WATER POLLUTION MANAGEMENT FOR SILT DISCHARGE IN LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT SITES: CASE STUDY OF DOWNTOWN LINE

2, CONTRACT 911
Jernice Kew Huiling, Executive Engineer (Environmental) Alex Yip Jui Yong, Deputy Project Manager
Safety Division, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Downtown Line 2 (Civil Construction Team 1), Land Transport Authority, Singapore Jernice_kew@lta.gov.sg, Jui_yong_yip@lta.gov.sg

ABSTRACT With the rapid development and transformation of Singapore's urban landscape that boosted the construction industry over the last decade, water pollution from the construction sites has become a major concern. Construction projects could cause substantial environmental impacts if effective management control is not put in place. When top soils are cleared for site preparation works, erosion will occur during rainy days. The silt bearing runoffs will result in massive sediment pollution in our water catchments such as the scenic reservoirs and Marina Barrage. Silt turns the waterway turbid, preventing sunlight infiltration and destroys aquatic life. Not only is marine ecology devastated, the aesthetic beauty of the reservoirs will be badly affected. Therefore, with the intensive and extensive construction activities currently going on, effective earth control measures and management are necessary and essential for maintaining the sustainability of our precious water resources. Contract 911 (C911) - Design and Construction of Depot for Downtown Line 2 is one of the project with the largest earthworks and excavation activities. Contract 911 (C911) involved the excavation of about 3.85 millions m3 of earth and with a large site area of 25 ha. It faces greater difficulties in terms of erosion control as compare to its neighbouring sites along the developing rail transit line. Furthermore, the existing site terrace (high slope area) stretches from north to south of the entire construction site has also post greater challenges in controlling effective soil erosion and management. The overall erosion drainage system, retention ponds, water treatment plants, erosion control measures, etc have to be carefully designed and assessed. A holistic review of the ECM is thorough and precise. Hence, this paper aims to draw on C911s unique characteristic as a platform to highlight the importance of controlling silt discharges, foster greater awareness of our commitment and share our experiences on the challenges faced in the delivery of our land transport infrastructure projects. Keywords: Construction; sediment; erosion; land transport; water pollution; silt; water resource management; road; rail

INTRODUCTION Singapore, located at the Southern tip of Malaysia Peninsular, is a country with a total land area of 707.1 m2. Despite being a small island, the Singapore Government places great emphasis in water resource management. Via the virtues of early land use planning, 30% of the land has been allocated as water catchment areas and the whole island wired up by a huge network of storm water canals and drains, to capture as much of its annual 2400mm rainfall as possible, which eventually is diverted into these catchment areas or reservoirs for water provision and portability.

Given the large networks of canals and drains and the high storm water catchment rate in Singapore, surface runoffs from the construction sites will find their way easily to the reservoirs. In addition, with the land scarcity and large catchment areas, it is no surprise that sites may be found within 1 or 2 kilometers of these reservoirs, creating direct impact to the marine lives and potentially turning water from blue to brown. For example, Downtown Line 1 and Circle Line, one of the many railway lines LTA is currently developing, is located within the basin of one of Singapores most important and new catchment area known as the Marina Barrage. Other than the intention of turning the Barrage into one of Singapores water sources, there are also plans to transform the area into a bustling recreational hub for

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water activities. Economic repercussions will be huge if the water is allowed to be silted overtime. Hence, the Land Transport Authority being the largest developer has a major role to play. Land Transport Authority (LTA) LTA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport that spearheads land transport developments in Singapore which includes roads, rails (Rail Transit System), pedestrian facilities as well as regulating vehicular and traffic matters. LTA has till date developed almost 150km length of MRT both above and below ground as well as a wide array and network of expressways, arterial, collector and local access roads which adds up to more than 3,300km and has currently continued to expand its rail network system to include Downtown Line 1 and 2. DOWNTOWN LINE 2 - CONTRACT 911 Contract 911 (C911) is managed by LTAs main contractor: GS Engineering & Construction Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure Ltd. Joint Venture (GS-JVHLS). It comprises the design, construction and completion of the Depot and its connecting tunnels between contract boundary C912. C911 is one of the projects with the largest earthworks and excavation activities. It has a land area of about 25 ha and an estimated volume of 3.85 million m3 of earth to be excavated. The proposed Depot for Downtown line (DTL) is located along Woodlands Road and stretch from the junction of Kranji Expressway (KJE) to Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery opposite of Sungei Kadut Avenue. The proposed Depot as a self contained operational unit which will be providing maintenance, operations and support for the operation of Downtown Line. The proposed Depot is located at the northern end of DTL and is designed to maintain an ultimate fleet of 108x3 car electric trains for operation of services together with supporting service vehicles. WATER C911 POLLUTION MANAGEMENT AT

As required by Singapores Legislation, C911 GS-JVHLS had engaged a Qualified Erosion Control Professional (QECP) to plan and design a system of earth control measures (ECM). QECPs are registered Professional Engineers who has satisfactorily completed specialized professional course in erosion and sediment control. The submission would have to include design calculations and specifications such that the discharge contains less than 50mg/l of total suspended solids (TSS), the maximum allowable legal limit stated in the code of practice. Due to its sheer size, C911 site was segregated into 4 areas and the ECM plan was initially developed separately for each of the area before construction works start. As work in the Depot progressed with increasing complexity, the team saw that there was a need to revise and combine all 4 ECM plans to ensure that the ECM system remains effective and integrated.

Figure 1: Earth Control Plan On top of the existing legislations, LTA has developed internal manual and specifications that sets the standards and system which are required to establish during the construction phase they are the Safety, Health & Environmental Management System (SHEMS) Manual, and the General Specifications (GS). The SHEMS Manual provides a guide for LTA project teams to carry out construction work activities on-site, with due considerations given to environmental protection. The GS on the other hand, stipulates contractors responsibilities and provides details on the provisions that they must provide, with some of the requirements being stricter than what is legally required. For example, the Environmental Control Officers (ECO) engaged by contractors must have at least 3 years of practical experience relevant to ECO scope of works and they must attend professional courses on erosion control so that they have required knowledge and expertise to manage silt runoffs on site. Other effective requirements unique to LTA will be mentioned in the following section.

Pre-Construction Stage

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Construction Stage Challenges The concurrent massive excavation work post a great challenge to the erosion control work. The measures implemented have to be continuously monitored, improved, enhanced and relocated. The terrains and landscape of the entire work site is changing from time to time. As such, the extensive drainage system in Area 1 to 4 have to be diverted, adjusted or relocated from stage to stage. The nature of the excavation work such as large slope excavation has again challenged the effectiveness of the erosion control measure implemented. The runoff is accelerated and has pick up more erosion before it is channeled or diverted to the controlled drainage system. In addition, the natural location as such higher platform level over the entire work site than to the adjacent industrial estate has again constituted a greater challenge. The design and implemented erosion control system has to be effective, efficient and flood protected. No over flow from the erosion control system from the depot site to the Woodlands Road and the adjacent industrial estate is allowed Figure 2: Permanent Turf Works started in the early phases Whenever possible, bare surfaces are protected from erosion at source by means of various types of covers. Such covers include use of erosion control blanket, LSS, hardcores and canvas sheets. In many circumstances, there are limited areas where protective covers can be used due to the many continual on-going works that is carried out on site. However, GS-JV-HLS does recognize the importance of reducing runoffs at source. Hence, bare areas with no activities at the time being (such as surcharging areas) are identified and covered with either erosion control blanket or LSS. Other areas where works are more frequent are, whenever possible, covered with canvas sheet.

Earth Control Measures on Site C911 first started off with studies looking into the feasibility of minimizing the formation of bare surfaces by opening up the land in phases. Taking into account the balance between economic constraints and environmental protection, earthworks are phased into 2 stages Area 3, 4 and 1 and Area 2. Area 2 (of about 10ha) had started 9 months later. Another strategy that C911 had adopted is to prioritize permanent turfing and road works so that these designated bare slopes are quickly cut to the required angles and shapes and turfed/paved up as swiftly as possible.

Figure 3: Various Earth Control Measures on Site

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Topography of C911 shows that the site generally slopes towards Woodlands Road. Given the large amount of on-going construction activities and the size of the site, effective sediment controls are one of the key measures in preventing silty water from flooding Woodlands Road and flowing out into the stormwater canal. GS-JV-HLS employed the use of the following measures to contain all runoffs within the site and to set up a flow system that directs water to be treated to a level of less than 50mg/l before discharging: Perimeter and Internal Drainage System Pre-cast concrete perimeter drains coupled with internal concrete-lined drainage system forms the most important network for an effective sediment control. This project site has by far one of the most numbers and length of internal drains that mostly lie along the bottom of the terraced slopes and surcharging areas, thus capturing all laden runoffs before directing them to the sedimentation/retention ponds. These internal drains are necessary to reduce potential floodings on the uneven grounds at lowlying areas of the site and to reduce further erosion at the bottom of the slope.

Figure 5: Surcharging area preventing runoffs away from site Retention Ponds, Treatment Plants and Monitoring Devices A total of 4 giant retention ponds, 1 for each of the 4 areas, have been built to accommodate the maximum volume of a once in 2 years rainfall. Each pond measures as follows: - Area 1 pond = 100m x 21m x 3m - Area 2 pond = 65m x 20m x 3m - Area 3 pond = 80m x 12m x 3m - Area 4 pond = 80m x 15m x 2.5m A treatment plant of 60m3/h capacity, situated next to each pond has also been catered for all 4 areas. Discharges are continuously monitored through wireless TSS (total suspended solids) monitoring system where TSS readings can be captured online at the comfort of ones office. Such device comes with an additional feature of SMS (short messaging system) alerts where it sends an SMS to the relevant personnel when the TSS readings reach above the legal requirements of 50mg/l. CCTV camera was also installed at the site of discharge to monitor the quality of water output.

Figure 4: ECM plan showing the intricate network of drainage system Use of Surcharging Area Despite the many challenges, C911 had their share of good fortune. The designated 2m high surcharging area is located between the slopes and Woodlands Road, thus providing a much required obstacle to prevent surface runoffs from discharging out from the site.

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Figure 8: Silt fence surrounding stockpile

Figure 9: Silt Trap Earth Control Measures Programmes Figure 6: Retention ponds, treatment systems & monitoring devices on site Silt Fence and Silt Traps While most other construction sites uses silt fence to line the drains so as to reduce the amount of silt flowing into the drainage system, C911 employs the use of silt fence in other ways as well. Silt fences were lined around material stockpiles to ensure that the material are, as far as possible, retained within the designated area. Silt trap have also been installed along the perimeter drains. LTA had been very active in encouraging contractors, including GS-JV-HLS, to perform above legal and inhouse requirements for environmental matters. Over the years, a number of schemes and educational programmes had been launched to ensure Singapores environment is being protected while meeting the developmental needs of the society. One such effective scheme developed, and used in C911 as well, is the Environmental, Safety and Security (ESS) assessment. The purpose of such scheme is to monitor the contractors EHS performance on a monthly basis throughout the contract duration. The assessment consists of a main ESS form and an annex of ESS form. The annex assessment form details areas, encompassing ECM, solid waste management, noise control, water pollution control, air pollution control and mosquito control, to be assessed for comprehensive assessment on Environmental Management. ECM and water pollution control holds a high weightage of 27 out of the total 80 marks. The score given in the annex will be pro-rated to 5% of the main ESS form which consist of mainly safety management and practices. The LTA person-in-charge of contract, tasked as the assessor, has to evaluate the contractors ECM and

Figure 7: Silt fence along perimeter drains

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water pollution control performance on the following items:

Environmental Management Items Adequate protection of exposed earth & material Adequate & effective provision/ maintenance of silt traps, silt fence, wash bays & perimeter cut-off drains Concentration of total suspended solids in discharge not greater than 50mg/L Prevention of earth or construction wastes littering from construction vehicles Water Pollution Control No sign of oil leakages No sign of chemical leakages Max Score 5 Actual Score

2006, a series publication have been release year after year posters promoting effective water pollution, erosion and sediment controls on site; LTA Safety Newsletters with articles written on ECM on LTA Sites and Technical Aspects of Earth Control; pocket calendars that provides essential information; and a guidebook on Best Environmental Practices: Earth Control Measures. This guidebook provides a good coverage (with pictorial illustrations) of the relevant legislations, and the planning and controls that should be in place during the pre-construction and construction stages. It also imparts a scoring assessment list to judge the sites level of ECM implementation. The table below provides a portion of the items in the list and the recommended maximum scores. If the site achieved a total score of less than 50, it indicates poor ECM on site and further improvements are required. If the site scores between 50 and 85, it indicates an average implementation of ECM and there are rooms for improvements. Achieving a score of above 85 would indicate excellent ECM on site. LTA contractors are strongly encouraged to make use of this detailed assessment list to evaluate their level of ECM implementation and to identify the area for improvements.

Earth Control Measures

2 5 5

Figure 10: ESS Assessment on Earth Control Measures and Water Pollution Control The ESS assessment is made more effective by the Safety Performance Scheme (SPS), a contractually binding carrot-and-stick (with monetary reward and penalty) scheme to motivate contractors to achieve excellent EHS performance on their projects. Contractors have to allocate 1.5% of the lump sum stated in the Letter of Award for the provision of ESS facilities and they are subjected to a total bonus or penalty of 0.5% subjected to a cap of $1million as shown in the figure below.

Figure 11: Safety Performance Scheme Based on the ESS Assessment form where environmental management accounts for 5% of the total score, if the contractor achieves a score of 65, he will be considered as performing up to the minimal expectations and will not be awarded nor penalized. If he achieves a score higher than 65, he will be paid an increased adjustment as according to the graph. On the other hand if he achieves a score of lower than 65, the adjustments will be deducted up to 0.5% as labeled under the poor performer category. Other programmes LTA has in place includes publicity materials and promotional events. Since

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Figure 12: ECM guidebook and recommended list of Assessment Criteria While materials such as the guidebook and newsletters are meant for Supervisor levels and above, other items were developed to ensure that the message was brought across even to the construction workers on site. For instance, the pocket calendar was designed to be handy and easy to carry around in construction sites by workers. It contains information such as a simple colour comparison chart for wastewater discharges which can be used to do an onsite verification on the TSS discharge quality. LTA also appreciates and recognizes individuals and contractors who have demonstrated the most proactive attitude and has been successful in managing and promoting environmental protection on their worksite. Annual promotional and award events were organized to serve as a platform for acknowledging their exemplary efforts and for stakeholders to share their best practices and experiences.

provide upmost challenges to LTA. For this case, the unique combination of its vast area of construction, sloping terrains, high volume of earthworks and large amount of rainfalls in the recent months, has made managing the silty discharges from site an uphill task. However, with an effective environmental management system in place, continual supervision by the LTA project teams together with a responsible and diligent contractor, C911 has now became one of the sites with the most extensive earth control measures in place.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Special thanks to LTA C911 Project Team and GS Engineering & Construction Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure Ltd. Joint Venture (GS-JV-HLS) for their contribution and support in developing and maintaining an environmentally friendly site. REFERENCES

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Best Environmental Practices: Earth Control Measures, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Code of Practice on Surface Water Drainage, Public Utilities Board, 5th Edition, March 2000 with amendments under Addendum No.4 September 2006 Environmental Protection and Management Act, Chapter 94A, Singapore Guidebook on Erosion and Sediment Control at Construction Sites, The Singapore Contractors Association Ltd and Public Utilities Board, 3rd Edition, September 2006 http://www.singeo.com.sg/singeo/maps/mrtdtl map.html LTMaster Plan: A People-Centred Land Transport System, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Sewerage and Drainage Act, Chapter 294, Singapore Singapore Land Transport Statistics in Brief 2008, Land Transport Authority, Singapore Tan Yong Soon with Lee Tung Jean and Karen Tan, Clean, Green and Blue: Singapores Journey Towards Environmental and Water Sustainability, Singapore 2009 www.pub.gov.sg www.lta.gov.sg

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Figure 13: Environmental Excellence Award and LTA Pocket Calendar CONCLUSION Over the years, LTA had developed numerous national road and rail projects, and from time to time, distinctive sites such as C911 would emerge and

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