Lehrman Architects and Town Planners, Ltd. 120 Yigal Alon St., Tel Aviv 67443 Tel.: 03-6959893, Fax: 03-6960299 Ministry of Energy and Water Resources N. O. P. 37 H For Natural Gas Treatment Facilities From Natural Gas Discoveries Environmental Impact Survey Chapter 1 – Land Environment October 2012 ETHOS – Architecture, Planning and Environment, Ltd. 5 Habanai St., Hod Hasharon 45319 ISRAEL www.ethos-group.co.il [email protected] Fax: 09-7404499 Tel.: 09-7883555 Abstract Chapter 1 – Description of the environment to which the plan relates The main purpose of NOP/37 H is to create a planning framework that will enable the gas companies to produce, transport and transmit natural gas to the existing and planned national transmission system from the sources that have been discovered and may be discovered in the future, in offshore wells opposite the Israeli coast. The purpose of the present phase – Chapters 1 and 2 of the Environmental Impact Survey – is to examine five onshore alternatives for the receiving and treatment facilities: 1. Dor North 2. Ein Ayala 3. Hagit East 4. Hadera Wastewater Treatment Facility 5. Meretz Wastewater Treatment Facility Additionally, three alternatives are being investigated regarding offshore sites for platforms that will be part of the natural gas treatment array in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Environmental Protection from March 29, 2012, which were approved at a meeting of the National Board and are attached hereto as Appendix A. It should be noted that concomitant with the EIS document that looks at alternative locations from environmental perspectives, an additional document is being prepared that will be submitted in parallel, presenting the engineering, security and other aspects for examining the aforesaid alternatives. The analysis for the impact of implementing the plan on the plan area and vicinity and its integration with the environment, addresses the following topics: Land usage / zoning – A survey was conducted of the existing land usages in the area covered by the review of the proposed alternatives for gas treatment systems. Land zoning areas were reviewed vis-à-vis national and district outline plans, detailed plans that have been approved and submitted, and conceptual and plans that are being prepared. Population concentrations – This section offers population projections in the area of the survey and surrounding the gas treatment facility alternatives. Population concentrations were presented as they are at present, projections for five years as estimated according to approved and submitted plans, and projections for ten years based on conceptual and plans that are being prepared. Meteorology and air quality – This section presents the meteorological status of each of the treatment facility alternatives and how this status is likely in influence the dispersion of pollutants emitted into the air. Data used to assess the meteorological status of each alternative were taken from meteorological stations that represent, as closely as possible, the present meteorological status. In order to describe the current air quality for the various alternatives, data was analyzed and calculated from two sources: Air quality data from existing monitoring stations of the Sharon-Carmel Regional Association; Calculation of pollutant concentrations in the environment by running the AERMOD modeling system. Data on current emissions as obtained from the Environmental Protection Ministry were input into the model, along with future emissions from approved plans as will be specified below. Data on contaminant concentrations received from monitoring stations and modeling calculations were compared to the environmental target values appearing in the Regulations for Air Quality Values – 2011, of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (Clean Air Regulations, Air Quality Values – Temporary Provisions, 5771-2011). Air pollutants that were investigated according to the Environmental Protection Ministry’s guidelines for the EIS: Sodium dioxide (SO2) Nitrogen oxides (NOX) Benzene Appearance – This section presents the visual analysis of the proposed gas treatment facility alternatives. The analysis includes presentation of the visual basin, analyzes the visibility of the proposed plan from prominent points in the area where people can be found, such as residential areas, roadways, sites used for visiting and touring, and so on. Seismology – This section of the Survey deals with the seismological risks to which the onshore gas facilities discussed in the proposed plan are liable to be exposed. This section brings a review of all the seismic risks and a detailed assessment of the feasibility and level of risk for each one based on existing knowledge for each of the onshore gas facilities, coastal entrance arrays, and along the pipeline that connects the coastal entrance array, the facilities and the national transmission system. This section also includes general geological background, and details of the seismotectonic model used to characterize the regional seismogenic sources and which was the basis for calculating peak ground acceleration (PGA) at the sites of the different alternatives. Also presented are the different seismic risks examined for each alternative, including the criteria used to make these assessments. The end of the section presents seismic risk data for each of the proposed arrays. Hydrogeology and soil – In this section the survey presents a review of the relevant elements on the surface and below ground in the area of the treatment arrays, the purpose of which is to present the hydrological and hydrogeological conditions in the plan area in order to examine and assess the alternatives from these perspectives. Furthermore the survey refers to the guidelines and maps attached to the relevant national outline plans. The survey provides a basis for comparing the different alternative locations, assessing the impact of facility construction on the environment, and proposes guidelines for reducing possible damage to groundwater in later parts of the survey. Hazardous materials – This section is based on agreements coordinated with the Ministry of Environmental Protection – Hazardous Materials Department on July 31, 2011, regarding how to assess risks and separation distances for natural gas according to the underlying assumptions presented in this section. The separation distances report presented in this section will serve as a basis for examining the treatment arrays presented in Chapter 2 in terms of risks. Nature, landscape and heritage treasures – This section presents the plan area in terms of the parameters specified below. The survey was prepared for the treatment facility site alternatives at a distance of up to one km from the exploration area, and about 150 m from the building line boundaries for the pipeline alignment to a distance of some 300 m west of the shoreline: 1. Landscape units – looking at the plan environment from landscape perspectives (which are specified as part of the visual analysis). Additionally, an ecological examination was conducted, which included analyzing the continuity of ecological corridors and habitats within the plan area and vicinity. 2. Flora – this section looks at plant growth in the survey area based on a review of habitats, a field survey, and a review of the literature. Furthermore, endangered and rare species found in the plan area and/or vicinity are also presented. 3. Fauna – animals are presented in the survey based on a field survey and review of the literature. The information presented includes a table that specifies animals that were observed or that are likely to be found in the plan area – data is based on the Red Book of Invertebrates, the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ministry of Environmental Protection edited. 4. Heritage and historic sites – heritage and historic sites in the vicinity of the alternatives were examined based on existing information the list of recognized antiquities sites given by the Antiquities Authorities updated as of 2011, and responses to the plan from the Antiquities Authority and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites. Oceanographic and meteorological conditions – This section features a survey of the sedimentological aspects that are relevant to the onshore environment, mainly in the area of the coastal entrance array. The remaining requirements of this chapter as outlined in the Survey Guidelines will be addressed as part of the EIS for the marine environment, which is currently being written. Noise – In order to estimate the acoustic climate that characterizes the plan area in general, and the noise for potential noise recipients in particular, background noise measurements were made under current conditions. Noise measurements under current conditions constitute a basis for comparison with noise levels as calculated for future conditions and for defining the extent of the change in noise in the wake of the plan under consideration. Noise under current conditions includes all of the existing fixed noise sources in the area of noise recipients and sensitive areas that are likely to be affected by the plan. In order to characterize the noise levels for the Dor North, Emek Hefer – Meretz Wastewater Treatment Facility and Hagit East alternatives, two series of noise measurements were conducted – one during the day and the other at night. Environmental noise measurements were conducted for periods of about 10 minutes at each site, for both daytime and nighttime