which may vary with different technology and management conditions. Effective management can expand the environmental capacity of a scenic area.
(2) Prediction of Tourism Environmental Capacity
The measurement and calculation of the environmental capacity of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area should fully consider the conditions of natural environment, social environment, ecological conditions, and also the status of various scenic spots in the scenic area. a) Method for Tourism Environmental Capacity Prediction
The methods to measure tourism environmental capacity generally includes area method, route method and checkpoint method, among which route method can be divided into complete tour route method and incomplete tour route method according to whether the tour route can form a loop. Based on the nature and characteristics of functional areas of the project, complete tour route method is adopted to calculate the capacity. The specific calculation formula is shown as follows:
C=M×D/m
In the formula: C -- daily environmental capacity, person-times;
M -- Full length of the tour route, m; m -- Reasonable length of the route occupied by a tourist, m/ person;
D - Cycle rate (D= daily opening hours of scenic spots/time required to complete the tour in the scenic spot). b) Calculation Results
The environmental capacity of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is calculated with the complete tour route method, and the result is that the daily environmental capacity of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is 30,000 person-times, and the annual environmental capacity is 3 million person-times. In order to ensure that the ecological quality of the scenic area does not decline, the annual number of tourists should not exceed 3 million person-times.
At present, the total tourist number of the scenic area is rather small, so there is no need to conduct tourist capacity control in the near future. However, there are more tourists during the holidays, so the scenic area should strengthen the management of important scenic
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spots to prevent over interference of natural environment caused by tourists.
(3) Tourist Flow Regulation
Till now, most of the tourism saturations and overloads that happened in China were periodical, short-term or occasional; there were very few cases for the long-term continuous tourism saturations/overloads. Therefore, the management of the tourist area must strictly regulate the tourist flow according to the environmental capacity. Tourist flow can be regulated by diverting tourists inside or out of the specific tourist areas (points), issuing time limit or increasing tickets.
The peak travel periods for scenic areas are normally in holidays, and excessive tourist density is likely to cause various environmental problems and safety risks. Therefore, effective measures should be taken to reasonably adjust the number of tourists in scenic areas, so that the number of tourists can be controlled within the tourism environment capacity. Specific measures include:
Increase the number of staff to maintain the order in the scenic area and orderly entry of tourists;
In the peak travel season, increase ticket offices and ticket inspectors and improve the work efficiency to shorten the stay of tourists at the entrance, increase the tourist cycle rate and improve the tourism environment capacity;
Increase the number of vehicle management personnel to guide the vehicles to enter and leave the parking lots orderly and to be parked properly, in order to ensure smooth traffic and parking order;
Set up more tour guide signs to guide tourists;
Assign full-time tourist evacuation personnel, in case of emergency when timely countermeasures should be taken.
5.3 Ecological Impacts and Mitigation Measures
Since part of the project activities (tourist service center and entrance gate) will be located in the experimental zone of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve (a provincial natural reserve), a special ecological impact assessment has been conducted separately by a competent team to evaluate site suitability and potential impacts of the proposed project from the ecological perspectives. The key findings are summarized below.
5.3.1 Project Necessity and Site Suitability
The project is proposed to support the improvements of tourism infrastructure of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area. In compliance with the Notice on Issuing Detailed Construction Plan (2016-2020) for the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area by Gansu Province Tourism Industry Development Leading Group (issued by the Gansu Tourism Leading Group [2016] No.7), the land to be used for project construction will not involve basic farmland. The southern entrance area and the tourist service center are designed to provide multiple tourism service functions such as transportation diversion, shopping services, public education and so on. The position of the entrance area will also provide a
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good view to enjoy the magnificent and beautiful landscape of the Yellow River stone forest. The project-supported tourism facilities only involve the items to meet the tourists’ needs and to improve the pavement and greening at Nanshan Square.
Due to the topographic constraints, the proposed entrance area provides the only land-based access to Longwan Village inside the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area. The village has a history of more than 300 years, currently with 630 households, 2600 villagers. The village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the Yellow River to its north. Most of the areas to the southeast and northwest of Longwan Village are the core zone or buffer zones of the nature reserve, where construction activities are strictly prohibited. Only the present Nanshan Square provides the possibilities for the construction of necessary tourism facilities since it is located in the experimental zone. Also, it has been the route of access for villagers and tourists to the Longwan Village for long. Based on the earlier alternative analysis, the selected site for the tourist service center and entrance gate is the best option to minimize the impacts on the Nature Reserve.
Although the project will be partly implemented in the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve featured by geological relics, no high-value/protected geological relics will be affected by project construction, and the tourist service center and entrance gate proposed in the experimental zone of the nature reserve will be located in the hilly areas with built tourism facilities, where is classified as low value for protection.
5.3.2 Scope and Period of Ecological Assessment
(1) Scope of the assessment
Based on the identified project activities, the ecological impact assessment has been conducted by focusing on the regional ecological system and assessing the impacts of project implementation on the ecological environment quality. The ecological impact assessment has been conducted in accordance with the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment - Ecological Impacts (HJ19-2011) and the Guidelines for the Preparation of Thematic Reports on Ecological Impact Assessment for Construction Project in relation to National Nature Reserves (Pilot). The assessment scope was determined by following the principle of ecological integrity and covered the areas affected by direct and indirect impacts of construction activities. The tourist center of the Project is located in the experimental zone of the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve in Jingtai County, Gansu Province. The total study scope of the Project is 12.9856 km2, while the total project area within the Nature Reserve is only 4.9992 km2.
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Figure 5-2 Study scope of ecological impact assessment for the project.
(2) Assessment period of ecological impact
Both the project construction period and operation period have been covered by the ecological impact assessment.
5.3.3 Ecological Baseline Survey
(1) Project relevance to ecological functional zoning
According to the Zoning of National Ecological Functional Areas (by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Proclamation No.35 of 2008), the areas involved in the project belongs to the Category I Zone with ecological regulation functions, more specifically, Category I-04-11 Longzhong-Ningzhong functional zone for wind-breaking and sand fixation under Category I-04 Functional area of wind prevention and sand consolidation.
The main ecological issues in this area are: overgrazing, grassland reclamation, serious shortage of water resources and excessive exploitation of water resources, which has resulted in vegetation degradation, land desertification, sandstorm and so on.
Key interventions for ecological conservation in this type of areas include:
• Build ecological functional reserves in extremely sensitive and highly sensitive areas of desertification. Strictly control the use of grazing and grassland biological resources. Prohibit the reclamation of grasslands. Strengthen the vegetation 102
restoration and protection.
• Adjust the traditional mode of animal husbandry production, vigorously develop the grass industry, accelerate the development of large-scale farming and animal husbandry, and control the damage to the grassland ecosystem caused by stocking.
• Take proactive measures to promote balanced scientific management of grass and livestock and limit the scale of breeding.
• Implement wind prevention and sand fixation measures, restore grassland vegetation, vigorously promote the adjustment of industrial structure, restore farmland to grassland, and restore grazing land to grassland and other measures.
According to the Zoning of Ecological Functional Areas of Gansu Province (by the Environmental Protection Department of Gansu Province and the Ecological Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2004), this project is located in the "Zone 27, Wushao Mountain, Changling Mountain Water Conservation and Soil Conservation Ecological Functional Area" of the ecological sub-region of the Loess Plateau Agro-ecological Zone - Longzhong-Ningzhong Desert Steppe.
This area belongs to dry erosion low hill and wind erosion marsh land. Because of wind erosion, vegetation coverage in the region is low, and the land desertification is serious. The main ecological target of the region is to minimize the disturbance to the ground surface and to develop and implement water and soil conservation measures. According to the Principles on the Classification of Nature Reserves (GB/T14529-93), and the classification of main protected targets in nature reserves, the Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve belongs to geological relics of the nature relic category. According to the China Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030), the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve is not one of the recognized 35 priority areas for biodiversity conservation.
(2) Key findings of ecological baseline survey
The ecological baseline survey for the project was started in August 2019, by adopting the methods of remote sensing interpretation and sample survey. The key findings are as follows. a) Assessment of ecosystem integrity
The ecosystem within the assessment scope is desert. According to the field investigation, combined with the results of remote sensing interpretation, the area involves 12 kinds of phytobiocoenose, including Salsola passerina Bunge, Chloris virgata Sw.+Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit., Reaumuria soongorica., Kochia melanoptera Bunge, Caragana korshinskii Kom., Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco+Hippophae rhamnoides Linn., Chloris virgata Sw.+Kochia melanoptera Bunge, Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco, Reaumuria soongorica.+Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit., Reaumuria soongorica.+Salsola passerina Bunge, Halogeton glomeratus+Kochia melanoptera Bunge, Salsola passerina Bunge+Kochia melanoptera Bunge. The wild animals in the project area are all small-sized common mammals (hares, etc.) as well as sparrows and other small birds.
Ecological integrity analysis: The ecological integrity of the project areas was analyzed 103
based on the productivity and stability of local ecosystem. Following the Odum zoning method, the level of ecosystem productivity in the assessment area (0.3g/ (m ~ 2 ·d) is within the lowest range, that is, less than 0.5 (m ~ 2 ·d), belonging to the "lowest" level of global ecosystem productivity. That means, it is easy to degrade with external disturbance, and the ecosystem is vulnerable to interference. In addition, due to the singleness of ecosystem and vegetation types as well as the low heterogeneity of local vegetation, the impedance stability of the ecosystem in the assessment area is poor, and its restoration stability is at an average level. b) Vegetation distribution and plant diversity
Based on the survey, the vegetation distribution in the assessment areas are shown below.
Table 5- 11Vegetation distribution within the assessment scope of this project. Primary Type Secondary Type Area km2 Percentage Non-vegetation area Rivers, roads, etc. 2.5559 19.68 Platycladus orientalis 0.0107 0.08 Coniferous forest Platycladus orientalis- Hippophae 0.0102 0.08 rhamnoides Linn. Deciduous broad-leaf thickets Caragana korshinskii Kom. 0.2619 2.02 Salsola passerina Bunge 0.1167 0.90 Salsola passerina Bunge.-Kochia 0.1415 1.09 melanoptera Bunge Semi-shrub and Reaumuria soongorica. 0.8925 6.87 semi-bushwood desert Reaumuria soongorica.-Artemisia 4.9036 37.76 scoparia Waldst. et Kit. Reaumuria soongorica.-Salsola 0.1701 1.31 passerina Bunge, Chloris virgata Sw-Kochia 0.2166 1.67 melanoptera Bunge Chloris virgata Sw-Artemisia Weedy grassland 0.5655 4.35 scoparia Waldst. et Kit.
Kochia melanoptera 0.0585 0.45 Bunge-Halogeton glomeratus Kochia melanoptera Bunge 0.0810 0.62 Cultivated vegetation Wheat, corn, etc. 3.0009 23.11 Total 12.9856 100.00
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Figure 5-3 Study scope of ecological impact assessment for the project.
Legends Project scope Assessment scope Coniferous forest Platycladus orientalis Platycladus orientalis- Hippophae rhamnoides Linn. Deciduous broad-leaf thickets Caragana korshinskii Kom. Semi-shrub and undergrowth desert Salsola passerina Bunge Salsola passerina Bunge.-Kochia melanoptera Bunge Reaumuria soongorica. Reaumuria soongorica.-Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit. Reaumuria soongorica.-Salsola passerina Bunge, Weedy grassland Chloris virgata Sw-Kochia
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melanoptera Bunge Chloris virgata Sw-Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit. Kochia melanoptera Bunge-Halogeton glomeratus Kochia melanoptera Bunge Cultivated vegetation Wheat, corn, etc. Non-vegetation area Rivers, roads, etc.
According to the survey, there are no rare and protected plants within the project assessment area; however, there are many kinds of plants in this survey area, including deciduous broad-leaf thickets, shrubs, evergreen conifer forests and herbs. Most of the coverage of vegetation biocoenosis are shrubs and herbs. The layer structure of vegetation is obvious, and the stability of biocoenosis structure is strong, but it is difficult to recover in a short period of time after destruction, so the ecosystem should reduce the interference and destruction of human activities as much as possible, and strictly limit the activities of construction personnel in order to achieve better protection and restoration of ecological environment in the region. c) Animal diversity
Based on the survey and historic data, the assessment concluded that the wildlife in the reserve is mainly distributed in the hinterland of mountainous areas, i.e., the buffer zone and core area of the nature reserve. There are 181 species of vertebrates, 136 species of birds and 23 species of mammals in the reserve. The Nanshan Tourist Center of this project is located in the experimental zone of the nature reserve. Because of the frequent disturbance of human activities, there is no important habitats and foraging places for wild animals. The wildlife will choose the habitats far from the areas interfered with human activities. The species and quantities of wild animals distributed in the project area and the surrounding areas are relatively low, mainly local common mice, birds, small insects and the like. d)Investigation on natural relics
According to the field measurement and investigations, Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark is a natural reserve of geological relics in Gansu Province and a national geopark, which covers a total area of about 50 km2, 10km2 of which are ancient stone forests. There are 3 main scenic spots inside, namely, Yinma Gully (including Laolong Gully and Leopard Gully), Panlong Cave-Guanyin Cliff, and Earth Bay. The park integrates geomorphological geology, geological structure, natural landscape and human cultural landscape. It combines various landscapes of ancient stone forest groups, the Yellow River, desert, oasis, Gobi and farmland. The core scenic spot, the ancient stone forest group, was formed in the sand and gravel strata 2.1 million years ago. Due to the neotectonics movements, rain and flood erosion and gravity collapse, there are many cliffs at a height of 80-200 meters, peak forests and peak clusters composed of rock pillars. The ten-mile-long stone forests look like a gallery. Wonderful peaks, steep cliffs and narrow rock gullies with various kinds of shapes form magnificent view.
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e) Land use
The land use in the project scope (12.9856km2 in total) is shown in the table below.
Table 5-12 Land use within the assessment scope of this project. Primary land use Secondary land use Area km2 Percentage category category Irrigable land 2.8717 22.11 Arable land Dry land 0.1292 0.99 Other woodland 0.0209 0.16 Woodland Shrub woodland 6.3901 49.21 Grassland Other grassland 1.0178 7.84 Urban residential area 0.2578 1.99 Residential areas Countryside homestead 0.1088 0.84 Land for science and 0.0029 0.02 Public services land education purpose Land for landscaping 0.3323 2.56 Land for highways 0.2047 1.58 Transportation land Land for river wharf 0.0046 0.04 Water area and land for River surface 0.7993 6.16 water conservancy Pools and reservoirs 0.0216 0.17 facilities Others Barren land 0.8238 6.34 Total 12.9856 100.00
As shown above, the current land use of the project area is mainly woodland, accounting for 49.21% of the total assessment area. f) Soil erosion
The status of soil erosion in the assessment area is shown in the table below.
Table 5-13 Status of soil erosion intensity within assessment scope of this project. Primary Type Secondary Type Area km2 Percentage Micro erosion 4.77709 36.79 Soil erosion intensity Mild erosion 3.83164 29.51 Moderate erosion 3.55302 27.36 Severe erosion 0.82384 6.34 Total 12.98559 100.00
As shown above, the whole project areas are subject to soil erosion of different levels, however, mainly classified as micro to mild erosion (66.3%). Only 6.34% of the project areas is classified with severe erosion.
(3) Review of existing ecological issues
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The survey indicated the following ecological issues present in the nature reserve:
• The provincial highway S217 passes through the reserve;
• Traffic noise on the roads has certain impacts on the animals living in the reserve, resulting in the reduced scope of animal activities.
• Drought and soil desertification results in a low plant coverage in the experimental zone of the reserve, and most of the land is with exposed surface.
Water scarcity is the main factor limiting sustainable development in the project area, where the regional ecosystem is desert and grassland. The region is dry and lack of rain, with low vegetation coverage and serious wind erosion.
(4)Conclusions
The project area is located in the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest, subject to the typical temperate continental arid climate with significant seasonal variation, scarce precipitation and uneven distribution. The area is dry and windy. The present land use in the assessment area is mainly shrubby woodland. The assessment area is mainly featured by micro erosion and mild erosion, and the soil erosion intensity of the project in the reserve is mainly of moderate erosion. The project is for tourism development, and the project activities within the reserve only involve the construction of entrance gate and tourist service center, whose ecological impacts are mainly land occupation, disturbance and destruction of surface vegetation, disturbance of animal habitats during construction. However, since the permanent land use for the project is relatively small, there are effective mitigation measures available, including the development and implementation of construction regulations, strict prohibition of construction activities beyond project boundary, rational planning of construction site, reduction of the construction disturbance area, ecological restoration of disturbed surface after construction, greening of project area, and implementation of management system during project operation to protect the regional ecological environment.
The main protection targets of the Yellow River Stone Forest Provincial Nature Reserve in Jingtai County are to protect the fragile desert ecosystem, reduce the disturbance of ground surface, and prevent the increase of surface wind erosion intensity due to destruction of surface structure.
In summary, the project implementation will have no conflicts with the regional ecological function positioning and the ecological protection targets.
5.4.4 Analysis of Ecological Impacts and Mitigation Measures
(1) Impacts on ecosystem structure and functions
The project will support the improvements of nature reserve management. Though the increase of tourism facilities, such as tourist service center and parking lots, will lead to the impacts on the original regional continuity. Through the field investigation, it is found that the vegetation types and wildlife resources in this area are limited, and the project implementation will only lead to small-scale destruction of grassland vegetation. There will be no impact on the background value of local ecosystem. Therefore, with prevention, greening, protection and restoration measures taken, the project will have no impact on the 108
functional structure of the Nature Reserve and will not change the functions and structure of the whole nature reserve.
(2) Impacts on local ecosystem
Construction activities in the experimental zone of the natural reserve during project implementation will cause temporary disturbance to the structure and function of local ecosystem with the damage and disturbance of vegetation and soil; however, such impacts will be site-specific and small-scale. The project construction will not change the ecosystem composition of the Reserve with little impact on the ecosystem structure integrity and productivity.
(3) Impacts on vegetation and plant diversity
The vegetation in the assessment area are those more easily to be planted and survive. The project implementation will not cause irreversible impacts on local vegetation and plant diversity. On the other hand, after project completion, the vegetation of project site will be restored, and the greening area will increase.
(4)Impacts on animal diversity
The field survey found no large wild animals and no rare/protected animals in and around the project areas, but mainly small mammals and birds. Due to frequent human activities in the project areas, local animals tend to evade to the buffer zone and core zone of the reverse, particularly during construction. The project implementation is not anticipated to have significant impacts on local animal diversity.
(5) Ecological mitigation measures
Part of the project activities (tourist service center and entrance gate) will be located in the experimental zone of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve due to the terrain constraints. Based on the above analysis, the following mitigation measures are proposed to address the ecological impacts resulting from the project implementation: a) Construction period
The ecological impacts anticipated during project construction is closely related to temporary and site-specific surface vegetation destruction and wildlife disturbance, so attention should be paid to ecological protection in the project-affected areas, and strict measures should be taken by the construction units to protect local vegetation. After construction completion, the ecological restoration shall be carried out by the construction unit or the competent unit entrusted by the construction unit at its expense. According to the environmental impact analysis, this report proposes the following ecological protection and restoration measures during the construction period:
• Strengthening environmental management of the nature reserve during the construction period
The EIA findings have been shared with the management department of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve, who provided officially reply on October 11th, 2019 on the permission on the implementation of proposed project in the nature reserve. According to the Regulations on the Nature Reserve of the People's Republic of China and the
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Regulations on the Nature Reserve of Gansu Province, the construction unit shall coordinate with the management department of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve to strengthen the management and protection of the nature reserve during construction. No construction activities are allowed beyond the project scope. Construction personnel is not allowed to perform any works across the project boundary, and the requirements and associated punishment shall be included in the construction contracts. For serious violation, the construction qualification of contractors may be canceled. During construction, efforts shall be taken to minimize construction disturbance, and the construction materials should be utilized as soon as possible to shorten the storage duration. The construction site shall be well managed to prevent from becoming messy due to construction machinery and material storage.
• Strengthening Construction Management in relation to Ecological Protection
Construction units should develop a rational project schedule and avoid any construction activity during the rainy season. During construction, the earth excavation should be timely used for backfilling to minimize its storage duration on the project site. For temporary storage on site, the earth excavation shall be stored with woven bags and orderly stacking, and measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of soil and water loss. Construction units should improve construction efficiency and shorten construction time if possible. After construction completion, the construction site should be leveled, and vegetation should be restored immediately to minimize the exposure of bare land. The domestic sewage to be generated by construction workers will rely on existing public toilets in the scenic area; domestic waste from construction personnel should be regularly collected and transported by local sanitation department for disposal; for the earth excavation at each construction site should be properly stored using woven bags. After construction completion, the backfilling requirements shall be fulfilled as designed with timely compaction, and the construction unit shall be responsible for cleaning up the site in time, minimizing any further disturbance and destruction of the local vegetation, and implementing measures on the land used for temporary purpose to restore its original land type and site conditions.
• Restoration measures for occupied land
- Construction site
Strictly restrict the scope of works and implement the construction plan; minimize the vegetation damage during construction if possible; strictly manage the behavior of construction personnel by not allowing them to enter the non-construction areas at will and to destroy local vegetation; strengthen the public education on protecting plant resources, enhance the environmental awareness of construction personnel. After project completion, the construction site shall be restored in time to the original conditions following relevant requirements.
--During the construction of the project, the operational activities of the storage yard should be strictly limited within its boundary with the setting-up of fences and warning signs outside the temporary yard; the storage yard should be installed with appropriate drainage facilities for water and soil retention. After construction completion, the storage site should be timely cleaned and restored to its original conditions with the implementation of vegetation measures.
• Wildlife Conservation 110
Enhance the enforcement of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wild Animals and other applicable laws and regulations; enhance the environmental protection awareness of construction workers; strictly prohibit illegal hunting of wild animals; strengthen fire prevention education and establish fire prevention and fire alarm system to ensure the safety of construction sites. In order to provide a safe habitat for wildlife, high noise operations should be arranged during the daytime as far as possible. Control and reduce construction noise and minimize the impacts of project construction on wildlife. b) Operation Period
Considering the limited resistance of local ecosystem to disturbance, the following mitigation measures are proposed to minimize the impacts on regional ecological environment during project operation of the project:
The administrative agency of the scenic area should strengthen the public education on environmental protection, set up environmental protection signs in the scenic area, develop and implement the regulations to regulate tourist behaviors (prohibition of random littering, entering the protected areas without permission and destroying plants in the scenic area). In accordance with the planning requirements, set up warning signs to clearly define the scope and route of sightseeing.
For the protection of wild animals, warning signs should be set up around the protected areas to warn drivers to avoid the disturbance of wildlife in the scenic areas. After project completion, the wildlife monitoring points should be set up, and the management agency of the reserve is requested to monitor, inspect and supervise the implementation of ecological protection in the region.
At the same time, the management department of the scenic area is required to coordinate with the management station of the nature reserve, to carry out regular monitoring of wild animals in the reserve.
5.4 Summary of Mitigation Measures
Content Name of Expected Period Mitigation Measures Types Pollutants Effects Exhaust gas of Use advanced construction equipment and Minor impacts on constructio quality fuel; maintain the good operating surrounding n conditions of equipment environment machinery Conduct civilized construction; regular water Meet the limits for Construc application on construction site and roads fugitive emission tion Flying dust periodically to suppress dust; lower the driving in Integrated Emissi Air period speed on Standard of Air emission Adopt advanced and completely enclosed Pollutants Asphalt asphalt paving equipment to ensure good (GB16297—2012) fume airtightness and dust control unit Use benzene-free environmentally friendly Minor impacts on Decoration thinner and paint to reduce emission of surrounding emission pollutants environment Operatio Vehicle Enhance the management of vehicles in the Minor impacts on n period exhaust parking lots; shorten the shut-down time in the surrounding 111
parking lots environment
Spray deodorant and disinfectant regularly at Minor impacts on garbage transfer station; cleaning personnel surrounding Odor should clean the toilets every day to keep them environment clean. Meet the limits set in Emission Kitchen Use fume purification facilities Standard of fume Catering Industry (GB18483-2001) Minor impacts on Domestic Domestic sewage will be treated with existing surrounding sewage toilets in the scenic area. Con environment struction period Constructio All recycled with no One simple anti-seepage settling tanks of 5m3 n discharge wastewater The kitchen wastewater produced in the tourist center will be pre-treated by a grease trap and then treated with the Integrated sewage treatment station together with other domestic Kitchen sewage from the tourist services center before wastewater being used for watering plants at the gate of and scenic area. The domestic sewage from the main domestic Water scenic area will be discharged into the sewage sewage pollutant network of the scenic area, and finally sent to the s Longwan WWTP for treatment before being Ope discharged into the Yellow River in compliance with the requirements of applicable standard. Appropriate ration treatment period Wastewater from the workshop Reused for greening. for raw materials washing Wastewater from bean Taken by local villagers to feed their curd mill livestock. after pulping After being collected with the trash cans with trash bags, the garbage will be sent to the Domestic domestic garbage transfer station of the scenic Appropriate garbage area, and will be regularly transported to Baiyin disposal Construc Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant for tion disposal. period Soli The reusable part will be recycled and the rest d waste Constructio part will be transported to the place designated Appropriate n waste by the urban construction department for proper disposal disposal at regular intervals. Sludge Operatio from To be regular removed and used for composting Appropriate n period integrated at surrounding farmland disposal sewage 112
treatment station Filter residue and To be sent to domestic garbage transfer station in impurities the scenic area and be regularly transported to Appropriate from the oil Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant disposal manufactur for disposal. e workshop Vinegar residue, soybean Appropriate Taken by local villagers to feed their livestock. residues disposal and oil meal Kitchen Collected and disposed by the local certified Appropriate waste service provider for kitchen waste disposal To be sent to domestic garbage transfer station in Domestic the scenic area and be regularly transported to Appropriate garbage Baiyin Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant disposal for disposal. Noise sources during construction are mainly from construction machinery (fixed Construc source) and transportation vehicles (mobile source). Construction noise could be tion minimized with reasonable arrangements of construction machinery, strict control period of equipment noise following the Noise Standard for the Boundary of Construction Site（GB12523-2011）. There will be no significant environmental impacts Noise Strengthen vehicle management, reduce noise in the scenic area, and apply sound-insulating and noise reducing measures for the equipment of water supply Operatio pressurizing pump and air conditioners, etc. The regional acoustic environmental n period quality would comply with the requirements of Grade 1 zone of the “Acoustic Environmental Quality Standard” (GB3096-2008).
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6. Environmental Risk Analysis and Response Measures
According to relevant requirements of the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Risk Assessment for Construction Projects (HJ/T169-2018), the Notice on Further Strengthening Environmental Impact Assessment Management to Prevent Environmental Risks (HF [2012] No. 77) and the Notice on Strictly Strengthening Risk Prevention Relevant requirements in the Notice of Environmental Impact Assessment Management (HF [2012] No. 98), environmental risk assessment was conducted for the project to evaluate the predictable emergency events or accidents that could occur during project operation and to recommend the measures for risk prevention, emergency response and mitigation.
Under the proposed project, only the refrigerant R507 to be used for the proposed refrigerated warehouse is identified as the hazardous substance, whose physical and chemical characteristics are listed below.
(1) Physical, chemical and toxicity characteristics of project-involved hazardous substance
The physical and chemical characteristics of hazardous substance involved in this project is shown in the table below.
Table 6-1 Physical and chemical characteristics of refrigerant. Name: R507 Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP): 0 Identification Molecular formula: CHF2CF3/CH3CF3 Critical temperature: 71.1 ° C The R507 decomposes toxic and corrosive substances at high temperatures: Hydrogen Dangerous fluoride and carbon oxides. reaction Conditions to avoid: The R507 should be kept away from heat and ignition sources and contact with naked flames and hot metal surfaces should be avoided. The R507 is a new refrigerant introduced as an alternative to the R502. It does not contain any substances that destroy the ozone layer, of which the ODP value is zero. It is compatible with most materials in the original system. The R507 is commonly used Main in cold storage, food refrigeration equipment, marine refrigeration equipment, industrial purpose low-temperature refrigeration, commercial low-temperature refrigeration, refrigerated trucks, refrigeration condensing units, supermarket display cabinets, and other refrigeration equipment The R507 needs to be stored in a cold, ventilated warehouse. It should also be kept Storage away from fire, heat, and direct sunlight. The storage temperature should not exceed precautions 30 °C and should be stored separately from oxidants, flammables, and combustibles. Operators should wear personal protective equipment to prevent exhaled vapors and Safe liquids from coming into contact with eyes, skin, or clothing, not puncture or drop the Disposal cylinder and not touch the flame or excessive heat. Operators should also only use approved compressed gas cylinders following standard safety precautions Prevention Workers should wear protective gloves, thoroughly clean hands and other contact areas measure after work, and should not smoke in industrial areas Accident Skin exposure: Removing contaminated clothing and washing the exposed skin response thoroughly with soapy water for at least 15 minutes. Getting medical attention if there 114
is frostbite. Fire: inhaling misty water or a large amount of water; quickly leave the site to fresh air and keep the airway open. Inhalation: If breathing is difficult, giving supplemental oxygen; if breathing stops, taking artificial respiration, and calling for medical personnel immediately. Eye contact: Lifting eyelids, rinsing them with running water or saline and calling for medical personnel immediately
The refrigerant to be used for this project is R-507, and it is classified as one of the controlled substances in the Montreal Protocol and the Announcement of the Checklist of Ozone Depleting Substances Under National Control in China ( by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, issued on 27th September 2010), which is consistent with the Regulations on the Administration of Ozone Layers (State Council Order No. 573).
(2)Environmental protection objectives
Based on the survey of project site, there is no environmentally sensitive receptor around the project site that requires special protection.
(3) Analysis of risk potential
a) Classification of environmental risk potential
According to the dangerousness of the substances and process system involved in the construction project and the environmental sensitivity of the project site, the potential environmental hazard degree of the construction project is analyzed in combination with the routes of environmental impacts in the case of accidents, and the environmental risk potential of the construction project is classified into Class I, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, and IV+.
Table 6-2 Classification of environmental risk potential for construction projects. Dangerousness of hazardous substance and process system (P) Environmental sensitivity Extremely High hazard Moderate Mild hazard (E) high hazard (P2) hazard (P3) (P4) (P1) Highly sensitive area (E1) IV+ IV III III Medium sensitive area (E2) IV III III II Low sensitive area (E3) III III II I Note: IV+ is identified with extremely high environmental risk.
b) Ratio of dangerous substance quantity to critical quantity (Q)
According to the survey, only the refrigerant to be used for the proposed refrigerated warehouse is identified as the hazardous substance.
Q=0.3/50=0.006<1
Therefore, the project’s environmental risk potential is Class I, only qualitative analysis of dangerous substances, environmental impact routes, environmental hazard consequence
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and risk prevention measures is required for the environmental risk assessment, as summarized below.
Table 6-3 Key features of environmental risks for the project. Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism and Community Development Project, World Project name Bank-financed Second Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project Longwan Village, Zhongquan Town, Jingtai Project location County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province Geographic coordinates N36°53'50.79", E104°18'57.32" Main hazardous substances and distribution Apple storage warehouse Environmental impact pathways and hazard consequences (atmosphere, surface water, Leakage of refrigerant groundwater, etc.)
(4) Analysis of environmental risk accident prevention and response measures
To avoid risk accidents, especially to avoid severe pollution to the environment after the occurrence of risk accidents, the construction operator should establish and strengthen awareness of environmental risk, increase preventive measures for environmental risks, and implement these measures in actual work. To further reduce the occurrence of accidents and mitigate the potential threat to the environment during the operation of the project, the construction unit should take comprehensive preventive measures and pay attention to them from the aspects of technology, process, and management. The precautions for refrigerant leakage are as follows:
• Increasing awareness of environmental risk
There are some insecurities in the project, which are potential threats to the surrounding environment. The harm from environmental safety accidents to the surrounding environment is irretrievable. Therefore, in implementing the principle of “Safety comes first and then give priority to prevention,” all the staff should build awareness of environmental risk, strengthen the responsibility of environmental risk and reflect the contents of environmental protection.
• Implementing a comprehensive environmental safety management system
A comprehensive and full-process coefficient safety management should be carried out for the project among all the stuff of the project. The focus of environmental safety work should be on eliminating the potential dangers of the system, promoting the environmental safety operation of all aspects of the project from an overall perspective, establishing monitoring, management, testing, information systems, and scientific decision-making systems and implementing management of environmental safety objectives.
• Standardizing and strengthening preventive measures of environmental risk during transportation, storage, and handling
The construction unit must formulate relative perfect rules and regulations for environmental safety management and should guard against environmental risks from the 116
system to prevent the occurrence of safety accidents. Although many accidents of the project do not always lead to environmental safety accidents, they will cause environmental pollution. Therefore, the prevention of accidents still needs to be comprehensively considered from transportation, storage, handling, and other aspects. And the coordinating measures should be preventive, standardized, and operable.
• Strengthening the daily records and data management
Construction units should reinforce daily records and management of the various operating parameters of the refrigeration system, identify problems timely, and take measures to mitigate the hazards.
(5)Emergency response measures
① Preparation before the development of emergency preparedness plan
Construction units should define the hazard sources and their potential hazards, including the status, quantity, hazard characteristics, process of the dangerous goods, possible routes in the event of an accident, the nature of the accident, the scope of the hazard, the frequency of the hazard and the danger level of hazard, then determine source of general and major disasters. .
The primary hazard sources to be formulated in this project are distributed in the cold storage area. The accidents that may occur because of significant hazard sources are mainly leakage accidents.
②Main contents of the emergency preparedness plan
A. Emergency planning area
The emergency preparedness plan should introduce the layout of the plant area, conduct a preliminary analysis of the major accidents that may be caused in the production of the project, determine the contingency planning area, and draw the distribution map.
B. Command organization and personnel arrangements
Command organization mainly includes the list of commanders, their duties and temporary replacements, different command locations at different accidents, and regular duty schedules.
C. Tiered response conditions of the emergency preparedness plan
The level of the plan and hierarchical response procedure are specified according to features of the project
D. Security for emergency assistance
The plan should provide and clarify emergency facilities, equipment, and apparatus, which shall be managed by specific personnel.
E. Alarm and communication method
The communication method mainly includes the emergency phone number and 117
communication methods to call for police, signal communication over a long distance, and other communication methods for sudden power outages, storms, and other particular circumstances.
F. Emergency measures
Emergency measures include two aspects. One is emergency environmental monitoring, emergency rescue, and control measures. There should be a professional team to be responsible for reconnaissance and monitoring of the accident site, assessing the nature, parameters, and consequences of the accident, providing a decision-making basis for the command. Second is emergency detection, protective measures, and removal of leaking equipment and corresponding facilities, including accident sites, adjacent areas of accident sites, and control of fire areas. Also, the plan should involve different rescue programs and procedures for different accidents (such as measures for leakage emergency plans and procedures, water stoppages, power outage and gas outage, etc.) with clear pictures to clarify the methods of self-help and mutual rescue of employees and stipulate the medical care during the transit of the wounded, the regular duty tables of medical staff with detailed address and contact information, and determine the first aid point with clear signs.
G. Personnel evacuation plan
Personnel evacuation plan includes emergency dose control and evacuation plan, regulations of toxic emergency dose control of the accident sites, the vicinity area of the project, the area affected by the accident and the public, and medical rescue procedures. The emergency assembly point for the accident situation of the plant shall be specified in detail to determine the safe evacuation route under the emergency.
H. Accident emergency rescue closure procedure and recovery measures
The emergency termination procedure shall be stipulated, and the after-treatment and recovery measures of the accident site shall be proposed, as well as unsetting accident warning and rehabilitation measures of the vicinity area.
I. Training plan for emergency response
After developing the plan, personnel should be regularly trained and drilled for emergency response.
(6)Risk assessment conclusions
The project is anticipated to have mild risks, mainly in relation to the personnel injury caused by refrigerant leakage, which will result in environmental accident and adversely affect the surrounding environment if not managed properly. If risk prevention measures can be implemented according to the EIA requirements, the probability of environmental accidents will be reduced, and the adverse impacts on the environment and personnel will be effectively controlled.
According to the analysis, with the risk prevention measures taken following the EIA requirements, the environmental risks associated with the project will remain at an acceptable level.
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7. Social Impacts Assessment
7.1 Positive Impacts of the Project
(1) China’s conception of the “New Silk Road Economic Belt” takes the construction of “One Belt and One Road” as the core initiative for further opening, which becomes a new idea for development under the new situation. As an important city along the Silk Road Economic Belt, Baiyin needs to be further integrated into the development of the Gansu section of the Silk Road Economic Belt. With good geographical advantage, resource advantage and cultural advantage of Jingtai county, relying on the “One Belt and One Road” development strategy and taking advantage of the loan from the World Bank and the opportunity of cultural tourism development, the project of Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development of Yellow River Stone Forest aims to protect the natural and cultural heritage of Yellow River stone forest and exploit its tourism resources to promote the development of the communities in the Yellow River stone forest area such as Longwan village as well as to improve the residents’ living standards.
(2) The implementation of the project will strengthen the protection, inheritance and development of the cultural and natural heritage of Yellow River stone forest in Jingtai. Due to imperfect policies and restricted economic conditions, the protection, management and sustainable utilization of the cultural and natural heritage in Jingtai historical and cultural region are worrying. It is urgent to implement scientific overall planning and top-level strategic development design for the cultural heritage protection and sustainable tourism development in the region. Therefore, the implementation of the World Bank’s cultural and natural heritage project is conducive to the sustainable development and protection of the cultural and natural heritage in Jingtai.
(3) The project covers the poverty population of Longwan village in Zhongquan town, Jingtai county, so the implementation of the project will provide employment and business opportunities for the poverty population of Longwan village in Zhongquan town, or even the whole Jingtai county. This will increase the income of the poor population, improve the living standards of local community residents, and promote the economic development in the county
(4) The implementation of this project is conducive to promoting community participation. The establishment of community organizations will enable community residents to participate in the construction of scenic area and provide a dialogue platform for farmers and local government to ease the contradiction between local government and community residents and find common development direction and goals. With the implementation of the project, two community organizations will be established in the stone forest area of the Yellow River. Through the establishment of community organizations, more farmers can participate in the development of the scenic area. It is estimated that the number of direct beneficiaries will reach 100 people and the number of indirect beneficiaries will reach 400 people.
(5) The implementation of this project will improve the infrastructure of the Yellow River stone forest, improve the supporting tourist facilities in the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area, and increase employment during and after the construction of the project. The implementation will also enhance the tourism management ability of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area, the comprehensive quality of tourism practitioners, and the local community residents’ awareness of cultural and natural heritage protection. 119
7.2 Negative Impacts of the Project
(1) Environmental pollution will be produced during construction. The fugitive dust, noise and temporary stacking of garbage generated during the construction of the project will bring temporary adverse effects on the cleanliness of the environment of the project area as well as short-term travel inconvenience to the residents in the local community (village), causing negative impact on their daily life. Meanwhile, the construction vehicles as well as the waste residue, waste soil and waste water in the construction site may pose a threat to the personal safety of local community (village) residents, especially the elderly, children and pregnant women.
(2) Environmental pollution will be caused by the increase of tourist flow. After the completion of the construction, with the increase of tourist quantity, the solid waste, noise pollution, sewage discharge, fugitive dust, automobile exhaust and other environmental hazards in the project should not be underestimated.
7.3 Potential Social Risks of the Project
(1) The change of operation mode of donkey taxi may intensify the contradiction between the management committee of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area and the farmers. The existing “donkey taxi” service in the tourist area is independently operated and managed by the local farmers, and they have grown a set of management system. However, due to the management needs of the scenic area, the management committee of the tourist area plans to make a change on the donkey taxi, setting up a specialized farmers’ cooperation of donkey taxi operation in the tourist area to conduct unified and centralized management of donkeys. Farmers can take shares and dividends. But due to the fact that the cooperative registered by the village committee at the early stage did not operate according to the articles of association, the legal person of the cooperative was an outsider, and there were many problems in the management of the raised funds of more than 2 million yuan, the farmers did not receive any dividend and the share capital could not be recovered, which resulted in the farmers’ distrust in the cooperative model. Besides, some farmers reported that the compensation standard of land expropriation made by the local government at the early stage was not unanimously accepted by them, which led to the decrease of farmers’ trust in the government. Thus, the failure of cooperative operations and distrust between the government and farmers are the major risks to the implementation of the second phase of the Work Bank project.
(2) Low participation in community organizations. Around the project area, there is a lack of community organizations established spontaneously by farmers. Registered community organizations, such as cooperatives, were not established according to the wishes of farmers, and managed by a few people with a lack participation of farmers, so they do not play a leading and exemplary role for farmers.
(3) Risk of farmers’ moral degradation. With the development of the scenic area, more tourists come to have sightseeing and consume, but they reflect that some vendors in the scenic area have deliberately raised the price of goods or forced them to buy the goods, which provoked their dissatisfaction. Rip-off and price gouging reflect the value distortion and moral degradation of some vendors in the scenic area.
(4) Risk of gender inequality. Due to unbalanced social and economic development, many residents in the project area go out for work, resulting in an unbalanced community labor
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force structure, most of which are women, children and the elderly. Moreover, women are far less educated than men and lack the right to participate, express, make decisions and be heard in community affairs. Since women are less involved in public affairs, their opinions and suggestions should be heard in the subsequent construction.
(5) Risks of land expropriation and resident resettlement. According to previous research, the proposed construction of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Exhibit Area of Sheepskin Raft and road construction in the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourist Area will involves land expropriation, which will affect the Longwan village, an administrative village of Zhongquan town, Jingtai county, Baiyin city, Gansu province. The impact of land expropriation of this project is mainly from the permanent expropriation of different kinds of land, and the demolition of bunk houses and attachments on the ground. Among them, the permanent land acquisition for the project involves 64 mu (1 mu=0.0667 ha) of farmland, involving 186 farmers of 45 households in Longwan village. The project will result in the house demolition of 117 ㎡, involving 11 farmers of 4 households in the village. The ground attachments to be removed include 18.61mu of young crops, 3,540 economic trees and wood trees, 50 m2 of donkey pens, and 12.2 mu of fish ponds. If the rights and interests of the affected households cannot be protected, the implementation of the project will be at risk.
(6) During the project construction, a large number of migrant workers will come to local areas, which may cause some social security issues, such as gender discrimination or sexual harassment.
(7) The spread of COVID-19 virus may lead to large-scale infection of migrant workers or increase the opportunities of infection. It affects the local emergency and medical services, and may have impacts on the progress of project construction.
7.4 Recommendations and Actions
(1) Hire a third-party consulting agency to cultivate community organizations led by farmers. After the start of the project, it is suggested that the provincial project office hire an experienced third-party consulting agency to cultivate and incubate community organizations led by farmers, establish and perfect the management system of community organizations, management structure and supervision mechanism, strengthen the community organization's function and role, and inspire the participation of local residents, so as to alleviate the farmers’ discontent towards the cooperatives. What’s more, through the establishment of community organizations, the mechanism and platform of equal dialogue between the management committee of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area and the farmers will be established to explore their common needs and different ideas, so as to alleviate the contradictions between the government and the community and formulate common development direction and goals.
(2) Take mitigation measures to environmental pollution. During the construction period, the construction unit should clean up the project garbage in time, arrange the construction time reasonably, and avoid construction activities at night. Besides, it should also avoid the transportation of engineering materials in the peak period of tourists and in the areas with dense community population to keep away from safety risks.
(3) Mitigation measures for environmental pollution. The project environmental 121
management plan will be implemented to solve the environmental impact. During the construction of the project, the project construction unit should clean up the engineering garbage in a timely manner, arrange the construction time reasonably, and avoid the construction at night. At the same time, the construction should avoid transporting engineering materials during peak tourist periods or in the densely populated areas.
(4) Improve the tourism service infrastructure in the scenic area and improve the service quality. It is suggested that the provincial project office employ a third-party consulting agency to train the community farmers engaged in catering, accommodation, transportation, sales of arts and crafts and other service areas through a series of capacity building to standardize the service process, improve the tourism infrastructure and improve the service concept, so as to improve the comprehensive service ability of farmers based on the needs of tourists.
(5) Enhance the community participation. It is suggested that the management committee of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area should change its management concept to carefully listen to and adopt the opinions and suggestions of community residents in major decision-making, project implementation and tourism management, to establish a community participation mechanism and improve the community’s rights to know, participate and make decisions in scenic area management.
(6) Establish a standardized management system to restrict the behavior of farmers with the system and traditional morality. It is suggested that the scenic area management committee, community organizations and farmers develop scenic area management rules, reception standards, price constraints and reward and punishment mechanisms through participatory discussion and restrict farmers with system management and traditional morality to improve the farmers’ moral quality.
(7) Pay close attention to the gender sensitivity. It is suggested that when a community organization is established, the requirement should be explicitly claimed that the proportion of female members should not be less than 30 percent and women should be involved in the management of community organization. Women should be encouraged to participate in various meetings and training organized by community organizations and the scenic area management committee, and priority should be given to women for the participation in service industries such as catering, tea art, handicrafts and embroidery. Women should be equally treated as same as men during the recruitment. In addition, the responsible person should strengthen the staff management and increase the night patrol to avoid the security accidents.
(8) The World Bank project office of the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area of Jingtai county has been set up to take charge of the management and implementation of the project, and the land security group has been set up to take charge of land expropriation and resettlement of residents. The progress of land expropriation and the relocation and resettlement of residents should be carried out in accordance with the construction schedule of the project. The resettlement plan should be made based on the actual situation of the scenic area, and the land expropriation process should be ensured to be open, fair and transparent. The assessment team should design the community residents’ participation, the complaint mechanism as well as the internal and external monitoring and evaluation on the entire project in the resettlement plan, so as to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of the affected families, reduce the possible risks produced in the process of project implementation, and achieve the two goals of “reducing absolute 122
poverty and shared prosperity.”
（9）Prevention measures for COVID-19: ①Entry/exit to the work site should be controlled and documented for both workers and other parties, including support staff and suppliers. ②Training workers and staff on site on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, how it is spread, how to protect themselves (including regular handwashing and social distancing) and what to do if they or other people have symptoms. ③Ensuring handwashing facilities supplied with soap, disposable paper towels and closed waste bins exist at key places throughout site, including at entrances/exits to work areas; where there is a toilet, canteen or food distribution, or provision of drinking water; in worker accommodation; at waste stations; at stores; and in common spaces. Where handwashing facilities do not exist or are not adequate, arrangements should be made to set them up. Alcohol based sanitizer (if available, 60-95% alcohol) can also be used. ④Conduct regular and thorough cleaning of all site facilities, including offices, accommodation, canteens, common spaces. Review cleaning protocols for key construction equipment (particularly if it is being operated by different workers). ⑤Training cleaners in proper hygiene (including handwashing) prior to, during and after conducting cleaning activities; how to safely use PPE (where required); in waste control (including for used PPE and cleaning materials). ⑥Where it is anticipated that cleaners will be required to clean areas that have been or are suspected to have been contaminated with COVID-19, providing them with appropriate PPE: gowns or aprons, gloves, eye protection (masks, goggles or face screens) and boots or closed work shoes. If appropriate PPE is not available, cleaners should be provided with best available alternatives. ⑦Consider changes to work processes and timings to reduce or minimize contact between workers, recognizing that this is likely to impact the project schedule. ⑧For further information see WHO COVID-19 advice for the public and ILO Standards).
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8. Environmental Protection Investment
The total investment of the project is 282.8049 million yuan, of which environmental protection investment is about 422,000 yuan, accounting for 0.15% of the total investment. The estimation of investments in environmental protection is shown in Table below.
Table 8-1 Estimation of Investments on Environmental Protection (Unit: 10,000 yuan). Estimated Remar Item Environmental Protection Measures Cost ks Set up enclosure, water construction site dust for dust suppression, and cover transport 3.5 vehicles with tarpaulin Air Vehicle Strengthen vehicle maintenance, and set 0.6 emission exhaust up speed limit signs Co Asphalt Zone of separation, protective equipment 0.8 nst fume ru Domestic Reuse treated wastewater to flush toilets cti / Wastewat wastewater or for greening on er Construction Set an impervious settling tank for site Pe 1.0 wastewater washing (5m3) rio Set up warning signs, install d vibration-reducing devices on Noise mechanical equipment, regular 1.5 maintenance of all types of equipment, etc. Construction waste collection and Solid waste 1.0 transportation For the garbage transfer station, sealed box will be used with regular spray of Odor 1.0 Air biological deodorants; daily cleaning of toilets emission Kitchen Installation of fume purifiers in the 2.0 fume restaurant of the tourist service center Installation of one integrated sewage Part of treatment station at the entrance of the / project Wastewat Domestic Op scenic area (100m3) cost er sewage era Implementation of corrective measures 10.0 tio for Longwan WWTP n Installing devices of shock absorption, Noise 5.0 pe anti-vibration and sound insulation rio Domestic Placement of garbage bins for waste 1.0 d garbage segregation and collection Sludge from Solid Integrated waste Sewage Regular cleaning of septic tanks 1.0 Treatment Station A total of 4 signs, environmental Ecological protection protection awareness campaign and 14.3 public education, etc.. Total 42.2 124
9. Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan
9.1 Environmental Management plan
The systematic Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is developed to implement the mitigation measures to achieve the environmental and social benefits of the project and to prevent, minimize and mitigate the impacts anticipated during project construction and operation, and also to ensure the implementation of "three simultaneous" requirements for the project, i.e., the design, construction and operation of environmental protection facilities simultaneously with the main project activities. The implementation of project EMP will be supervised by local environmental protection authority.
9.1.1 Institutional Arrangements for Environmental Management
The construction units and operators of the project should establish relevant functional departments and appoint full-time personnel to be responsible for environmental management of the proposed project, more specifically: collection and archiving of environmental approvals and management documents throughout project design, construction and operation, preparation of environmental protection documents for environmental protection inspection and acceptance upon project completion; coordinating and supervising implementation of environmental management and monitoring measures; management and supervision of pollution control; organizing the development and implementation of emergency response plans for environmental pollution accidents.
The main responsibilities of the project contractors and operators on environmental management are as follows:
(1)The construction units and operators of the project should implement various national and provincial environmental protection policies, laws, and regulations, and develop environmental management procedures following the EIA requirements.
(2)The construction units and operators of the project should be responsible for developing the implementation plan on environmental management, which should integrate various environmental protection measures proposed in the EIA report.
(3) The construction units and operators of the project should be responsible for developing the emergency response plan for environmental pollution accident and conducting the root cause survey in case of any accident.
(4) The construction units and operators of the project should be responsible for organizing and coordinating environmental studies and environmental information collection, introducing advanced environmental protection experience and technology, and be responsible for personnel training to improve their environmental skills.
(5) The construction units and operators of the project should be responsible for internal coordination on environmental protection, collecting and interpreting the environmental monitoring data, and conduct necessary research to facilitate environmental protection work.
The environmental protection in the construction period shall be carried out by the 125
construction units and contractors, and by the project operator in the operation period. The environmental management of the project shall be supervised by the Jingtai Branch of the Baiyin Ecological Environment Bureau following the requirements of environmental management plan.
9.1.2 Environmental Management Plan
The key environmental mitigation measures for each stage of project implementation are summarized in Table below.
Table 9-1 Summary of key environmental mitigation measures. Environm Implement Responsible ental Mitigation measures ation agency issues agency Construction Period 1. Full-time staff should be set up to spray water and lower dust on the construction site and main construction roads during rainless days or dry seasons; 2. Bulk materials should be transported in a planned manner and should not be piled up at the construction site Air as much as possible. At the same time, windproof cover or Construction Contractor pollution watering should be adopted to reduce dust emission; unit 3. Construction machinery and transportation tools should meet the relevant national health standards, and the vehicle body should be clean; 4. Labor protection measures for construction personnel should be offered; 1. The wastewater discharge work during the construction should be valued; 2. Construction materials should be provided with temporary sheltered canvas to prevent heavy storms; Water 3. A sedimentation tank at the construction site should be Construction Contractor pollution installed, and the construction wastewater should be used unit for construction and production after sedimentation; 4. Life sewage will be discharged to the water closet in the scenic area, and it is forbidden to overflow the domestic sewage. 1. Temporary sound insulation barrier should be set when constructing near main population centers; 2. The construction unit should select low-noise construction equipment, machinery, and technology, and Construction Noise Contractor strengthen the maintenance of machinery and vehicles to unit keep it low noise; 3. The construction unit should arrange the construction time reasonably.
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1. Temporary land occupation for construction should be recovered to original appearance after construction; 2. The earthwork should be used strictly following the design plan; workers should be educated to prevent the vegetation outside the project area; 3. The construction unit should purchase sand and gravel Ecosystem materials from regular and legal sand stockyard. It should Construction Contractor Protection be clear in the outsourcing contract that the soil and water unit conservation of the yard is the responsibility of the seller, and the contract includes the cost of soil erosion prevention; 4. Engineering measures and implementation of plant measures should be carried out according to the design of soil and water conservation. Garbage collected during the construction period will be placed in the residential garbage transfer station in the Solid Constructio Sanitation reserve and will be cleared and transferred by the sanitation waste n unit department department to the Baiyin Domestic Waste Incineration Plant regularly. 1. Restore landscape quality should be kept strictly Landscape according to design operation Construction Contractor protection 2, The construction unit must not destroy the existing unit landscape design 1. Safety signs shall be provided on temporary roads during construction In order to guarantee construction safety; Constructi Construction 2. During the construction period, adequate safety and Contractor on safety unit warning measures should be adopted to reduce the accident rate. 1. The transportation route of building materials should be Transporta carefully selected to avoid long-distance transportation, tion avert existing transportation facilities and reduce dust and Construction Contractor manageme noise pollution; unit nt 2. Develop appropriate transportation plans for building materials and make full use of existing roads. Operation period 1. Deodorant or disinfectant should be sprayed in public Air toilets and garbage transfer stations at regular intervals; Construction Contractor pollution cleaning personnel should sweep and mop the toilets every unit day to keep them clean. The construction unit should set up integrated sewage Water Construction treatment station, and arrange specialized personnel for Contractor pollution unit regular maintenance and cleaning; Shock absorption, anti-vibration measures, and sound Noise Construction insulation measures should be implemented; The Contractor pollution unit construction unit should strengthen greening and develop 127
periodically maintaining 1. The garbage storage should be cleared per day; Solid Sanitation Construction 2. There should be exclusive personnel to employed for waste department unit cleaning the integrated sewage treatment station regularly. Environmen Environme Environmental monitoring should be executed according to tal Construction ntal environmental monitoring technical specifications and monitoring unit monitoring monitoring standards and methods station 9.2 Environmental Protection Training Program
The purpose of environmental protection training is to provide relevant environmental management knowledge and skills training to the people at all levels involved in project implementation and to educate the public and tourists in the project area to make them fully aware of positive and negative environmental impacts of the project and the measures and requirements included in the environmental management plan, enhance their environmental awareness, improve their technical and management capacity, and ensure the careful and strict implementation of environmental management plan throughout project implementation in order to minimize negative environmental impacts.
The trainees can be divided into three types: 1) management personnel at all levels of the project implementation (including provincial, municipal, county, township-level project management staff), 2) technical personnel (including those from contractors and construction teams, supervising teams, operational team, etc.), and 3) community residents and tourists.
Environmental protection training will start upon project commencement to ensure that all participants are fully aware of their environmental management responsibilities in accordance with the Environmental Management Plan.
Community residents in the project area should also take part in the training for a better understanding of the relationship between environmental impacts and their behaviors, especially how to reduce environmental impacts during the operation period. The training will also inform the residents about the positive impacts on their livelihoods with the implementation of environmental management plan.
Table 9-2 Environmental training program. Durati Budget Number of Participants Training contents on (10000 people (days) yuan) Understanding and applying the relevant laws, regulations, environmental standards and norms of the world bank and the Chinese Project management government related to environmental personnel at municipal protection involved in this project; and county levels, Management cases of famous scenic spots at 10 10 5 responsible personnel home and abroad, restoration and and technicians of the reconstruction techniques of ancient nature reserve buildings; The environmental management plan and its environmental mitigation measures, including the environmental protection procedures of
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Durati Budget Number of Participants Training contents on (10000 people (days) yuan) the project, the organization, implementation, and supervision of environmental management; Environmental monitoring plan and implementation, including setting monitoring point, selection of monitoring factors, and determination of monitoring frequency; Preparation of environmental management and supervision mechanisms, supervision work arrangements, environmental monitoring reports, etc.; The requirements and measures of the environmental management plan, including the construction period and operation period; Managers and Environmental monitoring plan and technicians in implementation, including setting monitoring township-level point, selection of monitoring factors, and 3 3 3 communities determination of monitoring frequency; (including natural Preparation of environmental management villages) and supervision mechanisms, supervision work arrangements, environmental monitoring reports, etc.; The mitigation measures during the 2 people construction period in the environmental per 2-3 management plan, environmental protection, contractor and training for safety job; 2 people Contractor and its Domestic regulations and requirements of per 2-3 construction site related construction environmental protection; contractor 10 environment managers Simple monitoring methods and 2 people and team leaders noise-reducing and dust-controlling measures per 2-3 during the construction period (self-test); contractor 2 people Emergency procedures and precautions for per 2-3 pollution incidents; contractor Relevant measures and requirements of the "Environmental Management Plan"; 1-2 people construction-related environmental protection per 2-3 regulations, construction planning, and contractor supervision rules; Ambient air monitoring and control 2 people Supervising engineer 6 technology, noise monitoring and control per 2-3 technology; contractor Daily record and requirements of reporting 2 people for environmental protection, civilized per 2-3 construction, and safe production, emergency contractor handling of pollution accidents, etc.; All of the above, and the environmental Owner/operating unit management plan and the operation and 200 people and its environmental 2-3 20 maintenance of environmental protection (estimate) management personnel facilities;
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Durati Budget Number of Participants Training contents on (10000 people (days) yuan) ①The correct use of sanitation facilities (such as garbage collection, sewage into pipelines, People in the scenic use, and cleaning of toilets, etc.); area (lectures, ②Basic knowledge of protection of the scenic 18,000 5-6 30 distribution of area and fire prevention; people education materials) ③Specific methods for effective participation in scenic area protection and tourism development; Awareness campaign Environmental protection education in the 24,000 200 30 for tourists scenic area Total / / 104
9.3 Environmental Monitoring Plan
The purpose of environmental monitoring is to have a comprehensive and timely understanding of pollution dynamics of the proposed project, understand the implementation of environmental management measures for the project and the effects, provide timely feedback to the authorities and make adjustment and response in a timely manner, and provide the scientific basis for the project's environmental management.
During project construction and operation, the responsible project units at municipal and county levels will entrust the competent agencies to conduct environmental monitoring during the construction and operation periods. The entrusted agencies should have the national certification in the fields of environment, ecology and soil erosion monitoring, who are well equipped with complete equipment and technical expertise to undertake the required monitoring tasks.
The environmental monitoring will focus on the environmentally sensitive receptors to monitor the pollution of the project during construction and operation. The monitoring contents cover the acoustic environment, air environment, surface water and ecological environment. The monitoring indicators are determined according to the pollution characteristic of the project. The monitoring and analysis methods will follow the Technical Specifications for Environmental Monitoring promulgated by the National Environment Protection Agency. The specific environmental monitoring plan is shown in the table below.
Table 9-3 Environmental monitoring plan during the construction period. Monitorin Monitoring Monitoring Monitoring Stage g Monitoring Time Contents Indicators Location Frequency Ambient Air TSP Longwan Village Twice Constr Surface Once respectively at the uctio Water pH, SS, Section near Twice beginning and at the end n (Yellow Petroleum Binhe Road of project construction Perio River) Longwan d Acoustic Leq(A) Village, project Twice Environment Boundary
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November of the 1st Year Water and soil Land and road (before rainy season) erosion and temporarily Three August (during rainy Ecosystem soil occupied by the Times season) & November conservation project (after the rainy season) of measures the 2nd Year. Table 9-4 Environmental monitoring plan during operation period. Monitoring Stage Monitoring content Monitoring indicator Monitoring location frequency Acoustic Longwan Village, Leq(A) Quarterly environment project boundary Wastewater from pH, COD, SS, BOD Wastewater outfall Once a year Longwan 5 WWTP w Wastewater astew from the ater Operatio integrated PH, TDS, NH -N, 3 Wastewater outfall Once a year n period sewage BOD5 treatment station Project boundary in Ambient air H S, NH , odor Once a year 2 3 downwind direction Once a year, for Ecological Survival rate, height, Vegetation restoration five consecutive environment coverage area years 9.4 Environmental Protection Inspection and Acceptance for "Three simultaneousness" Completion
The “three simultaneousness” requirements under the EIA law of China require that all the environmental protection facilities for the project should be designed, constructed and operated together with the main project activities, which should be completed and checked upon project completion. The specific “three simultaneousness” requirements for the project are shown in the table below.
Table 9-5 “Three Simultaneousness” requirements for the project. No. Env. Aspect Requirements Management goal One garbage transfer station (40t/d) Emission Standards for with enclosed boxes + spray of Odorous Pollutants Odor biological deodorant; daily cleaning of （GB14554-93）Factory 1 Air public toilets to keep it clean and sanitary. Standards Level 1 Kitchen Installation of oil fume purification Emission standard of kitchen fume facility fume exhaust (GB18483-2001) Use of low-noise equipment, Grade 1 of "Standard for equipment with the installation of 2 Noise community noise " shock absorption, anti-vibration and (GB22337-2008) sound insulation device Implementation of corrective measures Grade 1 of Integrated to improve the performance of Wastewater Discharge Standard 3 Wastewater Longwan WWTP (GB8978-1996) One set of integrated wastewater Standard for the Reuse of treatment station (IWWTS) at the municipal sewage: urban 131
entrance of scenic area（100m3） greening Standard for pollution Domestic control of general solid waste 20 garbage bins solid waste storage and disposal sites Solid 4 (GB18599-2001) waste Sludge Regular clearing for composting from Sanitary disposal IWWTS and application in farmland Ecological protection A total of 4 signs, public education on 5 measures for the Meet design requirements environmental protection, etc. nature reserve Green space and 6 Area:22477m2 Design requirements green belt 9.5 Supervision and Reporting Mechanism 9.5.1 Purpose and Method
According to the domestic environmental management regulations for construction projects and the World Bank’s operational procedures, the borrower (construction unit) should be responsible for the preparation of the “Evaluation and Monitoring Report on the Implementation of environmental management plan” (usually twice a year), to ensure all approved environmental management plans are well implemented and the environmental problems are timely detected, analyzed and addressed to control the adverse environmental impacts in the remaining works of the project.
Environmental management requires necessary information exchange among different departments and different positions in the project management offices, project owners, contractors and operators in each county (city), and all the organizations should also disclose relevant project information to external parties (stakeholders, the public, etc.).
Internal information exchange can be conducted in various ways, such as meetings and internal briefings. However, there must be one formal meeting every month, and all information exchange should be recorded and archived.
9.5.2 Supervision and Reporting Mechanism
The specific arrangements of the project’s supervision and reporting mechanism for the provincial PMO, the county (city) PMOs, the project owner, the construction & operation units, and the monitoring agency are presented as follows:
(1) The supervision engineer of the project is responsible for the daily supervision of environmental protection measures, recording the implementation in the supervision log and monthly report in detail, and timely submitting the weekly and monthly reports to the owners of the project and the county/(city) project office. Weekly and monthly reports should include the implementation of environmental protection measures.
(2) According to the project construction situation, the project office should conduct regular and irregular inspections to supervise and inspect the executed environmental management plan, record the problems and processes found in the project, and incorporate them in the semi-annual report.
(3) The external supervision unit is responsible for supervising the mitigation measures
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during the construction and operation period, focusing on the process of the environmental protection project, promptly urging the construction units to solve the problems found during the supervision process, handling the environmental protection technical problems actively and coordinately, ensuring that various environmental protection measures will be successfully implemented, and assisting the project office on the analysis and reporting work.
(4) After completing the entrusted monitoring task, the monitoring department will submit the monitoring report to the owners, the project office and the external supervision unit in time and indicate clearly whether the conclusion is up to compliance with the relevant standards and regulations according to the monitoring data, and briefly analyze the reasons for the non-compliance.
(5) The county (city) project office shall timely prepare progress reports based on (1)~(4), submit them to the provincial project office, and simultaneously copy them to the municipal environmental protection bureau. The progress report prepared by the project office must include the operation and effect of the environmental management plan, especially the environmental monitoring results, etc.
(6) In the event of a complaint about environmental protection, the external supervision unit, the county (city) project office, and the loan project management office of the World Bank shall notify the local administrative department of environmental protection and report the event to the higher-level office if necessary.
(7) The status of the project's environmental management plan can be submitted to the World Bank as a chapter of the semi-annual report of the project. The chapter can include the following main contents: a. A brief description of the main contents in the current period; b. The implementation of the environmental-related training plan in the current period, the changes and adjustments occurred in the project, and the handling of required procedures for environmental assessments; c. The status, existing problems and their reasons for environmental protection mitigation measures, and corrective measures for the next step; d. Development and main results of environmental monitoring, analysis of monitoring data, interpretation of non-compliance issues and proposing rectification suggestions; e. Recording of the main content of the complaint, solution and public satisfaction of the complaint if it occurs; f. Overall evaluation and conclusions on the implementation of the current environmental management plan, and advice and plans for the next year's environmental management.
9.5.3 Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM)
To better protect the interests of project-affected communities and residents, the project will establish a convenient, open, and effective mechanism for appealing, and the affected people can lodge complaints at any time during the implementation of the project. The mechanism is suitable for all affected persons in the project area, including ethnic
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minorities. The GRM for ethnic minorities refers to the original Indigenous People Development Plan developed for World Bank-financed Second Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project.
(1) The GRM principles include:
The participation and consultation of the above-mentioned beneficiary groups during the establishment and operation of the framework should be guaranteed, as well as the benefits of project groups from project implementation, the implementation of action plan to avoid or mitigate negative impacts, and the minimization of issues and social risks.
According to the World Bank's requirements and the requirements of Chinese government on petition system and with reference to successful experience in this field both in China and abroad, GRM mechanism should be established and improved for the project at the project management office and relevant governmental departments by making best use of existing petition system.
To improve the officials’ policy awareness in the committee of the project villages, the work consciousness and methods of the masses, the democratic style of work; fully listen to the opinions of the masses; resolve the problems and reconcile conflicts fairly and reasonably; or report to the superiors and seek a timely response.
Community organizations should be set up in each community of administrative villages. Special institutions should be set up to reflect and deal with the opinions and demands of the masses of the project, mainly composed by community organizations and village committees. The special institutions carry out their work and perform their duties with the support of community organizations and village committees.
(2) The GRM mechanism is presented below a)Institutions to receive complaints
The problems encountered by community residents during the implementation of the project are handled by the grassroots complaint acceptance agencies, which consist of village committees and community organizations. The problems cannot be solved by grassroots agencies will be transferred to the town government and the tourism bureau; finally, the town government and the tourism bureau will jointly report the complaint issues to the county government. If there are environmental problems and disputes caused by the project construction, residents can also report them to county-level, municipal and provincial environmental protection department. b)Complaint procedure:
Phase 1: If the villagers or households involved in the project area have opinions or dissatisfaction with the project, they can submit oral or written complaints to the community organization and the village committee at the same time; the oral complaints should be processed and recorded in writing by the agency. Reasonable requests or suggestions will be generally processed within two weeks after receiving the appeal.
Phase 2: If the complainant is still dissatisfied with the decision of the first stage, he can appeal to the township government after receiving the decision; the township government should decide the result of the complaint within two weeks after receiving the appeal.
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Phase 3: If the complainant is still dissatisfied with the decision of the second stage, he can appeal to the county (city) project office after receiving the decision. If the project construction causes environmental problems and disputes, the complaints can also be sent to the county (city) environmental protection bureau. The county (city) project office and the county (city) environmental protection bureau shall decide the result of the complaint within two weeks after receiving the appeal.
Phase 4: If the complainant is still dissatisfied with the decision of the county (city) project office, he can appeal to the provincial project office after receiving the conclusion of the third stage. If the project construction causes environmental problems and disputes, the complaints can also be sent to the Provincial Environmental Protection Agency.
Phase 5: If the complainant is still dissatisfied with the results of the provincial project office and the provincial environmental protection department, after receiving the decision of the provincial project office and the provincial environmental protection department, he can sue in a civil court according to the civil procedural law.
Phase 6: Sue in the civil court.
The appealing channels above will be informed to the villagers in the project area through meetings and other means to guarantee that the villagers will have fully understood their right to appeal. At the same time, media tools will be used to strengthen publicity and reporting of the mechanisms for appealing. The opinions and suggestions of all parties in the project will be compiled into information provisions, which will be studied and handled by all levels of government promptly. No charge will be made by the institution that accepts the complaint. Below is the flow chart of the appealing procedure.
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Figure 9-1 GRM Flow Chart.
(3) Mechanism for the feedback of the appealing
The mechanism for the feedback of the appealing refers to an internal monitoring mechanism established by the project office in the appealing process. The significance of establishing this mechanism is:
• This mechanism can timely feedback to the affected people of the project, reflecting the concern of the project on the affected families, protect their legitimate rights and interests, and maintain their enthusiasm for participation;
• This mechanism can timely feedback to the project owner and the implementation unit, point out the problems and deficiencies in the development actions to attract the attention of relevant departments, and make improvements for this project.
(4) Record of the appealing
An Effective mechanism for the feedback of the appealing include standardized records, tracking, and periodic reporting systems.
Standardized records: The standardized record is the basis for the collection, classification, and sorting of information. The main contents of the list of the record of the appealing include the basic situation of the complainant, the basic situation of the complaint, the basic situation of the respondent, and the inspection of the issue. 136
Tracking: The team cannot solve the problem completely because of the wide range of the complaint. Hence, the corresponding professions or relevant agencies should be commissioned to respond to the complaints. The commission will be tracked to guarantee that the complainants can be replied within the stipulated time.
Periodic reports: The report is the final step in achieving feedback. The above tracking procedures have feedback on the project owner and the implementation side, basically. But that feedback is individually for each complaint. So, it is necessary to report the overall situation of all the complaints that occurred within a specified period, including the handling of appeals that have not been responded in the previous period, the main issues disclosed in the complaints arising in the current period, the proposed treatment methods and corrective measures. These above can be reflected in separate reports or regular internal monitoring reports.
9.6 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Management Requirements
(1) Employees should pay attention to personal protection and carry out necessary and appropriate work exercises during daily work;
(2) In the event of an emergency, employees should obey the unified command and arrangement of the relevant personnel of the company to avoid confusion and secondary accidents;
(3) Staff in the construction site shall wear flexible labor suits, flat-bottomed anti-skid shoes, and wear adequately qualified helmets. During the work, the helmets shall not be taken off, laid on the table, or used as cushions. It is banned to enter the construction site after drinking alcohol;
(3) During the construction operations, special attention should be paid to the various safety warning signs set on the site. No wandering or activities shall be allowed in the safety warning zone;
(4) When working at heights, workers at height should be accompanied by the personnel of the project department with seat belts fastened. It is not allowed to climb, sit and move without protective measures;
(5) At the construction site, workers should pay attention to the surrounding environment and machine vehicles, noticing holes, cavities, ditches, pits, and other obstacles, mind falling objects at high altitude, and prevent objects from hitting; it is strictly forbidden to operate on-site machinery and touch electrical equipment at will in case of the occurrence of machinery. Accidents and electric shocks.
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10. Public Participation and Information Disclosure
During EIA preparation, two rounds of public consultation and information disclosure were conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Interim Measures for Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessment (Huafa 2006 No. [28]). The public opinions on the project were collected through online and field disclosure, which provides a basis for decision making on environmental management during project design, construction and operation.
10.1 Online Disclosure
I. First round Date: August 13th, 2019 URL: Official website of Jingtai County Government, Gansu Province http://www.jingtai.gov.cn/4299177/13070493.html The screenshot for the first round of disclosure is shown below. Figure 10-1 First round of information disclosure.
II. Second round Date: September 20th, 2019 URL: Official website of Jingtai County Government, Gansu Province http://www.jingtai.gov.cn/4299177/13364416.html 138
The screenshot for the second round of information disclosure is shown below. Figure 10-2 Second round of information disclosure.
10.2 Field Disclosure and Public Consultation
During online disclosure, the project information was also disclosed at local project-affected villages along with the consultation through meetings with project-affected persons, as shown in the pictures below.
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Figure 10-3 Field information disclosure and public consultation.
Through public participation in the survey, the construction of this project has received the supports of most local public and relevant units. At the same time, the construction unit is also strongly required to strictly implement various environmental protection measures during the construction and operation of the project, reduce the emission of pollutants, and pay attention to the ecological environment protection of the project area.
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11. Conclusions and Recommendations
11.1 Conclusions
(1) Project Overview
Project Name: New Subproject of World Bank-financed Second Gansu Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project: Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism and Community Development
Construction unit: Management Committee of Yellow River Stone Forest Grand Scenic Area
Project Nature: new construction
Project investment: The total investment of the project is 282.8049 million yuan.
Main construction contents: protection and display area ofthe intangible cultural heritage of sheepskin scorpion; inheritance and display base of folk culture (Country stage), riverside scenic road and its affiliated projects, walking trail, wooden plank road, the No.2 bridge of the Yellow River waterwheel, the ecology Parking lot, the leisure gallery, the exhibition hall of agricultural product, family playground, ecological water channel, ecological greening, apple storage, rural cultural market, visitor service center, scenic gate, transfer node, hydrophilic platform, garbage collection, etc. The tourist service center and the scenic gate are located in the experimental area of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve.
(2) Analysis of compliance with industrial policies
According to the Guiding Catalogue of Industrial Structure Adjustment (2019), this project belongs to the Article 34 of the first category of encouragement, the Tourism Industry Article 2 "Integrated development of other tourism resources, infrastructure and information services", in line with the national industrial policy.
(3)Environmental Investment Estimation
The total investment of the project is 282.8049 million yuan, of which environmental protection investment is about 422,000 yuan, accounting for 0.15% of the total investment.
(4)Compliance analysis with relevant planning a) Compliance with Tourism Development Plan of Baiyin(2012-2030)
According to the Tourism Development Plan of Baiyin(2012-2030), Baiyin should highlight characteristics actively and innovatively, create famous brands based on its superior resources. Features are the soul and life of the tourism industry. As a characteristic and renowned brand to develop and construct in Baiyin, the imposing Yellow River Stone Forest Geological Wonders and the Yellow River Customs Tourist Area will enhance the formation of Great Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism Zone, play an essential radiation role in the regional sequential development, help to achieve the goal
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of making Jingtai an important county of tourist interest. Specifically, the scenic area can be divided into the Yellow River Customs Tourist Area, the Rural Leisure Resort Area, the Ecological Leisure Area, the Screen Cultural Experience Area, the Silk Road Sightseeing Area, and the "Red" Tourist Attraction. ” This project is the infrastructure construction of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism Zone in Jingtai County. The construction content is in line with the relevant planning requirements in the “Tourism Development Plan of Baiyin (2012-2030)”. b) Compliance Analysis of the project with Comprehensive Planning of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism Area (Revision) (2016-2020)
As a high-quality project, the Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection and Development Project of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area will construct, promote and publicize the local tourism resources on a broader platform, and strive to become “an internationally influential Tourist resort” in the 18 places of interest in Gansu Province.”
The construction content of this project is in line with the relevant planning requirements in the Comprehensive Planning of the Yellow River Stone Forest Tourism Area (Revision) (2016-2020). c) Compliance with Comprehensive Planning of Gansu Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest National Geological Park (Revision) (2016-2030)
The geological park includes geological heritage landscape area, cultural landscape area, integrated service area, natural ecological area, and Residential reserve area.
This project is the infrastructure construction of Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Park, which is mainly to improve the tourism infrastructure and enhance the service function of the reserve. The construction content is distributed in the control area, and the project construction meets the planning requirements. d) Compliance with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves (amended on October 7, 2017)
According to Article 32 of the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves, “production facilities which would pollute the environment and destroy resources or landscapes shall not be built in the experimental area of a nature reserve; for other projects, the discharge of pollutants shall not exceed the limits set by the national or local standards.”
The visitor service center and the scenic gate of the project are located in the experimental area of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve. The solid waste, noise and other pollution generated during the construction and operation process can be reduced to an acceptable level by taking corresponding measures to meet the requirements of corresponding pollutant discharge standards, and the small scale of the project has little impact on the regional landscape. Therefore, it is consistent with the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nature Reserves. e)Compliance with Regulations of Gansu Province on the Management of Natural Reserves (January 1, 2019)
According to Article 21 of the Regulations of Gansu Province on the Management of
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Natural Reserves, the following acts are prohibited in nature reserves: (1) logging, grazing, earth fetching, hunting, fishing, collecting medicine, reclamation, burning, mining, quarrying, and dredging in nature reserves, except as otherwise provided by laws and administrative regulations; (2) dumping solid waste into nature reserves and discharging harmful and toxic sewage and waste gas.
The visitor service center and the scenic gate of the project are located in the experimental area of the Jingtai Yellow River Stone Forest Nature Reserve. During the construction period, the project adopts measures like watering and covering to reduce the impact of dust on the environment. At the same time, it will adopt sound and noise reduction measures to decrease the impact of construction noise on the acoustic environment. Soil and water conservation is implemented during the construction process. Relevant personnel will also carry out ecological restoration measures on temporarily occupied land after the construction. After strictly practicing environmental protection and pollution prevention measures, the quality of the internal environment will not be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is consistent with the Regulations of Gansu Province on the Management of Natural Reserves.
(5)Current Environmental Quality a) Water environment
The only transit water system in Jingtai County is the Yellow River, passing through Lanzhou, Baiyin, and Jingyuan County, from Weiquan to Jingtai. The mainstream of the Yellow River in the seat region of this project (Beiwan-Wufo Temple) is the fishery and industrial water area, of which water quality goal is class III.
According to the monitoring of surface water quality in the Baiyin Section of the Yellow River in February 2019, the Baiyin City Environmental Monitoring Station conducted routine monitoring of the Wufo Temple section on 14th, February.
According to the test results, the surface water quality in the Baiyin Section of the Yellow River meets the Class III standard of Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water(GB3838-2002), and the water environment quality is in good condition. b) Atmospheric environment
According to the Environmental Quality Communique of Baiyin City (2018), the annual 3 average concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 in Baiyin City were 46ug/m , 26ug/m3, 82ug/m3, and 34ug/m3 respectively; The 95th percentile of CO per 24 hours is 3 the 3 1.6mg/m , and the maximum average 90 percentile of O3 per 8 hours is 133ug/ m ; the pollutant exceeding the secondary standard limit of Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012) For PM10,.
According to the Technical guidelines for environmental impact assessment：Atmosphere ” (HJ2.2-2018), with 2018 as the base year for evaluation, Baiyin City, where the project is located, is not up to the standard. c) Noise
The current situation of the acoustic environment quality of the project is based on the monitoring report of the acoustic environment quality conducted by the Gansu Huading
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Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. on 30th~31st July 2019.
According to the test results, the monitoring points of this project implement Class 1 standard (55dB(A) in daytime and 45dB(A) in nighttime), the daytime monitoring value is between 45.6~49.9dB(A), and the nighttime monitoring value is 35.8 ~39.4dB (A). Therefore, none of them exceeded the standard, and the compliance rate is 100%. It can be seen that the acoustic environment quality of the project area is excellent.
(6) Conclusion of Environmental Impact Assessment a) Conclusion of environmental impact assessment during the construction period
• Wastewater
The wastewater during the construction period of the project is mainly construction wastewater and construction workers' life sewage.
The life sewage of construction workers will be discharged to the existing flushing public toilets in the scenic area, transited to the Longwan Village Sewage Treatment Station, finally, flow into the Yellow River after being treated by the sewage treatment station.
Construction water should be saved as much as possible. The construction wastewater will be settled by sedimentation tanks, then utilized for construction process to achieve comprehensive utilization and recycling.
• Exhaust gas
During the construction process, the working site adopts enclosures to reduce the spread of dust, which has a significant effect on reducing dust pollution to the environment.
At the construction site, employees are required to sprinkle water on the construction site to reduce dust regularly. The frequency of watering is determined according to the weather conditions. Generally, water is sprayed 1-2 times a day. If there is strong wind or dry weather, the number of watering can be increased.
The stacking location of powdery building materials should be selected 200m away from environmentally sensitive points in wind direction. The stockpiles should be decreased and used in time. When stacking, relevant personnel should take measures to prevent wind and rain, set up hounding, and cover the felt-cloth in bad weather if necessary.
Powdered materials like lime should be packed or bagged and forbidden to transport in bulk. Vehicles that transport earthwork and construction materials should be equipped with anti-scatter equipment. The loading should not be overfilled to prevent it from being blown up by strong winds. It is strictly prohibited to the raising and scatter of the dust during transportation.
Construction vehicles must be inspected regularly; construction time should be arranged reasonable and shortened as much as possible. Civilized Construction should be practiced at all times, too.
The project adopts a fully enclosed asphalt paver for operation and requires advanced paving equipment. The asphalt paving machinery should have proper sealing and dust removal devices, of which maximum allowable discharge concentration and the maximum 144
allowable discharge rate should meet the requirement of Comprehensive Discharge Standard of Atmospheric Pollutants (GB16297-1996). There should not be noticeable unorganized emissions in producing pieces of equipment.
• Noise
The construction unit must select construction machinery and vehicles that meet the relevant national standards and use low-noise construction machinery and technology as much as possible.
The construction unit should reasonably arrange the construction workers to take turns to operate pieces of equipment with high radiation and loud noise, reduce the time for workers to hear high noise, and pay attention to the maintenance of the machinery to keep the road construction machinery at its lowest sound level.
In the construction section with sensitive points nearby, work with loud noise construction machinery should be stopped at night (22:00~6:00).
There should be sampling inspection on sensitive points close to the construction site. Corresponding noise reduction measures should strictly control the operation time of large construction machinery according to the sampling test results.
• Solid waste
The solid waste during the construction period of the project is mainly construction waste, life garbage generated by construction workers, and excavated earth and stone.
The available parts of construction waste will be recycled, and unavailable parts will be regularly disposed to the designated place of the urban construction department for reasonable disposal.
The life garbage produced by the project will be collected and sorted in the classified recycling garbage bins, then placed in the life garbage transfer station of the scenic spot, then cleared by the environmental sanitation department, finally transported to the Baiyin Domestic Waste Incineration Plant for disposal. b) Conclusion of Environmental Impact Assessment during Operation Period
• Noise
The construction unit should strengthen the management of the open parking lot, reduce the impact of traffic noise on the environment of the project area, develop the management of the select vehicles for the travel, keep the traffic flowing smoothly, set the speed bump in the parking lot, and reduce the honking.
Tourists in the entertainment activities need to be guided and regulated strictly to reduce the high voices in the scenic area, etc. Greening in the area should be strengthened.
The noise of the mechanical equipment of the project is mainly the noise generated by the water supply pump and air conditioner, which need to be installed in a closed room with the essential anti-seismic devices and sealing doors and windows of rooms. Sound mitigation measures above should be taken to meet the standard to reduce the
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environmental impact.
• Wastewater
The wastewater during the operation period of the project is mainly domestic sewage and catering wastewater generated by tourists. The catering wastewater is pretreated by the oil-water separator and discharged into the sewage pipe network of the scenic area; the domestic sewage at the gate of the scenic area is treated by the Integrated Sewage Treatment Station and used for greening at the gate of the scenic area; the domestic sewage inside the scenic area and the catering wastewater after pretreatment are discharged into the sewage pipe network of the scenic area, and finally into the Yellow River Stone Forest Grand Scenic Area sewage treatment station The sewage is discharged into the Yellow River after being treated by the sewage treatment station to the relevant standard.
• Exhaust gas
The transfer station adopts the measures of sealed boxes+biological deodorant; the cleaner should carry on the towing sweep to the toilet every day to keep the toilet environment clean and sanitary to prevent the breeding of flies. To reduce pollution to the region's ambient air, garbage collection points should be cleaned and treated daily.
The toilet of this project is the water closet, which should be flushed passingly, and the cleaning personnel should sweep the toilet every day to keep the toilet clean.
The catering of the visitor center uses a fume purification facility with a removal efficiency >75%, and the soot emission concentration can reach the standard of the Emission standard of cooking fume(Trial) (GB18483-2001), which means the measures are feasible.
• Solid waste
The domestic garbage generated by tourists is placed in the scenic garbage transfer station of the scenic area, and is regularly cleared and transported to the Baiyin Domestic Waste Incineration Plant for disposal by the environmental sanitation department; the sludge of the Integrated Sewage Treatment Station of this project is cleaned once every half year for the composting of surrounding farmland. c) Ecological environment
①protective measures for wild plants
Construction units should reasonably arrange the construction progress and manage to avoid the construction of the rainy season. The excavated earthwork shall be temporarily piled up in woven bags, and placed in a neat and tidy manner, and the hounding measures shall be taken to minimize the occurrence of soil erosion.
The current situation of the site in the protected area is bare land, and the planning scope should be strictly controlled. The construction workers should strengthen their environmental and hygienic awareness and control the impact of the dust, domestic garbage, and construction garbage of the project area.
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②protective measures for wild animals
Construction units should rationally plan and coordinate the construction season and time, try to avoid the breeding period and migration period of wild animals according to the regulation of wildlife activities. Most wild animals go out for food in the morning, dusk, and night. Hence the construction units should manage to avoid these times to reduce the impact on wildlife.
It is necessary to reduce the construction noise, reasonably control the scope of construction work, and reduce the adverse effects on the wildlife during the construction period. When construction machinery, vehicles, etc. need to be repaired or maintained, the arrangements about them should be made outside the protected area to reduce direct interference.
Construction units should avoid disturbing the normal activities of wild animals during the construction process. Therefore, vehicles, construction machinery, and human-induced interference factors should be reduced. Construction units should set the signs to limit speed and forbid honking, reasonably arrange construction time, reduce nighttime operation, and minimize disturbance of light and noise to wildlife.
(7)Public participation
During the evaluation period, the construction unit released the environmental impact of the project construction through the Jingtai County People's Government Network and collected public opinions and suggestions within the scope of influence. Statistical analysis of the survey results show that the public supports the construction of the project without objection.
(8) Evaluation conclusion
In summary, the project is in line with the national industrial policy and related planning, the site selection is reasonable, and there is no objection from the public. There are no apparent constraints and influencing factors on the project in surrounding environment; the construction of the project will improve the infrastructure of the Yellow River Stone Forest in Jingtai County, promote the development of the scenic area, and ensure that the “three wastes” can be discharged obeying the relevant standards on the basis of implementing various environmental protection measures. The impact of the project on the protected area is mainly reflected in the soil erosion caused by the project operation and the damage to the living environment of the animals and plants. For the reason that the project adopts greening measures during the operation period, the impact of the project in the surrounding environment is within the acceptable range. The construction of this project is feasible.
11.2 Recommendations
(1) The construction unit should strengthen environmental supervision and environmental law enforcement, conscientiously implement the environmental management of the project, earnestly implement the “three simultaneousness” system, and strictly enforce laws and regulations about environmental protection.
(2) The construction unit should arrange the construction time reasonably and reduce the impact on the sensitive environment along the project. 147
(3) The construction unit should carry out soil and water conservation in strict accordance with the water conservation plan.
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