Summary Environmental Assessment Report Hubei Hydropower Development … · 2016-07-08 · Hubei Hydropower Development in Poor Areas Prepared for: The Government of Hubei Province

E416Volume 7

Summary Environmental Assessment ReportHubei Hydropower Development in Poor Areas

Prepared for:

The Government of Hubei Province

Prepared by:

Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences

November 2001

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Summary of EIA Report for Hydropower Project in Hubei ProvinceContent

Project: Hubei Hydropower Project, P.R. China

Document: EA Summary Report (4th Draft)

EA Team Leader: ZHANG Yutian Research Fellow

EA Team Member: MAO Wenyong Research Fellow

SONG Fu Research Fellow

SU Yibing Associate Research Fellow

ZHOU Yun Engineer

JIAO Yang Assistant Engineer

Reviewed by: LI Yanwu Associate Research Fellow

EA Unit: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences

EA License No.: National EIA License Grade A No. 1001, issued by SEPA

Entrusted by: Hubei Provincial Planning Commission and Hubei Department ofFinance

AL1.

Summary EA Report - Hubei Hydropower Project Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 2: PROJECT DESCRIPTION 9

CHAPTER 3: ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 18

CHAPTER 4: ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND RECOMMENDED 33

MITIGATION MEASURES

CHAPTER 5: ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT ALTERNATIVES 61

CHAPTER 6: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 69

CHAPTER 7: PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND DISCLOSURE 77

CHAPTER 8: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 84

APPENDICES

Summary EA Report - Hubei Hydropower Project

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Project

1.1 Introduction

This section of the report provides an overview of the project and its objectives, the basisfor the EIA, and the main benefits and adverse impacts that are expected to accrue if theproject proceeds.

1.2 Background

The Hubei Government, in association with provincial or county owned electricalgenerating companies, proposes to implement the Hubei Hydropower Project, a waterresources development project consisting of four individual hydropower stations. Thefour hydropower stations will be constructed in the mountainous regions of western HubeiProvince, one of the poorest areas, economically, in all of China. The primary objectiveof the four proposed projects is to provide electricity to the provincial power grid, andassociated power sales revenues, which will help to alleviate poverty in the region.Secondary objectives include transportation (i.e., shipping), aquaculture (fish cageculturing), irrigation and tourism.

The location for each of the four projects is shown in Figure 1-1, and include:

* Dongping Hydropower Station (102 MW installed capacity), in Xuanen County;

* Lajitan Hydropower Station (36 MW installed capacity) in Laifeng County;

* Songshuling Hydropower Station (50 MW installed capacity) in Zhushan County;

* Xiakou Hydropower Station (30 MW installed capacity) in Nanzhang County(hereinafter refers to as 4 stations).

The four projects will be owned and operated by county level electric power utilitycompanies that have been established for each project. They include:

* Zhongjian Basin Development Company, Xuanen County (Dongping Project);

* Lajitan Hydyopower Ltd., Laifeng County (Lajitan Project);

* Zhushan County Hydropower Ltd. (Sonshuling Project);

* Xiakou Hydropower Company Ltd., Nanzhang County (Xiakou Project).

In total, the four sub-projects that comprise the Hubei Hydropower Project will provide218 MW of installed capacity, and 700 GWh of electricity per year.

Investors include provincial or county owned electricity generation companies, and host county govemments.

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Figure 1-1 Location Map for Proposed Hubei Hydropower Project Area, Showing theLocation of the Four Proposed Hydroelectric Generating Stations

The four projects were first proposed between 1958 and 1995. As a requirement of boththe Government and China and the World Bank, an Environmental Impact AssessmentReport must be prepared for each of the proposed projects. Due to the significant andirreversible impacts that each of the four projects will generate, the four projects havebeen assigned a Category 'A' rating under the Bank's environmental screening process.The following World Bank environmental and social safeguard policies have beentriggered by the four projects:

* Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01)

* Involuntary Resettlement ((GD 4.30); and

* Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37)

The Bank requires that the EIAs be prepared in both Chinese and English languages andthat the EIAs meet Chinese Government and World Bank EIA requirements. WhereBank funding is involved in any part of a project, the EIA must cover all projectcomponents.

An EIA report was prepared for each subproject by the Hubei Environmental ProtectionResearch Institute (HEPRI), as part of the feasibility studies, and submitted to the HubeiEnvironmental Protection Bureau (HEPB) between 1996 and 2000. The four projectswere approved by HEPB during this period. Environmental Specialists representing theWorld Bank subsequently reviewed the EIA documents in late 2000, and provideddetailed review comments. In 2000, HDPC contracted the Chinese Research Academyof Environmental Sciences (CRAES) to revise the EIA reports such that they would meet

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World Bank requirements for EIA. CRAES carried out additional environmentalinvestigations in 2000 and 2001 as part of this exercise, including a biodiversityassessment of karst features. In addition, CRAES prepared this EA Summary Report.A supplementary aquatic ecological assessment is currently being carried out for each ofthe four projects by the Institute of Hydrobiology (Wuhan).

The following tables summarize the key dates for EIA preparation and approval for thefour projects:

Table 1-1 - Preparation, Review and Submission of the Dongping EIA

EIA Report Title: Environmental Impact Report for the Hubei DongpingHydropower Project

EIA Outline Approval: September 1995, by the Hubei Environmental ProtectionBureau

Draft EIA Prepared by: Hubei Environmental Protection Research Institution

EIA Draft Submitted: April 1996

EIA Approval: May 1996, by the Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau

Final Draft EIA December 1996Submitted:

Further Revisions to October 2000, by the Chinese Research Academy ofFinal Draft EIA: Environmental Sciences

Final EIA: July 2001, by the Chinese Research Academy ofEnvironmental Sciences

Table 1-2 - Preparation, Review and Submission of the Lajitan EIA

EIA Report Title: Report for EIA for Lajitan Hydropower Project inLeifeng County, Hubei Province

EIA Outline Approval: Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau


EIA Draft Submitted: June 1999

EIA Approval: July 1999, by the Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau

Final Draft EIA May 2000Submitted:



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Table 1-3 - Preparation, Review and Submission of the Songshuling EIA

EIA Report Title: Report of Environmental Impacts of Songshuling WaterConservancy Hydropower Station Pivotal Project,Zhushan County, Hubei Province

EIA Outline Approval: December 1999, Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau


Final Draft EIA August 2000Submitted:Approval of Final Draft September 2000, by the Hubei Environmental ProtectionEIA Bureau



Table 1-4 - Preparation, Review and Submission of the Xiakou EIA

EIA Report Title: EIA Report of Xiakou Hydropower Project in NanzhangCounty of Hubei Province

EIA Outline Approval: April 199, Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau


Final Draft EIA December 1999Submitted:

Approval of Final Draft July 1999, by the Hubei Environmental Protection BureauEIA:



The four project ETAs take into account the entire spectrum of potential project-relatedenvironmental effects on the bio-physical and socioeconomic environments within theproject settings. The EIAs identify the existing environmental and socioeconomicconditions that could be affected adversely or beneficially by the projects, identifypotentially significant environmental impacts, and recommend measures for mitigating themore serious negative impacts. The EIAs also suggest measures for enhancing beneficialimpacts, where a small additional investment would yield environmental returns.

The following Chinese state and provincial policies, regulations and standards have beenfollowed in preparing each of the EIA reports:

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* "Environmental protection regulations of construction project", P.R.C. State CouncilNo.253.

* "The Decision on Certain Environmental Protection Problems" State Council [1996]No.31.

* "Notice on 'Environmental Protection Design Requirement of Construction Project"',State Planning Commission, Environmental Protection Committee of State Council(87) 002.

* "Notice on Strengthening Environmental Management Work of InternationalFinancial Organization Loan Construction Project" State Environmental ProtectionAdministration, State Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance and China People'sBank (1993) No.324.

* "Rules for Environmental Protection Management of Construction Project of HubeiProvince", (1988) No. 5.

* "P.R.C. Environmental Protection Law" (1989)

* "P.R.C. Water Law"(1988)

* "P.R.C. Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law"(1995)

* "P.R.C. Air Pollution Prevention and control Law"(1996)

* "P.R.C. Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law"(1996)

* "P.R.C. Land management Law"(1999)

* "Implementation Rules of Land Management Law" (Stated Council NO.256)

* "Farmland Protection Basic Regulation "Stated Council NO. 257

* "P.R.C. Water and Soil Conservation Law"

* "P.R.C. Wild Animal Protection Law"

* "P.R.C. Forestry Law"

* "Implementation Rule for P.R.C. Forestry Law" State Council, No. 278.

* "Regulations on Land Requisition Compensation and Resettlement for Medium andlarge Size Hydropower project"(1991), P.R.C. State Council NO.74

* "Notice on Enhancing the Prophase Work of Reservoir Submergence", Mvinistry ofEnergy, Ministry of Water Resources, Water Resources and Hydropower Design andPlan Institute, (1991) No.67

* "Notice on Certain Suggestions for Enhancing the Resettlement Work", State Council(1992) NO.20

* "Construction Management Regulation on Village and Town Planning" State CouncilNO.116

* "Design Standard of Reservoir Submergence of Hydropower Project",DL/T5064-1996

* "EIA Standard for Hydropower project ", SDJ302-88

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* "Technical Guide for EIA: Non-pollution Ecological Impact", HJ/T19-1997

* "Technical Guide for EIA: General, Atmospheric Environment, Surface WaterEnvironment " HJ/T2.1 - 2.3-93

* "Technical Guide for EIA: Acoustic Environment", HJI/T2.4-1995.

This Summary EA report has been prepared based on the information contained in thefour separate project EIA reports, as well as additional studies conducted by CRAES.

1.3 Project Impacts

1.3.1 Benefits of the Proposed Project

The primary benefits of the project will be provision of a cheap source of reliableelectricity supply to local inhabitants within the project-affected areas, and production ofhydroelectric power for sale into the provincial electricity network. Proceeds of powersales revenues will accrue to the county-based electricity companies within which therespective projects will be situated, thereby providing additional local economic benefitsto the region in the form of taxes and employment. The Hubei Hydropower Project willmake an important contribution towards stimulating and diversifying the local economies,thereby helping to alleviate poverty in what is one of the poorest areas of China, byimproving the standard of living within the region. This is in keeping with theGovernment of China's policy for developing the western part of the country, so that itbecomes self-sufficient, economically.

In addition to these potential socioeconomic benefits, other potential benefits may accrueas follows:

* Creation of reservoirs that provide a reliable source of water for dry season irrigation;

* Improved flood control capability during the monsoon season, when river levels canrise dramatically, threatening villages and farmland located on river terraces;

* Opportunities to develop an aquaculture industry based on fish cage culturing in thenewly created reservoirs;

* Improved regional transportation system that links reservoir shipping and local ruralroad networks in an area of difficult mountain terrain that is currently serviced onlyby Category m or IV, and in some cases Category V, mountain roads;

* Development of a tourism industry based on more affluent citizens traveling from theeastern commercial centers who wish to visit and travel on mountain reservoirs thatprovide scenic vistas in rocky mountain gorges; and

* Avoided emissions (greenhouse gas and others) that would otherwise be produced byalternative thermal generation facilities.

1.3.2 Negative Impacts

The proposed project is expected to generate the following negative impacts:

* Resettlement and losses from reservoir inundation -- A total of 2,605 people will beresettled over the four subprojects, requiring the removal and replacement of119,253 m2 of houses. An estimated 314 ha of farmland, 376 ha of forest (including

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secondary and sparsely stocked forest, bush, orchard and artificial forest), 28.65 km ofroads, 76.9 km of transmission and distribution lines, and 29.95 km oftelecommunications lines, will be submerged. Gravesites within the inundation area

2will be submerged along with any archaeological sites, as yet undiscovered .

* Impacts during Construction period -- Construction zones will be established at eachof the four proposed dam sites, and nearby support areas. Vegetation will be clearedfrom these construction zones and burned. Soils will be removed and stockpiled forlater site reclamation. Sites will be leveled by clearing and blasting to make way formaterials storage yards, equipment maintenance and fabrication yards, rock quarriesand aggregate processing facilities, concrete batch plants, switch yards, temporarilyconstruction camps, and offices. Roads and transmission lines will also beconstructed. Waste rock and excess surficial material will be deposited in spoilsdumps. The spoils of the 4 stations will amount to 2.1657million m3. Another2.3982 million m3 of material will be excavated to produce stone and constructionaggregates. Creation of large spoils dumps presents the potential for soil erosion,unless appropriate mitigation measures are implemented to ensure these structures arestable.

* Waste gases, dust, waste water and noise produced in the construction zones has thepotential to temporarily affect environmental quality of the local area, impact humansettlements and disturb whatever wildlife that may still reside in the area.

* Impacts during Operation Period -- The aquatic floral and faunal communities of theriverine ecosystems will change significantly once the dams are in place to regulatedownstream flows, and reservoir reaches replace fast flowing sections of river.Some species of fish and invertebrates will be able to adapt to the new lakeenvironments, while others will disappear. During reservoir filling and dry seasonoperations, short stretches of river immediately below those dams that do notdischarge into backwater areas of downstream reservoirs (i.e., Dongping), willbecome dewatered unless fishery flows are maintained.

Much of the soil eroded from hillsides in the respective reservoir catchment areas willnot be carried through the river reaches once the reservoirs are filled. Instead, thismaterial will be deposited within the reservoirs, along with nutrients derived fromfertilizers and pesticides. It is estimated, however, that the concentration of nitrogenand phosphorous entering and retained within what will essentially be run-of-the-riverreservoirs will not degrade water quality below the Grade III standard. Therefore thereservoirs are expected to remain in an oligotrophic or mesotrophic state of nutrientloading.

Once operational, the reservoirs will release greenhouse gases, primarily CO2 andmethane as submerged organic matter decomposes. Because of its greatergreenhouse warming effect, methane is the primary gas of concern. Based on ananalysis of the volume of vegetation that will remain following reservoir clearing, and

2 Chinese State and Provincial policies and guidelines for identifying and protecting/removing archaeological and heritage features will befollowed as part of the process of resettlement. The number and locations of gravesites has been determined as part of the resettlement studies.

7

Summary EA Report - Hubel Hydropower Project

the expected level of GHG production by unit area of inundated land, the potentialamount of methane released from each reservoir is estimated to be less than 49 to 145kg/year.

There are no provincial or national parks, or protected areas within any of four projectareas.

1.4 Recommended Mitigation Measures

To reduce or eliminate negative impacts generated by the Hubei Hydropower Project, atotal of 7.7033 million RMB will be allocated for developing and implementingenvironmental protection and mitigation measures. Mitigation measures have beendeveloped for each subproject, and include the following key actions:

* Environmental Measures to be Carried out within the Dam Site and AncillaryFacilities Construction Zones - design and implementation of environmentalprotection measures, including requirements for liquid and solid waste managementfrom construction camps, aggregate and concrete processing facilities, etc; actions tobe taken to ensure best housekeeping practices throughout the construction zone;slope stability and erosion control measures; actions required to meet noise and airquality standards. Site reclamation/rehabilitation plans are also included.

* Environmental Measures to be Carried out in Siting and Constructing ResettlementVillages - siting, design and implementation of environmental protection measures,including location of resettlement communities; requirements for supplying potablewater; treating and disposing of sewage and gray water; stabilizing slopes andcontrolling erosion; ensuring public health is protected; and disposing of municipalsolid wastes.

. Preparation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) - identifies the keyimpacts, how they will be minimized during construction and operation, the partiesresponsible for implementing the mitigation measures, monitoring activities andresponsible monitoring authorities, reporting requirements, institutional requirementsof the environmental program, budget for labour and equipment, and scheduling.

* Preparation of Reservoir Clearing and Sanitation Plans - identifies requirements forremoving man-made structures (houses, bridges, etc.); clearing vegetation frominundation zones; decontaminating/sanitizing pit latrines, livestock corrals, andpig-sties; and removing/recovering debris from reservoir inundation zones.

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Chapter 2

Project Description

2.1 Introduction

This section of the report provides a brief description of each of the four proposedprojects: Dongping, Lajitan, Sonshuling and Xiakou.

2.2 Environmental Study Area

The environmental study area for a given project is defined by the areas that could beaffected by project construction, reservoir impoundment and operation, and resettlementas follows:

* Construction Area - includes the dam site and associated processing facilities,yards, camps, offices, and roads in the vicinity of the dam site, as well as offsitequarries or borrow areas and linear developments such as transmission lines.

* Impoundment (Inundation) Area - this is the area below the normal storage level'(NSL) that will be flooded to create the reservoir.

* Resettlement Areas - these are the areas generally located "up and back" fromexisting villages, that will be developed as residential and commercial areas towhich people will be relocated.

* Downstream Areas - these are areas within the existing watercourses that will beaffected by reservoir operation during construction and once the project iscompleted.

The EIAs for the project focused on these areas in assessing the effects of the HubeiHydropower Project.

2.3 Project Data

Each of the four proposed hydropower projects will be located in steep, narrow, rockygorges in mountainous terrain of western Hubei Province. Each project will consist of aconcrete dam, behind which a long narrow reservoir will be formed. Power will beproduced from an underground or above ground powerhouse at each site (theconfiguration depending on the amount of space available and geology at each site), andtransmitted to local consumers by high voltage transmission lines.

Figures 2-1 through 2-4 provide a general comparison of the capital investment,reservoir scale, installed capacity, and electricity output for each of the four projects.

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Figure 2-1 - Project-by-Project Comparison of Capital Cost

Project Investment

'800 - 757.2

>- 600

400 3 2

.2 200

Dongping Lajitan Song Shuling Xiakou

Proposed Projects

Figure 2-2 - Project-by-Project Comparison of Reservoir Scale

Reservoir Capacity vs Reservoir Area

Xiakou 1.27 4 Reservoir Capacity (1004.46 Mil m3)

e Reservoir Area (sq km)

* Song Shuling 2.74

a. Lajitan 0.442 3.04X 1

Dongping 8.12

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Figure 2-3 - Project-by-Project Comparison of Installed Capacity

Dam Height vs Installed Capacity

184.5 Max. Dam Height (m)

Xiakou 30 8 Installed Capacity (MW)

4-.~~~~~~~~~~6.

Song Shuling 65.5

0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~5

Ce 135.5i. Lajitan 360 3h.

Dongping 1134

Figure 2-4 - Project-by-Project Comparison of Electricity Output

Average Annual Electricity Production (GWh)

800 697700600

0 , 500

4. 00- 312-

*U 200 ___

11 100 - -0

Dongping Lajitan Song Shuling Xiakou Total

Proposed Projects

Table 2-1 provides a summary of some of the key features of each of the projects. More

detailed information is available in the feasibility report prepared for each project. Table2-2 provides a further summary of each project on a per unit basis to facilitate comparison

between projects.


Table 2-1 - Project Summary

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

River Name Zhongjian Youshui Guanduhe JuheOverall River Basin Catchment Area km' 1656 18530 12502 3367Catchment Area Upstream of the dam site 1420.5 3369 2447 1458

km 2

Average Annual Runoff 106m3 14.71 36.3 18.26 5.70Average Annual Flow Rate m3/s 46.5 115 57.9 18.07Maximum Flow Rate Measured m3/s 2660 4470 2590 2890Minimum Flow Rate Measured m3/s 0.02 3.03 10.2 No recordsMaximum Flow Rate Recorded in History 4120 7060 4760 8500

m3/s lAverage Annual Suspended Sediment Load 0.4726 1.523 0.832 0.3433

millions t/yrMaximum Sediment Concentration No records 0.42 31.8 No recordsMeasured kg/m3

lAverage Annual Sediment Concentration 0.539 0.667 0.456 No records

kg/m 3 lScale of Project Category 111 1111 1111 11lNormal Pool Level of the reservoir m 490 370 394.0 262.13Dead Water Level of the reservoir m 454 366.5 384.0 246.13Reservoir Area at normal pool levelkm2 8.12 3.07 2.74 4.46Total Reservoir Storage 106m3 345 44.28 57.48 127.4Reservoir Storage below the Normal Pool 308 29.42 48.2 116Level 106m3

Flood Storage 106m3 32 14.86 9.28 11.4Regulating Storage 106m3 206 9.71 22.5 59Dead Storage 106m 102 19.71 25.7 57Length of Backwater km 31.56 33.1 19.0 18.04Maximum Discharge at the designed flood 3880 6610 4353 3750level m3/sDownstream Water Level at the design flood 389.40 364.75 362.78 201.03level mMaximum Discharge at the verified flood 4580 9276 6270 5520level m3/sDownstream Water Level at the verified 390.95 368.62 366.40 202.85flood level mRegulated Flow m3/s 138.88 26.1 165.6Downstream Water Level with the regulated 378.1 348.8flow m lMinimum Flow Rate m3/s 33.4 11.9 41.4 lDownstream Water Level with the minimum 377.3 347.2flow rate mInstalled Capacity MW 102 36 50 30Firm Output of Power Generated (P=85%) 16.90 5.56 5.36 3.69

MWAverage Annual Power Output GWh 312 151 153.9 80.02Annual Utilization Hours of Power 2834 4195 3078 2667Generation h il

Type of Dam Concrete Concrete Gravity Concrete Gravity ConcreteDouble-curvat Dam Dam Double-curvatureure Arch Dam Arch Dam

Crest Elevation m 494 373 399.5 265.5Maximum Height of Dam m 134 35.5 65.5 84.5Crest Elevation of Flood Discharge Weir 485 356 382.0 223.1

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Item Dongping Lajitan J Songshuling 1 Xiakou

Method of Energy Dissipation Narrow Underflow Flaring Pier+ Ski-jumpSki-jump baffle pool

Hydraulic Turbine Set 2 3 4 3Power Generator Set 2 3 4 3Unit Capacity of Power Generating Sets kw 55000 12000 12500 10000Transformer Set 2 2 2 2Volume of Earth-rock Excavation 104m3 68.59 64.86 84.71 21.66Volume of Spoils 104m3 67.09 58.82 75.72 14.94Filling back of clay and sandy gravel 1.5 6.04 8.99 6.72

10 4M3_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Number of Construction Workers Persons 800 800 500 700Person Days of Construction 913.4 692.7 468.9 452.3

OOOs of days lConstruction Period Years 5.5 3.5 4 3.5

Table 2-2 - Per Unit Comparison of the Four Projects

Project Data | Lajitan XiakouDongping Songshuling

Ratio of the area of the catchment area upstream of the dam site 85.78 18.18 19.57 43.30to the overall catchment area %Ratio of the reservoir area to catchment area upstream of the 0.572 0.091 0.112 0.306damsite % lFlooded Area per MW of Installed Capacity km2 /MW . 0796 .0853 .0548 .1487Resettled Population per unit reservoir area person/km2 129 107 78 210Resettled Population per unit installed capacity person/MW 10 9 4 31

2.3.1 Dongping Hydropower Station

Figure 2-5 shows the schematic layout of the Dongping dam and powerhouse. Theproposed Dongping Project will create a reservoir with a storage capacity of 308,000,000m3 and a surface area of 8.12 km2. The dam site will be located in Xuanen County onthe Zhongjian River, 11 km upstream of its confluence with the Qingjiang River. Duringoperation the reservoir will vary in elevation a total 38.0 m. The reservoir will have anaverage width of 260 m and extend upstream a distance of 31.35 km to the tailrace of theexisting Longdong Hydropower Project. The Dongping project will have an installedcapacity of 102 MW, with an annual utilization of 2834 hr, and an annual output ofelectric power of approximately 312 GWh/year.

The scale of the station belongs to Chinese Category II. An underground power housewill be located on the left bank downstream of the dam. A bridge will be built to connectthe main access road that runs to the dam, with the powerhouse. The aggregateproduction facilities will be located 1 km away from the dam site, and will require that a 1km road be constructed. The project will require 68,090,000 m3 of aggregates and willgenerate 670,900m 3 of spoils. Approximately 913,400 person days of constructionemployment will be provided, over a construction period lasting 5.5 years. The

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transmission line component of the project will involve 36 km of 220 kV line connectingthe Dongping Hydropower Station with the Qifengba Substatoin at Enshi.

Figure 2-5 - Dongping Dam and Power House Site Layout

2.3.2 Lajitan Hydropower Station

Figure 2-6 shows the schematic layout of the Lajitan dam and powerhouse.

The proposed Lajitan project will create a reservoir with a storage capacity of 44,280,000m3 and an area of 3.07 km2 along the Youshui River. During operation water levels willfluctuate a total of 3.5 m. The reservoir will have an average width of 92 m and willextend upstream a distance of 33.1 km to the tail race of the existing TangkouHydropower facility. The proposed Lajitan dam site is situated approximately 1 kmupstream of Baifusi town, south of Laifeng County. The project will have an installedcapacity of 36 MW, an annual utilization of 4,195 hr, and generate 151 GWh/year.

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Figure 2-6 - Lajitan Dam and Powerhouse Site Layout

Lajitan HydwopowerHouse:-Engineerui .P-In _

The scale of the station belongs to Chinese Category 3. The powerhouse will be locatedunderground on the right bank of the river. A bridge will be constructed across theYoushui River at Baifusi Town. The project will require 648,600 m3 of aggregate thatwill be obtained from aggregate production facilities located 1.5 to 15 km from the damsite. Approximately 3.2 km of road will need to be constructed. About 588,200 m3 ofspoils will be produced by the project. Construction will require 692,700 person daysover a period of 3.5 years. The transmission line component of the project will involve32 km of 1 lOkV line from the Lajitan Hydropower Station to Jiusi township, and 20 km of110 kV line to the Tangkou Substation.

2.3.3 Songshuling Hydropower Station

Figure 2-7 shows the schematic layout of the Sonshuling dam and powerhouse. Theproposed Songshuling Hydropower project will create a reservoir with a storage capacityof of 575,000,000 m3 and an area of 2.74 km2 along the Guandu River. During operation,the reservoir water level will fluctuate approximately 10.0 m. The reservoir will havean average width of 144 m and will extend upstream a distance of 19 km. The dam siteis located in the upper reaches of the Guandu River, 6 km upstream of Guandu town,south of Zhushan County. The powerhouse will have an installed capacity of 50 MW, anannual utilization of 3,078 hours, and electric power production of 153.9 GWh/year.

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Figure 2-7 - Songshuling Dam and Powerhouse Site Layout

The scale of Songshuling Station belongs to Chinese Category 3. The powerhouse willbe located above ground on the right bank of the river. The project requires about847,100rn3 of aggregates. The aggregate processing facilities will be locatedapproximately 3.5 to 4.5 from the damsite. Approximately 10.5 km of road will need tobe constructed. Approximately 757,200 m 3of spoils will be generated. Construction willinvolve 468,900 person days of labour over a period of 4 years. The transmission linecomponent of the project will involve 40 km of I110 kV line from the SonghulingHydropower Station to Zhushan County, and 4 km of 10 kV distribution line from GuanduSubstation to the damsite to provide electricity during construction.

2.3.4 Xiakou Hydropower Station

Figure 2-8 shows the schematic layout of the Xiakoiu dam and powerhouse. The XiakouHydropower Station will create a reservoir with a storage capacity of approximately127,400,000 m3 , and a surface area of 4.46 kM2 along the Ju River. During operation, thereservoir storage water level will fluctuate approximately 18.04 m. The reservoir willhave an average width of 247 m and will extend upstream from the dam a distance of18.04 km. The dam site is located in the upper reaches of the Ju River, 2 km southwestof Xiakou town, in Nanzhang County. The project will have an installed capacity of 30MW, with an annual utilization of 2,667 hr, electric power output of 80 GWh/year.

16


Figure 2-8 - Xiakou Dam and Powerhouse Site Layout

_ i~~~~~0 97''0 *S-Z'ftf1. -ii IN

The scale of Xiakou Hydropower Station belongs to Chinese Category I. The powerhousewill be located above ground on the right bank of the river. The project will requireapproximately 216,600 m3 of aggregates. The aggregate production facilities will belocated approximately 5 to 7 km from the dam site. The project will also involve repairsto 1.5 km of road. The project will generate 149,400 m of spoils. Construction willrequire approximately 452,300 person days of employment over a period of 3.5 years.The transmission line component of the project will involve 66 km of 110 kV line fromthe Xiakou Hydropower Project to the Huazhang Substation, and 16 km of 35 kV line tothe Xunjian Substation.

17


Chapter 3

Environmental Setting

3.1 IntroductionThis section of the report presents information on the environmental and social settingwithin the project areas. Maps showing the location of each subproject are included asAppendices A-1 to A-4.

3.2 ClimateThe four proposed hydropower stations and their respective reservoirs that will comprisethe Hubei Hydropower Project, are located in a region of China affected by the annualsubtropical monsoon weather pattern, characterized by the seasonal reversal inatmospheric circulation. Although the area has an annual average temperature of 15.50 Cto 15.90C, the winters are cool and the summers are hot and humid. The coldest monthis January with temperatures as low as -8.30 C (Lajitan) to -13.5° C (Xiakou) , particularlyat higher elevations when arctic cold fronts move in from the north. These cold frontsbring windy, snowy/rainy conditions, with short duration snow deposits evident onmountain-tops in the area. The hottest month is July with temperatures as high as 38.90C (Lajitan) to 43.4° C (Songshuling).

The average annual precipitation for the area ranges from 836 mm to 1536 mm, withhigher precipitation south of the Yangtze River (i.e., Dongping and Lajitan sites), thannorth of the Yangtze (i.e., Songshuling and Xiakou sites). Most of the rainfall occursduring the annual monsoon season, which commences in late-April and finishes in lateSeptember. Lesser amounts of precipitation fall in the months leading up to andfollowing the monsoon season. The dry season starts in October, and extends throughlate March/early April. Additional climate data is presented in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1 - Regional Climate Data

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouAverage temperature (0 C) 15.8 15.9 15.5 15.9The highest temperature (° C) 40.8 38.9 43.4 40The lowest temperature (°C) -12.7 -8.3 -9.9 -13.5Frost Free Days 294 207-293 242 248Average precipitation (mm) 1536 1353 836.3 950-1100Time for precipitation 177.1 177.0 180.0 110Sunshine (hr/yr) 1150 1161-1445 1160 1650Average radioactivity amount 84.2 86.8-93.7 89.5 90(kcal/cm2)

Average humidity (%) 75 82 75 78Annual evaporation (mm) 1124 1005 1384.6 1504Predominant Wind direction South wind in SW ENE NNW

summer andnorth wind in

1winter _

18


3.3 Geology, Soils and Landform FeaturesThe four proposed projects are located in what is generally referred to as the Three GorgesArea of the Yangtze River Basin. The bedrock geology is comprised primarily of afolded series of limestone deposits with inter-bedded sandstones and shales. Theseoverlay older deposits of granite. Each of the dam sites is located in a river gorge wheresteep bedrock controlled mountainsides, sparsely covered by thin-layered deposits of limysoil, prevail. These conditions extend upstream through almost the entire reservoir reachfor each of the Dongping (Photo 3-1), Songshuling (Photo 3-2) and Xiakou (Photo 3-3)project areas, but are found only the lower one or two kilometers of the reservoir reach forLajitan (Photo 3-4). Otherwise, for most of its length, the Lajitan reservoir will beconfined between a series of Quatemary river terraces and terrace remnants. At a fewlocations, in the lower middle section of the Lajitan reservoir, some flooding will occurover portions of the lowest elevation river terraces (Photo 3-5).

Closer to settlements, lands have been cleared of vegetation to make way for farms. Onthe river terraces rice is cultivated in paddy soils. Vegetables are also grown on the riverterraces and on hillside lands with slopes up to and in excess of 300. These slopinggarden plots are not terraced and, therefore, the soils are subject to severe erosion duringheavy monsoon rainstorms.

Photo 3-1 Zhongjian River Valley near Proposed Dongping Damsite

L . ... .


NMineral deposits are scattered throughout the region. However, the primary mineralresource of economic value is gypsum. No major known or suspected mineral depositswill be affected by the project.

The Dongping, Lajitan and Xiakou sites have an earthquake intensity (seismic) rating ofVI. The Songshuling site is rated at seismic Level VII.

3.4 Hydrology and Water QualityThe rivers on which the four projects are proposed are all tertiary or quatemary tributarysystems that form the upper reaches of larger subwatersheds that drain into the YangtzeRiver. The rivers are generally incised into steeply walled rocky gorges. The riverbeds are relatively steep gradient and bedrock or boulder/cobble controlled, with graveland sand deposits occurring on point bars. Flows within the rivers are primarily inresponse to a combination of precipitation, karst springs and groundwater seepage in thewet season, and springs and groundwater seepage in the dry season. As a result of theeffects of precipitation, water levels fluctuate significantly between dry season andmonsoon season. Large fluctuations also occur over a matter of days or hours, as a resultof the effects of severe monsoon rainstorms. In areas where vegetation has beenremoved to expose soils on sloping land, or where vegetation grows sparsely on steeprocky slopes, rainwater is not intercepted and retained. The result is that storm relatedfluctuations in river levels are amplified along with sediment loading in the watercourses.

Photo 3-2 Guandu River Valley near Proposed Songshuling Damsite

IIrt- .,' -

The Zhongjian River, on which the Dongping Project is proposed, is a regulated river,which joins the Qingjiang River, which is also regulated. The backwater of theDongping Reservoir will extend upstream to the tailrace of the existing LongdongHydroelectric Station, while the tailrace of Dongping will empty into the backwater of theShuibuya Reservoir, the third in a series of hydroelectric cascade developments proposed

20


for the Qingjiang (Gobazhou and Geheyen are both in operation; Shuibuya is soon to startconstruction).

The Youshui River, on which the Lajitan Project is proposed, is regulated upstream by theTangwan Hydroelectric Station (in Hunnan Province) and the Tangkou HydroelectricStation (in Hubei Province). The tailrace of Tangwan empties into the backwater ofTangkou, and the tailrace of Tangkou will empty into the backwater of the LajitanReservoir. Downstream of the proposed Lajitan Project, the 120 m to 130 m highWujiangxi hydropower dam is in operation on the Yuanjiang, into which the YoushuiRiver empties.

The Guandu River, on which the Songshuling Project is proposed, is not presentlyregulated upstream of the dam site3. However, the 110 m high Huanglongtan hydropowerdam blocks the Du River, into which the Guandu River flows, approximately 90 kmdownstream. Between Songshuling and Huanglongtan, the Pankou Hydropower Projectis proposed.

The Ju River, on which the Xiakou Project is proposed, is regulated at the Xiakou site byan existing 2 m high weir that diverts virtually all the dry season flow into the JuxiawanIrrigation and Power Generation Canal. The water is distributed to approximately 10km of rice paddy, and the 625 kW Juxiawan Hydroelectric station before returning to theJu River approximately 10 km downstream of the weir. The Ju River is also regulated 50km downstream by the 10 m high Maduhe irrigation dam.

Photo 3-3 Ju River near Proposed Xiakou Damsite

L

6.pp.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

. I

Water quality, as confirmed by analyses carried out during initial EA investigations, isshown in the following Table 3-2.

3A dam is proposed upstream of Songshuling, the tailrace of which would discharge into the backwater of the Songshuling Reservoir.

2 1


Table 3-2 - Water Quality Grades within the Rivers at the Four Proposed Project Sites

Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

Dry Season Grade II Grade II Grade II Grade IIWater Quality

Wet Season Grade II for all Grade II for all Grade II Grade IIWater Quality parameters except parameters at all

BOD5, which but 1 of 6diminishes quality stations sampled,below Grade m where Grade mwhen runoff from due to highfarms and villages alkalinity fromenters river suspended

sediment

There are presently no major industrial facilities in any of the four project developmentareas and, therefore, no industrial effluent discharges into the rivers. The primarysources of water pollution that could affect the reservoirs, once developed, arepoint-source municipal sewage discharges from the main county administrative centers(after which the counties are named), and non-point source agricultural runoff (fertilizer,pesticide residues, and soil) from farmlands. Based on plankton diversity indices andpopulation counts, the rivers are all rated as oligotrophic.

Photo 3-4 Youshui River Valley near Proposed Lajitan Damsite

...

I_

....,,&, 22


Photo 3-5 Youshui River Valley upstream of the Proposed Lajitan Damsite,showing Development of Quaternary River Terraces

._ - _ - _

- -

M .' .I

_ ~~~~~~- , 2.,,- .e

3.5 Aquatic Ecosystems

Evaluation of the current status of aquatic ecosystems that would likely be affected if thefour projects proceed, is based on limited field observations and sampling, as well asanecdotal information obtained through discussions with local county level environmentalagency staff and local inhabitants. Limited sampling of plankton (phyto- andzooplankton) and zoobenthos was also carried out at each project site to determine thetrophic state and aquatic productivity index. Table 3-3 Summarizes these results.

Table 3-3 - Aquatic Productivity Indices for Project-Affected Rivers

Project Site Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

Aquatic 2.57 1.62 1.63 2.26ProductivityIndex

Predominant Diatoms Diatoms Diatoms DiatomsPhytoplankton

Predominant Protozoa Rotifer Rotifers ProtozoaZooplankton

Trophic Level Oligotrophic Oligotrophic Oligotrophic Oligotrophic

The rivers identified for project development presently support a variety of native fishspecies, the majority of which belong to various genera of carp. All of the species foundare endemic to these tertiary stream systems. None are considered to be rare or

23


endangered within these rivers, or the region as a whole. Local county agriculture andforestry department staff, who are also responsible for fisheries, indicate that the rivers onwhich the four hydropower stations are proposed, do not support significant populationsof these fish. This is believed to be the result of a number of factors including: 1)presence of existing downstream water control structures that block migration of fish intothe upper reaches thereby reducing recruitment; 2) combined with the effects ofdownstream dams blocking upstream migration, is the effect that significant flows have onflushing many fish out of the upstream reaches during high water events; 3) limitedavailability of suitable habitat for spawning, rearing and refuge of resident species of fishwithin the upstream reaches; 4) limited availability of food organisms as a result of atrophic level that is relatively low in nutrients (i.e., oligotrophic); and 5) existinguncontrolled artisanal fisheries that remove all age classes, thereby reducing the ability offish stocks in the project reaches to recover their numbers or produce fish of large enoughsize to maintain a robust breeding stock.

In the past, these mountain rivers also supported populations of giant salamanders.However, as these are prized for their culinary value, their numbers have been depletedthrough over-exploitation to the point where they have not been oberved in any of theproject areas for more than ten years. Local county officials report that giantsalamanders can still be found in the smaller headwater streams, none of which will beaffected by the project.

There are no wetland areas located within or adjacent to the river reaches that would bethreatened by flooding to create the hydroelectric reservoir for each project. Likewise,there are no wetlands within the dam site or supporting facilities construction zones at anyof the project locations. There are also no parks (State, Provincial or County-level) orprotected areas that could potentially be affected by any of the four projects.

3.6 Terrestrial Flora and Fauna

3.6.1 Flora

Within the remote valley's north and south of the middle reach of the Yangtze, where thefour projects are proposed to be located, natural vegetation covers roughly 28.5% to 70%of the land surface. This is higher than the national average of 12.7% and 23.5% forHubei Province. Some 882 species of trees and 400 species of shrubs have beenidentified from within this region.

The various species of plants within the project areas are distributed vertically in zones,identified by the dominant tree species. This vertical vegetation zonation is determinedby a combination of monsoon weather patterns, which affect soil moisture and nutrientregimes, and temperature, and availability of soil for rooting.

Although the natural vegetation cover is defined as forest vegetation, only a smallproportion of this is what would be considered standing forest. Very little primitive (oldgrowth) forest stands exist within the region, primarily on the higher more inaccessibleslopes. Otherwise, most of the forest stands are either cultivated forest or natural secondgrowth stands.

24


There are no parks or protected areas (State, Provincial, or County-level) within the fourproposed project settings.

The steep narrow river gorges, with their exposed bedrock and sparsely distributedshallow soils support undisturbed expanses of woody shrubland vegetation, comprisedpredominantly of stunted evergreen and deciduous broadleaf trees, shrubs, bamboo, canegrasses, ferns and other forbes and grasses. At higher elevations, where the steep rivergorges and canyon walls give way to less steeply sloping mountain terrain and roundedmountain top features, thicker soils support native coniferous, evergreen and deciduousbroadleaf, and bamboo forests. In areas closer to settlements, these forested slopes havebeen cleared to make way for vegetable gardens and upland grain fields. In areas whereQuatemary river terraces have developed, human settlements have become establishedover the centuries. Human occupation of these areas has resulted in the removal ofnative evergreen and deciduous broad leaf forests along the river margins. Theseterraces have been reworked to create rice paddies, vegetable and orchard terraces. Onlands not suited to agriculture, but which have sufficient soil cover to plant trees, orchardsand commercial pine and fir plantations have been established. These are generallylocated at elevations above what will become the normal storage level for the reservoirs.However, some commercial plantation forest will be lost at specific locations as a result ofthe project.

Table 3-4 presents additional information regarding the distribution and makeup ofvegetation within the four project areas.

Within the Dongping Project area, the steep rock dominated slopes of the proposed damsite and reservoir zone are mainly vegetated with mixed scrub forest, woody shrublandand bamboo forest. Commercial plantations of mainly pine and fir occur closer tosettlement areas.

Table 3-4 - Vegetation Distribution in Each Project Area

l ___goryDistribution CharacteristicsL Category Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouElevation at:- Base of Proposed 430 m 348 m 365 m 263.9 mDam- Normal Reservoir 490 m 370 m 394 m 262.13 mStorage LevelEvergreen Coniferous Altitude 356-800m Altitude 800-1200m Altitude 800-1800m Below Altitude 600mForestDeciduous Broad-leaf Below Altitude 800m Altitude 1000-1500m Altitude 300-700mForestMixed Coniferous Altitude 800-1200m Altitude 800-1200m Altitude 400-1000m Below Altitude 800mForest _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Woody Shrubland Altitude Below Altitude 400m Altitude 300-700mForest 1200-2014.5mBamboo Forest Below 800m Below Altitude 400mScrub Low hills Below Altitude 800m Below Altitude 400m Altitude 300-700mCommercial Forest Reservoir area Below Altitude 400m Below 500m

Note: forest types likely to be affected by the construction zone and inundation for each project area shown in bold.

Within Laifeng County, forest covers 30.4% of the land surface. This increases to 45%within the upper Youshui River basin, where the Lajitan Project is proposed, mostly as aresult of commercial pine and fir plantations. Within the valleys (elevation 369 m to 390

25


m) of the Youshui River and its tributaries, commercial tree plantations comprised ofdeciduous broadleaf trees and shrubs (e.g., for fruit, nut and oil production) are thepredominant vegetation types outside of ground crops, such as rice and vegetables, whichare not included in the category of perennial vegetation cover. From 400 m to 800 melevation, scrub forest and deciduous broadleaf forest are the predominant forest types.Evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest and temperate coniferous forest is found above800 m elevation.

Within Nanzhang County, forest covers 28.5% of the land surface. In the upper GuanduRiver (Guanduhe) drainage, where the Songshuling Project is proposed, forest covers 70%of the land surface. The valley walls of the upper Guandu basin are steep, rising fromelevation 356 m to 2014 m. Below 400 m the predominant vegetation cover is woodyshrubland, scrub forest, bamboo, and commercial plantations of pine and fir. Between400 m and 1000 m (i.e., above the proposed construction and inundation areas), thevegetation cover is a mix of evergreen coniferous forest, deciduous broadleaf forest andmixed coniferous forest. At higher elevations the dominant forest types are evergreenconiferous forest and deciduous broadleaf forest.

Within Zhushan County, forest covers 44% of the land surface. In the upper Ju River(Juhe) drainage, where the Xiakou Project is proposed, forest covers 60% of the landsurface. Within the upper Ju basin, the valley walls are steep and rocky, rising from 200m to 800 m. Although the land supports 119 species of plants representing 21 generaand 14 families, most of these are found above 300 m elevation. From 300 m to 700 m(i.e., above the elevation of the proposed dam and reservoir), scrub forest, woodyshrubland and some deciduous broadleaf forest species predominate. Among thevarieties of coniferous trees, masson pine and Chinese fir are the dominant species.Among the broadleaf deciduous varieties of trees, orange trees are the main species.Overall, within vegetated areas where forests can still be found, orange trees account for20% and masson pine accounts for 15% of trees. Some rare species of trees occur withinthe Xiakou project area, including gingko and eucommia trees. However, they arecultivated artificially and are not, therefore, historical artifacts.

3.6.2 Fauna

The lower elevations within the four reservoir areas, which are characterized by sparelyvegetated steep rocky river gorges and canyon walls, provide only minimal wildlifehabitat, primarily for small mammals and birds. This is primarily due to difficult accesspresented by the near vertical walls, combined with the lack of suitable cover and foodsources that larger animals require to sustain viable populations. Elsewhere, in the lowerelevation areas where river terraces may have once supported riverine forests, the removalof this vegetation cover to make way for human settlements and farmland has eliminatedhabitat that may once have been used by larger mammals. In general, it is the upperslopes above the construction zones and reservoirs proposed for the Hubei HydropowerProject, where native forests can still be found. At these locations habitat can be foundthat is suitable for supporting species of wildlife, including larger mammals.

Cattle egrets move into the project areas during the monsoon season when paddy fieldsand drainage works are flooded and provide frogs and other sources of food. Otherwise,the lack of wetland areas limits the availability of habitat for other large species of birds

26


generally associated with valley bottom wetlands. The lower elevations that will beaffected by project development in each of the four project settings are not known tosupport cranes or other listed species.

Within the four project settings, local county forestry officials report that there are no stateor provincially listed protected species of flora or fauna occurring within the areas thatwill be affected by the hydropower development projects.

3.7 Other Biodiversity IssuesBecause the region contains karst formations, some of which occur within the areas inwhich the hydropower stations and reservoirs would be developed (i.e., Dongping andLajitan), an assessment was carried out to determine whether any of the karst structuressupport rare or unique species that would be lost or seriously threatened by the hydrodevelopments, primarily by inundation. The project sponsor entrusted the KarstAssessment study to a team of environmental experts from the Chinese ResearchAcademy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES)4 , who were assisted in the field by localcounty resource management agency staff.

Table 3-5 summarizes the findings of the investigations. CRAES have determined thatwith the exception of two caves located upstream of the proposed Lajitan and Songshulingdams, respectively, all the rest of the affected structures are small caves of only a meter orso in diameter. Most of the caves are presently situated above the existing normal highwater level of each of the rivers along which they are located and have been formed bysprings seeping into the river. Maodong Cave in the Lajitan reservoir area is a naturallimestone arch feature through which the Youshui River flows. The cave is about 100 mlong with a roof height of about 30 m. Daylight reaches the middle of the cave fromboth ends. The river runs as rapids through the cave and is passable to river rafts.Within the cave there are gravel bars at low water. Donkey-Head Cave is locatedapproximately 3 km upstream of the proposed Songshuling Dam. It is used by tourists,who can enter the cave by boat.

Table 3-5 - Karst and Non-Karst Caves Occurring in the Project Area


No. of Caves 13 24 1 1

Predominant Limestone / Limestone / karst Siltstone / CalcareousGeology karst mudstone conglomerate

Cave Dimensions Largest cave 22 of the caves Donkey-Head Entrance 10 mhas 1 m are located at or Cave has high, 20 mdiameter downstream of entrance 8 m high; 10 mentrance the damsite; 8 high, 13 m from entrance

caves have an wide; 20 m to to back of caveSmallest cavehas 0.1 m entrance back of cave, 2has.1 m diameter >1 m m water depth

d efrom water

4 CRAES specialists included Professor Zhang Yutian, researcher / environmental expert; Song Fu, research / chiefbiologist; and Su Yibing, senior engineer / environmental engineering expert.

27


Largest is from waterMaodong Cave connection to(220 m long cave Guandu Riverthrough whichfast flowingYoushui Riverflows)

All the rest are<1 m diameter atentrance

Biological, None - there There are no Donkey-Head Some birdsArchaeological or are no terrestrial or Cave used by nesting at caveother terrestrial or aquatic flora or small number entrance alonguse/significance aquatic flora fauna residing in of tourists who cliff face; will

or fauna the caves, except do boat drifts not be affectedresiding in the Maodong Cave, into cavecaves that in which fish in entrance fromwere able to Youshui River Guandu River;be accessed may pass. river fish can

Maodong Cave find their wayis lit by daylight into the cave;from both ends. back of cave isCave was lit by daylightexpanded by from entranceexplosivescharges in thepast to allowflood waterpassage

Inundation 11 of 13 caves 5 of 24 caves Donkey-Head Cave will notEffects will be will be Cave will be be affected as

inundated (7 completely completely it is locatedcompletely; 4 inundated; submerged well aboveonly at NSL) Maodong Cave (Note: this proposed NSL

will be partially presentlyinundated, but happens duringstill passable by years of highboats; the caves floods)downstream ofthe damsite onright bank willbe affected byconstruction

28


There is growing concern over the effects of global warming and the contribution thatgreenhouse gases from energy projects, including hydroelectric projects, may have onpromoting this condition. CRAES evaluated the potential contribution of greenhousegases for each of the projects. Based on the small land surface area that would beflooded relative to the volume of water in each reservoir, and the relatively small amountof biomass that grows along the rocky river gorges that will be flooded, it was determinedthat the volumes of greenhouse gases generated from each reservoir was not significant,especially when compared to the volume of greenhouse gases produced from thermalplants of equivalent generating capacity.

3.8 Socioeconomic Conditions

The counties within which the four hydropower stations are proposed are among thepoorest counties in all of China. As shown in Table 3-6, the average annual income forworkers within the project areas ranges from 1,047 RMB in the Dongping project area to2,047 RMB in the Xiakou project area. By comparison, the annual salary of urban andrural residents in more developed communities along the Yangtze River is in the range of4,000 RMB to 9,000 RMB, and the net income per capita is in the range of 2,000 to 3,000RMB.

The local economies depend primarily on agriculture. However, agriculture productivityis limited by the high relief topography that limits the availability of land suitable foragriculture, and generally produces poor quality, thinly layered soils. The exception is thelimited amount of rich valley bottom paddy land, most of which has been developed onthe Quatemary River terraces and terrace fragments.

The high relief terrain conditions make road building a very costly endeavor, which leadsto these project affected areas being economically isolated from more productive areas ofHubei Province located outside of the mountainous western region. There are no majorindustrial manufacturing enterprises within the four project areas, although there areminor industries based on processing agriculture and forestry products. Difficulttransportation and chronic power supply shortages combine to limit the region'sproductivity. The dependence on seasonal agriculture and minor manufacturing, in turn,provides for low employment, low average income levels and low standard of living.

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Table 3-6 - Socioeconomic Data for Project Area

Indicator Dongping Lajitan Sonshuling Xiakou

Number of people in the affected 33,500 30,700 45,100 60,100county

Number of people in reservoir 11,686 4,833 3,809 1,628area

Population Density in whole 12.24 22.36 12.57 15.57County (persons/kin 2)

Population Density in reservoir 14.06 14.81 8.55 9.99area (persons/kM2 )

Average annual per capita income 1,047 1,539 1,388 2,046(RMB/person) in project affectedarea

GDP by County and Industrial 1,091 1,063 2,002 821*Sector (millions RMB Yuan)

- Agriculture 475 443 681 380

- Forestry 24.5 18.4 97 55.8

- Manufacturing 192 320 743 230

- Service Sector 149 292 210 155

- Other 251 0 0 (included inservicesector)

Amount of farmland in reservoir 8,804 3,703 3,313 1,215area (ha)

Percent of farmland in county 32.63 21.33 9.44 2.3represented by farmland inreservoir area (%)

Number of schools in county 285 147 156 157

Number of hospitals and clinics, 82 (407) 75 (673) 119 (542) 98 (659)and (hospital beds)

Length of Road Network (km) in 607.21 317.4 1,997.15 1,275county

Percent of Population in County 55 95 95 98with Road Access

Length of Telecommunication 2,648 1,987.1 2,216.5 1,368Network (pole km) in county

30

Summary EA Report - Hubel Hydropower Project

Indicator Dongping Lajitan Sonshuling Xiakou

Percent of Households in County 22 25 30 20with Telephone Service

Length of Electrical DistributionNetwork (pole km) in county

- 220 KV N/A N/A N/A N/A

- 110KV 40 118.5 100.7 141.7

- 35 KV 144 155.3 273.2 174.5

- 10 KV and Under 1523 198 2105 2300

Percentage of Households in 100 100 100 100County with Electricity

Percentage of Households in 72 70 50 60 to 65County Provided with CleanDrinking Water

* Raw Data Unconfirmed

The project areas are reasonably well served by schools and basic public health andmedical services. However, for more serious medical situations, the four project areascan provide only limited medical support. Otherwise, people must seek medicalattention outside the region, which is difficult to do given the current economic conditionsin the project-affected areas.

The major diseases affecting people within all four project areas are those normallyassociated with poverty and poor living conditions. Within the Dongping project areathe primary epidemic diseases include viral hepatitis, bacterium caused dysentery,typhoid, paratyphoid and type B epidemic encephalitis, the latter of which has a relativelow incidence. The main vector-borne disease in the area is malaria, while the mainendemic disease is goiter (caused by iodine deficient diets). The incidence of goiter inthe area has reduced from 21.25% in 1982 to 0.43% in 1987. This change is attributed toeducation and a program of preventative treatment through the use of iodized salt.

Within the Lajitan project area, the main infections diseases are hepatitis, entericdysentery, and tuberculosis. The incidence of these diseases has been declining in recentyears. Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and filariasis, which are found in someother parts of eastern China, are not found at notable levels in this region. Goiter, whichaffected approximately 3.15% of the population in 1882, had declined to 0.75% in 1982.

Within the Songshuling project area, the main infectious diseases are hepatitis, entericdysentery, tuberculosis, typhoid and paratyphoid. Minor outbreaks of hemorrhagic feverand uncinariasis, both of which are spread by mice and pig feces coming into contact withfood or water, have also been reported. The main endemic disease is goiter, the

31


incidence of which fell from a high of over 65% in the area in 1965 to only a few percentby the late 1970s, and fractions of a percent in the early to mid-1980s. Fluoridosis,caused by high fluorine levels in drinking water, also affects parts of the project area,especially in areas where groundwater comes from coal shale deposits. In these areas theincidence of dental fluoridosis has reached as high as 30% in children aged 8 to 15 years.

Within the Xiakou project area, the main infectious diseases are viral hepatitis andbacillary dysentery. The primary endemic disease is goiter. The primary vector-bornedisease is viral encephalitis.

County-level surveys for cultural and heritage resources have been carried out for each ofthe four project areas. To date, no significant archaeological or heritage resources havebeen identified, that could be affected by any of the projects. Notwithstanding thesecounty-level surveys, the Chinese government requires that the Hubei ProvinceAntiquities Bureau carry out surveys and provide formal "sign-off' as part of theprovincial approvals process for each project. These surveys are currently beinginitiated, and will cover the construction zones, spoils sites, inundation areas andresettlement sites for each project. The results of the surveys will be reported in asupplementary Archaeological and Heritage Resources Assessment Report for the HubeiHydropower Project, which will be submitted to the World Bank prior to loannegotiations. The report will document findings, and recommend appropriate mitigationmeasures, including measures to be taken in the event that previously undocumentedheritage or archaeological resources are unearthed during excavation activities.

Of the various environmental and human resources identified above, regional economicsand quality of life are expected to benefit greatly by the projects, while environmentalresources will be adversely affected, but not significantly so.

Additional environmental data for each subproject area is provided in Appendix B, TableB-1.

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Chapter 4

Assessment of Impacts and Recommended Mitigation Measures

4.1 IntroductionThis chapter identifies the major potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts thatare expected to result from the four hydropower developments that comprise the HubeiHydropower Project, and presents recommended measures for mitigating these impacts.

Table 4-1 summarizes the scale of impacts identified for the four projects. The mostsignificant impacts will be associated with constructing new resettlement communities,constructing the hydropower dams and supporting facilities (e.g., power houses,substations, and transmission lines), inundating sections of river to form reservoirs, andoperating the reservoirs. These major impacts and measures for mitigating them aresummarized in Section 4.2. Section 4.3 discusses several other environmental issues ofconcern, including transportation impacts, environmental aesthetics, tourism, the potentialfor generating acid rock drainage, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Table 4-1 - Summary Impact Matrix

Potential Impact Impactud Index Applied in Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouMagnitude Assessment

Length of TorrentedImpact of Inundation on ... River Flooded and 1 3 4 2Aquatic Ecosystem Aquatic Resources 1

Lost_ _ _ _ _ _

Social and Environmental Number of Resettled 2Impacts of Resettlement People 1Ecological Impacts of the ++ Excavation Volume 2 3 1 4Excavation and Spoils and Spoils VolumeEcological Impacts of Local ++ Utilization Volume 2 3 1 4Resource Utilization of Earth and Rock

Number of

Impacts of Construction Noise + Construction 2 3 1 4Machines andExcavation VolumeExcavation Volume

Impacts of Construction + and Number of 2 3 1 4Wastes and Domestic Refuse Construction

Workers lExcavation Volume

Impacts of Process Wastewater + and Number of 2 3 I 4and Domestic Sewage Construction

WorkersExcavation Volume

Impacts from Construction and and Number ofDomestic Atmospheric + Construction 2 3 1 4Emissions (including dust) Workers

Number of

Impacts on the Health of ConstructionConstrction orkers+ Workers and the 1 2 4 3

Construction Workers Period of

Construction

33


Potential Impact Impact Index Applied in Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouI ~~~~~~~~Magnitude Assessment lll11

Change in Endemic, lImpacts on Public Health + Epidemic and I 4 2 3within the Project Areas Vector-borne Disease 1

.______________________________ In cid en ceEnvironmental and Ecological Reservoir Storageimpacts from the Water and Water Surace I 3 4 2Impoundment of ReservoirsImpacts from Inundation of Number of KarstSensitive Ecosystems + Features Inundated 1 2 3 4(primarily Karst Features)

Loss by Inundation of Number ofSignificant Archaeological or + Potentially 4 1 3 2

Heritage Resources ~~~~Significant SitesHenitage Resources Inundated

Impacts from Operation and Capacity and VolumeMaintenance of Power + of Power Equipment 1 2 3 4Generating EquipmentPollution from Aquatic + Reservoir Storage 1 3 4 2Cultivation in Reservoir and Water SurfacePollution from Shipping Water Surface anddepending on the Reservoir + Length of Reservoir 1 2 3 4

Benefits from Power Installed Capacity 1 3 2 4Generation and Annual OutputPotential to develop Aquatic (++) Reservoir Storage I 3 4 2Cultivation in Reservoir and Water Surface 1

Potential Irrigation Use of Regulating Storage 1 4 3 2Reservoir WaterPotential for Reservoir to serve (++) Regulating Storage 1 4 3 2as source for Potable WaterPotential Flood Control (++) Flood Storage 1 2 4 3

Potential for Waterborne Water Surface andTransportaion (+) Length of the 1 2 3 4Transportation ~~~~~Reservoir

Water Surface andTourism Potential (+) Length of the 1 2 3 4

ReservoirNote: In the column labeled "Impact Magnitude", +++ means significant impacts for which mitigation is either not possible or will only address

some aspects of the expected adverse effects; ++ means the impact is serious but can be mitigated; + means the impacts are moderate tominor, and can be fully mitigated. The impacts described in brackets are positive impacts (benefits), and the number of + means the extent ofthe benefits. The number in the corresponding column of each subproject indicates the ranking of impacts (or benefits) of each projectagainst the others, with I being the worst in terms of impacts (or best in terms of benefits) and 4 being the least severe in terms of impacts(or lowest benefits).

4.2 Major Environmental and Socioeconomic Issues

4.2.1 Resettlement

4.2.1.1 Program

A total of 2,528 people will be involuntarily resettled as a result of the Hubei HydropowerProject. Table 4-2 provides a breakdown of the number of persons to be involuntarilyresettled, houses that will be removed, land that will be flooded, and utilities/infrastructurethat will be lost by subproject. The majority of persons to be resettled are rural peopleinvolved in agriculture.

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Table 4-2 - Resettlement Indices and Infrastructure Affected

Items Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

Households 256 84 52 229

People 1059 397 214 9352

Houses (floor space m ) 36,753.5 16,126 9,889 56,484

Land (ha)

* Fish Ponds/Water Ponds unknown 0.0013 0.0 1.67

* Cultivated 167.93 43.87 23.05 78.86

* Woodland 261.3 25.5 19.9 69.5

* Garden Plots 26.7 0.91 0.0 37.18

* Household Plots 4.8 1.42 1.52 7.64

* Other Village Land 177 36.84 unknown unknown(including none useableland)

Planted Trees (# of trees) 28,556 20,110 2,288 12,576

Roads (km) 10.2 8 5.95 4.5

Bridges 4 4 2 2

Electrical Transmission &Distribution Systems (polekm)

* 35 kV 2 7 ] unknown

* 10 kV 4 6 ] 4.4 2.550.8 unknown ] unknown

* 380 &220 V.

Telecommunications Lines 15.7 8 6.25 unknown(pole km)

Small Hydropower Stations 558 kw /2 80 kw /2 1000 kw /1 100 kw /2(capacity/# of stations)

Domestic Water Supply Pump N/A N/A N/A 2Stations

A detailed resettlement program, including a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) has beenprepared for each of the four subprojects. All four RAPs were prepared by the EastChina Investigation Design Institute, in association with the local county government andthe project sponsor, as a complementary document to the respective project EIA reports.Each RAP covers the following issues for its respective project area:

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* Biophysical conditions;

* Socioeconomic conditions, including that of ethnic minorities, within theinundation zone and resettlement areas;

* Scope of project impacts in rural areas, towns and other special features;

* Policy and legal basis of resettlement, including laws and regulations governingland administration, land acquisition and resettlement, land management, forestmanagement, minority nationalities, and autonomous regions;

* Inventory of resettlement needs and recovery planning;

* Compensation principles, standards and detailed budget;

* Implementation plans and procedures;

* Institutional requirements;

* Public participation, grievance and appeals procedures;

* Monitoring and evaluation (internal and external); and

* Reporting

The resettlement program for the overall project follows all applicable Chinese State,Hubei Province laws and regulations, and World Bank policies and guidelines.Procedures for handling grievances and complaints are adequately addressed.

Social assessments of the project affected peoples (PAPs), in addition to examiningpossible affects to local Han ("Chinese") people, have also been carried out to ascertainthe extent to which indigenous or minority peoples may be affected by each of the fourprojects. Ethnic minorities have been consulted to obtain their concerns and fulldisclosure of project documents has occurred. A legal assessment of minority rights, asthey pertain to the project, has also been undertaken. The study findings indicate thatalthough Tujia, Miao and Dong "ethnic minority groups" occur in western HubeiProivnce, there is a very high degree of acculturation with the local area Han culture,society, economy and political organization within the four project areas. There is no, orminimal, distinction of ethnic minority groups in the project areas. There are no culturalactivities that would distinguish peoples of ethnic minority groups from their local areaHan neighbours, no linguistic differentiation, since all use putongua, the national languageof China, and no significant differences in political representation, economic activities orstandards of living. Therefore, it can be concluded that the four projects are unlikely tomarginalize peoples of ethnic minority groups. Rather, the projects will provide a meansfor these peoples to share in the social and economic benefits derived from the projects.These conclusions are supported by the World Bank's Social Assessment Team.

The RAP for each project includes a Resettlement Production Plan designed to provideeconomic livelihood for people who are being resettled. Table 4-4 indicates the totaland per-project investments for resettlement of the Hubei Hydropower Project.

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Table 4-4- Resettlement Production Investment Plan for Hubei Hydropower Project(millions RMB Yuan)

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou Total

Total Investment 58.7 25 18.9 38.5 141.1Required

Note: Budget includes 5% for administration, resettlement supervision, monitoring and evaluation;and 10% for physical contingency.

Income Restoration and Livelihood Development

For each project, plans have been prepared which define the type of housing, housingstandards, and living conditions that will be provided for persons being resettled. Fundsin the amount of 800 RMB Yuan per resettlee will be allocated to provide for incomecompensation during the period of transition between moving from the originalsettlements/homes to new resettlement communities, as well as to cover the initialpost-resettlement period. Financial resources will support activities such as improvingland for agriculture use, and encouraging people to shift to secondary and tertiaryindustries.

Resettlement Cost and Funding

The cost of the Hubei Hydropower Project's Resettlement Program is shown in Table 4-5.

Table 4-5 - Basis for Compensation and Rehabilitation by Subproject

Items | Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

Compensation Payments

Housing'

House Structure (concrete, brick, wood, 120 - 300earth, and combinations) (RMB Yuan/M2)

Simple Structures (RMB Yuan/M2) 70- 120

Garden Walls (RMB Yuan/rn2) 15 - 30

Sunny Ground (RMB Yuan/mi2 ) 15 - 30

Household Amenities (RMB Yuan/item) 50 - 250

Utility Reconnections (RMB 100 -300Yuan/household)

Moving Allowance (RMB 300 - 480Yuan/household)

Cultivated Land (Land & Job 4,717 - 5,649 4,980 - 8,213 2,779 - 6,463 5,257 - 8,359Compensation) (RMB Yuan/mu)

Fruit Trees (RMB Yuan/mu) 5,480 4,127 5,075

Forest Land and Other Land2 (RMB 2,500 - 3,500 2,500 - 3,500 2,500 - 3,500 2,500 - 3,500Yuan/mu)

Rehabilitation Payments

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LandHousing Plot (mu/household) - 0.5 - 0.6 0.5 - 0.6 0.5 - 0.6 0.5 - 0.6Farmland (mu/person) 3 - 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0Woodland (mu/household) 4 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Housing Plot Leveling and Infrastructure 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500(RMB Yuan/household)

Transition Funds5 (RMB Yuan/person)- Grain FundFarmland Fertilization Fund - 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500Orchard Fund 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000

1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500

I Compensation for lost buildings, attached facilities and moving allowance, based on replacement value of lostassets; varies among the four projects.

2 Compensation at 50% of cultivated land/mu, plus compensation for trees that are cut down (400 RMBYuan/mu for timber; 300 RMB Yuan/mu for bamboo); Compensation for bush land at 10% to 20% ofcultivated land. Compensation for housing plot and non-productive (wasteland) at 10% of cultivated land.

3 Basic farmland allocation of 1.0 mu/person, of which 0.5 mu will be paddy land.4For households that have to relocate, 1 mu of woodland provided for fuelwood consumption.5 In addition to receiving compensation for lost land, and to ensure sufficient grain production during transition

period, each affected person will receive RMB Yuan 300/year for five years; plus a one time payment ofRMB Yuan 2,000 fertilization stipend for newly developed farmland, and RMB Yuan 1,500 for newlydeveloped orchards. Where resettlees move to an existing host community, the community will receive aproportion of the resettlement fund for improving farmland

4.2.1.2 Impacts and Mitigation Measures

Resettlement Sites

Potential adverse impacts of developing new resettlement sites include removal of treesand other vegetation to make way for houses and agriculture land, destabilizing slopes andincreasing soil erosion, and contamination of water sources with additional sewage andgray water. In most cases, existing villages will be expanded, rather than newresettlement sites being created. Land that is currently considered non-productive or" wasteland" within existing villages will be used for constructing houses for the resettlees.These new houses will have modem septic sanitation systems.

Resettlement Families

Potential adverse affects of resettlement on project-affected people (PAP) includeeconomic impacts; loss of housing, local amenities and civic services; and diminishedsocial/cultural conditions. Positive impacts include the potential for increased incomelevels and improved housing and community infrastructure and services.

Host Population

A reduction in per capita farmland will occur as a result of reallocation of land followingresettlement, even with redevelopment of non-agriculture land to make it suitable for cropproduction. However, the impact of diminished per capita farmland will be offset byfarm subsidies and other financial support mechanisms.

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The infrastructure will improve for both resettles and the host population, asimprovements are made within existing villages to accommodate added population, andnew villages are constructed. New or upgraded schools, hospitals, communication andentertainment facilities will contribute to an improved standard of living.

Only minimal social/cultural impacts are expected, as most resettles will remain within theproject area, in most cases close to their original villages and within their family, socialand ethnic groups.

Grievances and Complaints

Psychological and socio-cultural stresses can result from the process of resettlement,particularly among the elderly or infirmed. Complaints and grievances may arise if thecause of the stress is not identified and resolved. The key to dealing with such concernsis to carry out effective monitoring and supervision of the resettlement process,identifying issues and responding positively to them, before they become problems.Addressing complaints and dealing with grievances will be the responsibility of localgovernment, local and provincial resettlement offices, and monitoring and supervisionteams.

Subsidies for Vulnerable Groups

Within the project-affected areas there is a small is a small proportion of the populationthat is considered to be vulnerable. This group includes low-income families,female-headed households, handicapped, and the elderly. To assist with relocation andtransition, persons identified as being vulnerable will receive additional support asrequired. One percent of the rural resettlement compensation package will be set aside toaddress the special needs of this group.

Public Health

Moving large numbers of people from one location to another, particularly when somemay carry communicable diseases, can adversely affect the health of both those beingresettled and people within the host community. Added to this is the effect that thephysical and psychological stress of resettlement can have on reducing resistance todisease. To ensure public health within the project-affected communities does notdiminish, a program of public health monitoring has been proposed. Supervision andmonitoring of reservoir sanitation, and resettlement community potable water, wastewaterand solid waste disposal systems will be part of the program aimed at ensuring protectionof public health.

4.2.1.30verall Resettlement-Related Environmental Issues

The RAPs have been prepared for each of the four proposed hydropower developmentprojects that comprise the Hubei Hydropower Project. Assuming that monitoring andsupervision activities are carried out as defined within the EIA EnvironmentalManagement Plan (EMP) and the RAP for each project, then resettlement activities willcomply with Chinese and World Bank environmental standards.

Environmental compliance of the resettlement program will be monitored by the ProjectEnvironmental Management Office (EMO) and an external monitoring and evaluationunit, represented by the East China Investigation and Design Institute (ECIDI).

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Environmental Construction Inspectors (ECIs) representing the Project EMO's will needto ensure the environmental specifications are implemented effectively. Overall, theenvironmental success of the resettlement program is dependent upon development andimplementation of environmental specifications. Effective surveillance and monitoringis the key to successful implementation.

To ensure the environmental aspects of each project's resettlement program areimplemented effectively, a number of measures have been identified in each project RAP.The RAPs include adequate environmental specifications for locating, designing andconstructing new resettlement communities, including associated water, wastewater,transportation and other infrastructure components. They also address the requirementsfor reservoir clearing and sanitation.

Siting Resettlement Communities

The RAPs indicate that the local resettlement offices in each project area, along with theProvincial Resettlement Office, will determine the best sites for resettlement communities.Criteria for siting new resettlement communities includes using vacant land or wastelandadjacent to existing villages, and avoiding forested areas that would require removal oftrees. One of the first steps to be taken after excavating and leveling the land on whicha new community will be constructed will be the installation of slope stabilization anddrainage control measures. The purpose of these works would be to protect resettleesfrom land slips and minimize soil erosion and damage to water courses.

Specifications for water quality sampling of proposed wells and springs have beenidentified and follow national or provincial criteria for drinking water. Parametersinclude iron, manganese, colour and hardness. In addition, it is suggested that potablewater supplies also be tested for coliform bacteria and fluoride, the latter because it is aconcern in western Hubei province as the cause of flouridosis.

Wastewater Treatment Systems

The RAPs indicate that state and provincial specifications for wastewater treatment designwill be used, and that effluent water quality will be monitored to ensure the standards aremet.

Reservoir Clearing and Sanitation

The RAPs for each of the four proposed projects identify the requirements for clearing andsanitizing the respective reservoir areas prior to impoundment. All buildings below NSLmust be dismantled and removed. Pit latrines, manure pits, pigsties and graves must bedisinfected. All trees must be cut and removed, and brush and branches piled andburned. All bridges, transmission and telecommunications poles and lines, and smallhydropower stations, or other enterprises must be dismantled and removed. Ancestraltombs will be relocated as per the prevailing policies concerning removal andre-internment of human remains. Likewise, any known heritage or archaeologicalresources deemed by the Hubei Province Antiquities Bureau to be of significant cultural,heritage or scientific value, will be relocated where possible, as per the policies,regulations and standards presently in place. Based on the county-level surveysconducted to date, there do not appear to be any significant resources of this kind that

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would be affected by any of the projects. The assessment presently being initiated willconfirm is this is the case.

In preparation for reservoir clearing and sanitation, the requirements for clearing andsanitation of reservoir areas will be included in a stand-alone Reservoir Clearing andSanitation Plan. The plan will clearly identify the areas that will be affected byinundation using maps, the materials that must be removed, the process for clearing anddisposal of materials, sanitation procedures, the applicable management and inspectionauthorities, the schedule for clearing and sanitation, and the budget. The plan will alsoinclude a work program which clearly identifies who will actually do the clearing andsanitation, and the method of contracting or payment system that will be adopted.

4.2.2 Construction Program Impacts and Mitigation

4.2.2.1 Dam-site and Ancillary Areas

Site Preparation and Excavation

Site preparation work will be undertaken at each proposed dam site and adjacent areasrequired to support construction activities (i.e., quarry/borrow areas; maintenance, storageand fabrication yards; aggregate and concrete processing areas; roads; camps; etc.). Thispreparation work will involve clearing of vegetation, grubbing out roots, removal andstockpiling soils (in locations where soils may be present), removal and storage ordisposal of overburden, blasting and leveling.

In the event that previously unrecorded historic or archaeological artifacts are encounteredduring excavation, then measures will be followed that are consistent with the currentpolicies, regulations and standards of the Hubei Province Antiquities Bureau. Generally,this would involve stopping work within the immediate area of the find, notifying theappropriate authorities, who would then carry out an on-site assessment to ascertain thesignificance of the find and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.

As discussed in Chapter 3, the vegetation within the four project construction zones isprimarily woody shrubland type vegetation comprised of cane grasses, bamboo, ferns,shrubs, other grasses and various species of forbes. There are no rare or protectedvarieties of plants found here. With the exception of habitat that this vegetationassemblage provides for various species of birds, small mammals, and reptiles, theconstruction zone for each project will have no effect on the limited remaining naturalforest that is found at higher elevations in each project area and, therefore, will not affectlarger wildlife or wildlife habitat.

The site excavation activities will subject unprotected cut and fill slopes to the effects ofmonsoon rains and associated heavy runoff. This is both a safety and environmentalissue. Exposed slopes, especially exposed fill slopes can become saturated anddestabilized, leading to mass wasting.

Sediment laden runoff has an adverse effect on aquatic organisms. Among the theseimpacts, it can smother spawning gravels, choke gill membranes of fish and other aquaticorganisms, induce benthic organisms to abandon substrate (i.e., induce drift), therebydepriving fish of a source of food. Although rivers in this region carry a heavy sedimentload during monsoon floods, the Chinese Government is attempting to control sediment

41


erosion in this region of the country as part of its forestry revitalization policy.Therefore, every effort will be made to minimize the further introduction of sedimentfrom the project sites. Contractors involved in site preparation and excavation works oneach project will be required to carry out the following activities to minimize the effects ofsediment erosion:

* Terrace fill slopes and install interceptor ditches to divert runoff from runningdown the slopes;

* Install retaining wall structures along the toe of steep slopes to prevent slopefailure;

* On slopes that will be exposed for extended periods, plant fast-growing soilstabilizing varieties of fibrous rooting plants, such as various varieties of grasses;

* Cover slopes with impermeable tarps, bamboo or coco-matting to help shed wateruntil seeded areas can germinate and plants can become established;

* Install settling basins to remove suspended sediment from sediment laden drainagewater. These basins will have to be regularly cleaned out to ensure they continueto function as designed.

Once the projects have been constructed, those areas within each construction zone thatare no longer needed to support the project, will be rehabilitated. Equipment will bedemobilized or sold for scrap if no longer useable; buildings will be removed andmaterials that can be reused will be recycled; land used for temporary roads, storage,maintenance and fabrication yards, quarry/borrow sites, and materials processing will bedeactivated, and re-contoured where required; stockpiled soils will be placed over theseareas; and the reclaimed lands will be re-vegetated with trees, grasses and other plants.

Water UseAggregate and concrete processing facilities at each project site will require water forproduction purposes. It is assumed that water will be pumped from the rivers on whichthe projects will be constructed. Water removal will occur from only very localizedlocations in each of the project rivers, where fish abundance is considered to be low.Since no critically important species are known or believed to frequent these waters, thefitting of pump intakes with fish screens is considered unnecessary.

Liquid and Solid Waste DisposalWash water produced from aggregate and concrete processing facilities will be high intotal suspended solids and pH, both of which can have adverse effects on aquaticorganisms if released directly into a water course. To protect the rivers during projectconstruction, processing waters will be treated in settling basins to remove suspendedsediments. In addition, the process water from the concrete batching operations, whichcontains cement slurry, will be tested for pH and buffered accordingly before beingreleased to the receiving waters.

Camps will generate a considerable volume of sewage and gray water. To ensure thesedischarges do not adversely affect the project rivers or tributary systems, the camps willbe designed with sewage and gray water treatment systems, most likely comprised of

42

Summary EA Report- Hubei Hydropower Project

septic tanks and leaching fields. No untreated sewage or gray water will be dischargedwithout proper and effective treatment.

A large volume of solid wastes will be generated by each project during construction.These include both construction debris in the form of scrap metal, damaged lead-acidtruck batteries, broken copper wire, waste oil and filters, scrap wood, waste concrete, aswell as domestic wastes from the construction camps. Materials that have an economicvalue, such as waste oil, scrap wood, scrap metal, and damaged lead-acid batteries, wire,etc., will be recycled through regional dealers. Other non-recyclable materials will bedisposed of at local approved landfills or, if these don't exist, transported to the nearestsuch facility. Toxic wastes such as waste oil filters, spent solvents, etc., will be stored onsite in a secure, dry location for later disposal at a facility approved by the regionalEnvironmental Protection Bureau.

In the event that poor fuel and lubricant handling results in contamination of soils atconstruction site fueling depots or equipment maintenance facilities, the contractorresponsible for these facilities will excavate the contaminated soils and dispose of them atan approved facility as directed by the local Environmental Protection Bureau.

Air Quality and Noise Impacts and Mitigation

Within the construction zone of each project there will be a significant number ofmachines, both mobile (e.g., trucks, excavators, etc.) and stationary (e.g., compressors,drill rigs, etc.), that are powered by diesel and gasoline engines. When operating, thisequipment releases a number of pollutants to the atmosphere, primarily CO, CO2 , NOx,SO2 , and particulates. These pollutants are also released by coal-fired stoves and heatersused in the construction camps and kitchens. Dust is released into the atmosphere fromdrilling, blasting and the movement of vehicles along gravel surfaced roads in the dryseason. Blasting also releases gases as a by-product of the explosive charges. Withinthe respective project construction zones, it is estimated that the index for total suspendedparticulates may exceed the Grade II air quality standard for short periods of time.Otherwise, the effects of construction on air quality will be transient and confined to theimmediate area of construction. As distance increases away from the construction zones,the effects of construction activities on air quality will diminish so that air quality meetsthe Chinese Grade I standard. Once construction is completed, the emissions will ceaseto be an issue.

To ensure that air quality does not become a problem within the construction zones andbeyond, a number of measures have been proposed, including: a regular program of airquality monitoring within the construction zone, construction camps and nearbycommunities; ensuring internal combustion engine-powered equipment is operating at itsoptimal performance levels; using low sulfur diesel fuel in diesel-powered engines, andlead-free gasoline in gasoline-powered vehicles; controlling fugitive dust by regularlyspraying roads, rock crushers, and other potential sources of fugitive dust with waterduring the dry season; and requiring construction camps to use compressed gas forcooking and heating, wherever possible. In addition, to protect worker health and safety,workers involved in activities to which they may be exposed to dust, volatile solvents orother airborne contaminants, will be required to wear dust masks or respirators.

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Noise impacts will generally be confined to the construction zones and immediateadjacent areas. The main sources of noise disturbance will come from drilling, blasting,excavation, rock crushing and screening, and materials transport. Within theconstruction zone the noise levels will be in the range of 65 dBA to over 110 dBAdepending on the proximity to noise source, decreasing proportionately as distanceincreases away from the source. The primary concern related to noise within theconstruction zone is worker health and safety. Therefore, all workers that could beexposed to dangerous noise levels (generally >55 dBA for prolonged periods) will berequired to use hearing protection devices.

Camps will be set away from the main construction zones, so workers will not besubjected to high noise levels when away from the job site. Outside the constructionzone, the concern is for local residents and wildlife. The movement of large trucksthrough inhabited areas can create both noise and vibration disturbance. To reduce thelevel of annoyance and disruption to local residents, truck traffic will be restricted in itsmovement to daylight hours. Noise monitoring within the construction zone,construction camps and nearby communities will be undertaken for each project to ensuremeasures for protecting workers and local residents are implemented effectivelycommensurate with the level of noise disturbance. All gasoline or diesel poweredequipment will be required to be fitted with exhaust mufflers to control noise output.

As most remaining wildlife of regional importance is located in higher elevation forestsabove 800 to 1000 masl, which is well above the construction zones, the noise impacts onlocal wildlife populations are not expected to be significant. However, some minordisplacement of commonly occurring species of birds may occur within the lowerelevation areas immediately adjacent to the construction zone, particularly duringbreeding season. The effects will, however, be quite localized.

Worker Health and Safety

A large work force is required to construct a hydropower project. For each of the fourprojects included in the Hubei Hydropower Project the peak workforce on site willnumber in the hundreds of workers. The spread of communicable diseases amongworkers is a concern when this many persons are brought together. To minimize thechances of disease outbreak among workers, and to local inhabitants in adjacentcommunities, workers will go through medical screening and certification before comingto the job site. Medical facilities will be provided for each project to treat injuries andsickness. A program of worker health and safety will also be implemented for eachproject. Contractors will be required to appoint a health and safety officer, whose dutieswill include training and supervising any workers employed by his company in the use ofpersonal protective equipment. In addition, contractors will be responsible for ensuringconstruction camps and ancillary areas are kept in a clean and tidy condition.

4.2.2.2Transmission Lines and Substations

Transmission facilities for three of the sub-projects (i.e., Lajitan, Songshuling and Xiakou)will consist of short distance inter-connections of 110 kV and 35 kV lines between thenew hydro-station substations and existing or new substations located in nearbycommunities. The only significant transmission line will be a 220 kV line which connects

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the Dongping Subtation to the provincial grid. As final route selection has not beencompleted for these transmission lines, the requisite ELAs have not yet beenundertaken. These will be carried out and cleared by Chinese authorities and the WorldBank prior to commencement of construction of the lines or substations.

The current practice for constructing transmission lines in China is to minimizedisturbance to vegetation and soil cover. The transmission lines will require onlyminimal clearing of vegetation, primarily to accommodate the footprint of the towers, andto provide clear access for conductor wires leading to and from the towers. Onlyminimal construction of access roads is normally required, as most of the materials arecarried by local laborers from strategic sites along existing roadways to the towerconstruction sites. Chinese law requires that compensation be paid for loss ofmerchantable timber, which is another reason for constructing lines in a manner thatavoids tree cutting. Due to the undulating mountain topography within the region, it isexpected that most of the rights-of-way for the transmission lines can be constructedwithout having to remove trees. The towers can be situated on promontories, such thatthe conductors are strung between them over valleys and depressions, thereby ensuringmore than adequate clearance distance to the ground and vegetation.

The relatively low population density within the region allows for siting of transmissionlines in a manner that avoids villages and towns, thereby eliminating the need for furtherresettlement of people outside of the zone of electromagnetic fields (EMF).

As noted above, a substation will be constructed at each dam site, and will connect withsubstations to be located at the edge of existing communities within the region. Vacant,unproductive land will be developed for these substations, so resettlement of people anddisplacement of structures or valuable farmland is not anticipated. EMF separationdistances will be enforced, as per the current regulations in force in China.

4.2.3 Reservoir Inundation Impacts and Mitigation

As each reservoir is filled, it will replace a section of torrented river with a deeper, slowermoving body of water. Due to the mass of water, each reservoir will have a moreregulated temperature regime. In addition to trapping sediments, the reservoirs will alsoact as a nutrient sink, intercepting nitrogen and phosphorous containing runoff fromagriculture land.

4.2.3.1 Land Use

Land use will change in each project area as river valleys are inundated for tens ofkilometers to create reservoirs, and as land around the reservoirs is developed to providefor villages, roads, agriculture land, commercial forests, and other uses. Land currentlyconsidered wasteland or marginally productive land will be developed for village sites(either new sites or expanded existing sites), or improved for use as farmland orcommercial forestry. Productive paddy lands located at what will be the upper end ofreservoirs will be protected from flooding from just below nornal storage level (NSL) topeak flood levels by a series of dykes.

The RAP and EIA for each respective project identify numerous measures for minimizingsoil erosion of spoils dumps, exposed embankments and cut slopes using both engineering

45


and bioengineering techniques. Such measures will help to conserve land resources,particularly farmland.

Raising Public Environmental Awareness

The EIA for each project recommends a program for raising public environmentalawareness and developing a sense of environmental stewardship for the newly createdreservoirs and adjacent environs. The respective county resettlement office in eachproject area, in association with the Provincial Resettlement Office, the ProjectEnvironmental Management Office, the local Public Health Office and the localEnvironmental Protection Bureau, will coordinate with one another to identify aResettlement Environmental Officer for each project. This person would report to thelocal resettlement office, and liaise closely with the Project Environmental ManagementOffice. He/she would be tasked with developing and delivering environmental educationmaterials to the resettlement communities, as well as carrying out inspections ofcommunities to ensure that residents are following environmental best practice for wastemanagement/disposal, water and soil conservation, and forestry, fishery and wildlifeutilization. The program would include the following components:

* Educating villagers on local, provincial and state laws and regulations concerningenvironmental restrictions on forest products, fish and wildlife, the penalties forviolating these ordinances, and the need to observe, record and report violations.

* Educating villagers on the links between a healthy environment and improvedstandard of living, including the economic benefits that come from tourism, anindustry that relies on a clean and healthy environment.

* Providing examples of environmental best practices for waste management in andaround the village, and comparing these with poor practices that causeenvironmental and health problems.

* Technical training on low impact land management, soil and water conservation,appropriate fertilizer and pesticide application practices, and other eco-friendlyactivities related to farming and forestry.

A variety of outreach educational and training techniques would be employed, includingpresentations, meetings, field demonstrations, posters, pamphlets and other methods todeliver the environmental stewardship message.

4.2.3.2 Aquatic Ecology

The current status of aquatic resources within the four project affected areas is presentlyunder investigation by the Institute of Hydrobiology (Wuhan), with a supplementaryaquatic ecological assessment report due for submission to the World Bank sometime inlate December 2001/early January 2002. This report will document the present status ofaquatic resources in the four project affected rivers, and recommend appropriatemitigation measures.

For the present, existing information would suggest that the presence of high dams on themain tributaries of the Changjiang, into which the four project rivers flow, as well asdams upstream of Dongping and Lajitan, and the weir at Xiakou, have all had asignificant effect on altering the aquatic ecosystem in the proposed project areas. Fish

46


are no longer able to migrate upstream from the Changjiang to spawn in these torrentedheadwater rivers. Upstream dams on the Zhongjian and Youshui rivers, have altered thehydraulic, temperature, sediment transport and nutrient regimes of these two rivers withinthe reaches that will be affected by the Dongping and Lajitan projects, respectively. The2 m high weir across the Ju River at Xiakou, effectively blocks fish access to upstreamreaches beyond this point, and diverts all water during the dry season into the JuxiawanIrrigation and Power canal, effectively dewatering the Ju River for a distance of almost 10km downstream of the weir. The net effect of the existing developments on these threerivers is that their aquatic ecosystems have already been compromised. Productivity hasbeen further diminished through over-exploitation of the fishery resource by localfishermen/farmers. This has resulted in low numbers of less than optimal-sized breedingstock.

Although the Guandu River is no longer accessible to upstream migrating fish from themainstem system downstream, it is presently unregulated from the headwaters to theHuanglongtan dam, 90 km downstream of the Songshuling site.

Creation of reservoirs behind the Dongping, Lajitan and Xiakou dams will have a smallincremental effect on the already compromised aquatic ecosystems in these reaches. It isexpected that the loss of the already low productivity fisheries will be more than offset bythe creation of reservoirs that will be utilized to produce fish from cage/net-penaquaculture operations.

Of the four river systems proposed for development, the Guanduhe ecosystem is the leastcompromised at present. However, as with the other three rivers, overexploitation of theresident fish population by local fishermen/farmers has resulted in severely deple,tedstocks.

There are no known rare or endangered species of aquatic organism within the fourproject reservoir reaches that could be adversely affected by one of the projects. Giantsalamander, although once found within the project areas, have not been observed formore than ten years, and are now confined to the more remote headwater reaches.

As part of the Shuibuya Hydropower Project on the Qingjiang River, an EcologicalPreservation Zone is proposed on the Yesan River, which is a tributary of the Qingjiang.This reserve will protect habitat conditions for endemic species of aquatic andsemi-aquatic organisms that require an unregulated riverine environment that is outsidethe influence of the project. The Donping Project on the Zhongjian River, and theLajitan Project on the Youshui River are within the Qingjiang region, so the YesanReserve will help to mitigate the losses to torrented river habitat that as a result of thesetwo project. At present, there is no similar river conservation zone proposed on thenorth side of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) where the Songshuling and Xiakou projectswill be located. However, the county level authorities responsible for developing theseprojects have agreed to discuss the establishment of an ecological preservation area on atorrented river within this region, with the appropriate Provincial authorities. This wouldensure that remaining sections of torrented river, within a region of China that is rapidlybeing exploited for its hydro resources, are set aside to preserve endemic aquatic species,including fish and giant salamander. It would also provide an opportunity to protect atorrented tributary for white water rafting, which is a growing tourist activity. Further

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discussion is required between the World Bank and Hubei Province prior to loannegotiations.

At the backwater end of each reservoir a shallow water zone less than 3 m in depth maybe created which provides suitable conditions for the growth of aquatic plant macrophytessuch as Potomageton crispus, P. Malainus, Hydrilla verticillata, and Vallisneria spiralis.However, seasonal and daily operating drawdown of the reservoir may limit the ability ofthese plant species to establish much more than a very limited coverage. Elsewhere inthe each of the reservoirs, the steep shorelines will not be conducive to aquatic plantcommunities, with the possible exception of floating colonies of water hyacinth. Theoligotrophic water conditions will limit the extent to which water hyacinth can multiply,so it is not expected to become a problem with respect to clogging power intake screens.

4.2.3.3 Public Health

Schistosomiasis is a problem in the lower reaches of the Changjiang where aquatic snails,which are the intermediate host of the cercariae larvae, thrive in shallow weedy aquaticenvironments.

Following inundation of the four project reservoirs, there will be virtually no shallowwater habitat created that could support the vegetation required to provide habitat foraquatic snails. Therefore, even if snails were introduced into the project reservoirs byvessels moving into these waters from downstream areas where schistosomiasis is aproblem, it is highly unlikely that schistosomiasis would be introduced into any of theproject reservoirs.

Other diseases associated with water, such as malaria and encephalitis, are unlikely tobecome a problem associated with the formation of the reservoirs. The primary reason isthat the four reservoirs, with their steep banks and run-of-the-river flow characteristicswill generally lack the quiet shallow water habitat that is required for mosquitoes to breed.Also, it is expected that insectivorous varieties of fish, once established, would keepaquatic insect populations in check. Public Health monitoring will be carried out as partof the resettlement program. If, in spite of this prediction, malaria or encephalitisincreases in one or more of the project areas once the reservoirs are filled, Public Healthofficials will notify reservoir operators, and together with them carry out an assessment todetermine the locus of the mosquito vector and whether it is related to the reservoirs.

4.2.3.4Terrestrial Ecology

Within western Hubei Province, past inventories have documented a variety of wildlifespecies, of which approximately 15% are protected. However, the habitat for most ofthese species is the forests that are generally located above 800 to 1000 masl. Similarly,most protected flora are found at locations above 1000 masl. At lower elevations in theimmediate vicinity of the four proposed reservoirs, and the proposed resettlementcommunities, extensive logging occurred in the 1950s. In more recent times, much ofthe land has been cleared for agriculture. As a result, vegetation is limited to reedgrasses, bamboo, brush, small trees and plantations of pine and fir trees. Throughout theregion, there have been few or no sightings of protected wildlife species in recent years.

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A breakdown of the amount of woodlands that will be affected by project is included inTable 4-6. There are few direct potential impacts of the reservoir on the habitatconditions for protected flora and fauna, as most species are concentrated in areas wellabove the proposed reservoirs. In addition, most resettlement sites are located within thevillages where project affected people presently reside, which are well below the elevationwhere native forests and wildlife are found.

Inundation of the Dongping, Lajitan and Songshuling reservoirs will result in loss of anumber of karst and non-karst cave features as shown in Table 4-7. Donkey-HeadCave, a partially submerged non-karst type cave located 3 km upstream of the proposedSonshuling dam site, will be lost to inundation once the reservoir is formed. None of thecaves investigated provide critical habitat for unique flora or fauna and, therefore, theirloss through inundation will not result in significant biodiversity impacts.

Table 4-6 - Classification of Woodland that will be Inundated

Primary Secondary Sparsely Bush Orchards Tree TotalForest Forest Stocked Farm

_____________ ~~ForestDongping - 34.7 122.6 104 - - 261.3

Lajitan - - - 9.1 0.9 15.5 25.5

Xiakou - 16.4 22.6 28.9 1.6 69.5Songshuling - - - 13.3 5.0 1.6 19.9

Subtotal 0 51.1 122.6 149.0 34.8 18.7 376.2

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Table 4-7 - Inundation Effects on Caves Occurring within the Proposed ProjectReservoir Areas


Number of caves 13 24 1 1in reservoir areaNumber of Caves 2 22- all of which 0 1Unaffected by are at orInundation downstream of the

damsite; however,over half of these

will be affected byconstruction along

the right bank

Number of Caves 4 1 0 0Inundated at NSL, (Maodong Cavebut not at low will be partiallywater submerged, but

still passable byriver rafts. The

water will nolonger be fast

flowing, however)Number of Caves 7 1 1 0Permanently (K12) (Donkey HeadInundated Cave will be

completelysubmerged)

4.2.4 Operational Impacts and Mitigation

The most significant operational impact of each of the four proposed subprojects is theeffect reservoir operation will have on the downstream aquatic ecosystems and sedimenttransport/deposition regimes. Additional concerns relate to dam and reservoir stability.

4.2.4.1 Reservoir Productivity

Table 4-8 Presents information on the expected residency time for water entering eachreservoir, as well as nutrient and water temperature parameters.

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Table 4-8 -Estimated Post-Impoundment Reservoir Conditions

Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouParameter

Estimated Water ResidencyTime (hours) based on:

* Maximum Flow 21.5 0.6 2.4 5.7* Average Flow 1230 23.5 107.9 907.9* Design Flow when 412 14.5 37.7 274.4

Power Plant at NormalFull Power Production

Estimated Levels for NutrientIndices (mg/L):

* Nitrogen 0.19 0.154 0.223 0.179* Phosphorous 0.003 0.008 0.019 0.011* Chlorophyll-a 0.482 1.878 6.075 2.734

Estimated Trophic Level oligotrophic oligotrophic mesotrophic oligotrophicEstimated Water Quality Im m mlH IIICategoryEstimated Temperature Range 0.5 to 19.6 0.0 to 9.7 0.5 to 12.6 0.3 to 19.9(0 C)Months when Water June to June to June to July toTemperature Above 150C September September September September

As the table shows, nutrient levels will remain moderately low, such that Dongping,Lajitan and Xiakou reservoirs remain in an oligotrophic state. The one exception isSongshuling Reservoir, which is predicted to shift from oligotrophic to mesotrophic state.

Experience with the Longdong, Tankou and Huanglong reservoirs, all of which are alllocated within the Hubei Hydropower Project area, suggests that the following changeswill occur in the phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic invertebrate communities thatpreviously occupied the riverine environment, once reservoir inundation occurs:

* Phytoplankton common to the riverine environment (e.g., Cyanophyta) will bereplaced by lacustrine types (e.g., Chrysophyta). As well, there will be a shiftin the species of Chlorophyta (green algae) and Bacillariophyta (diatoms) fromriverine adapted species to lacustrine species.

* There will be an increase in phytoplankton density once the reservoirs are formed,with densities reaching or exceeding 1 million/L, the upper limit for anoligotrophic system.

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* The shift to lacustrine types of phytoplankton will likewise be followed by a shiftaway from riverine to lacustrine types of zooplankton. It is estimated that thetotal volume of zooplankton will be less than 1000/L.

* In shallow water areas of the reservoirs (e.g., at the backwater ends) many of thespecies of benthic organisms that were found in the rivers before inundation willcontinue to thrive. However, in deeper areas of the reservoir where anaerobicconditions may prevail on the bottom, riverine species of benthos will be replacedby species adapted to these conditions. Overall, it is expected that the volume ofbenthos in the reservoirs immediately following inundation, will be significantlylower than that of the pre-inundation riverine environment. Recovery of benthosbiomass is estimated to take five to six years.

As with the planktonic and benthic organisms, the fish communities within the reservoirswill be different than those found in the project rivers. Some species will be unable toadapt to the reservoir conditions, while others are expected to thrive. Overall, thepresent low level of productivity in the project rivers is expected to be replaced withoutintervention by creation of reservoir conditions that are more conducive to fisheryproduction. Additional enhancement will come by way of a cage aquaculture programthat is proposed as part of the respective resettlement programs.

Due to the run-of-the-river nature of the four reservoirs there will be some thermalstratification of the reservoirs, but not to the extent of larger, deeper reservoirs. Thermalstratification will be most evident in the two deepest reservoirs, Dongping and Xiakou,and less in Songshuling, due to its shallower depth. The Lajitan Reservoir, theshallowest of the four reservoirs, is not expected to show marked thermal stratification.For the three reservoirs that will be thermally stratified, they will follow a monomicticregime, with stratification occurring in the summer period. Winter reservoir temperatureswill be marginally warmer, and summer temperatures somewhat cooler than was the casebefore the torrented rivers were dammed. The net effect is that water temperaturesdownstream will vary less from season to season. In winter, water temperatures will bemore conducive to growth and breeding, whereas in summer they will be below optimumconditions for growth. Overall, fish production is not expected to be significantlyaffected by the changes in water temperature.

4.2.4.2 Downstream Concerns

A dam across a river can have significant effects on the downstream hydraulic,temperature, nutrient and sediment transport/deposition regime, all of which can adverselyaffect aquatic ecosystems.

Sediment Transport Regime

Much of the suspended and bed load sediment in an unregulated river is carried to itslower reaches to be deposited as sand and gravel within the river channel, extend estuariesor build up ocean beaches, or deposited as fine silt on flood plains. Once a dam is builtacross a river, this material settles out within the reservoir.

For the Hubei Hydropower Project, the cutting off of sediment transport to downstreamreaches in each of the four projects will have only minor environmental consequences.In the case of the Dongping and Lajitan Projects, much of the sediment carried by the

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Zhongjian and Youshui rivers is already intercepted by the Longdong and Tangkoureservoirs, respectively. Downstream of Dongping the existing Gehayan and Gobazhoureservoirs trap most of the remaining suspended sediment that might be sluiced throughDongping. The same situation applies for the Songshuling and Xiakou projects, wheredams located downstream of these proposed reservoirs will have the same effect.Therefore, none of the four projects are expected to have a measurable effect on thedownstream sedimentation processes, relative to other existing facilities already in place.

A more important consideration for the life of the four hydropower stations, is the extentto which sedimentation of each of the reservoirs would occur, thereby eliminating thedead storage capacity over time. The life of a reservoir can be extended by installingsediment sluices in the low level outlets of a dam. Table 4-9 provides estimates for thelife of each reservoir with and without these design features.

Table 4-9 - Projected Operating Life of Each of the Project Reservoirs

Reservoir Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouInfilling

Expected 283,600 913,800 499,200 206,000AnnualSediment Input(m 3/year)

Reservoir Life 97.5 5.9 8.8 58WithoutSluicing (years)

Requirement for N/A - no N/A - no Sluicing N/A - noSluicing sluicing sluicing Required sluicing

required required required

The Dongping and Xiakou reservoirs will be large volume reservoirs relative to thevolume of sediments that will flow into them, and will be long lived with respect tosediment accumulation. Therefore, there is no need to incorporate sluicing systems intothe dams.

The volume of the Lajitan Reservoir will be small relative to the flows, so it will operatemore as a run-of-the-river system. The rate of sediment input relative to reservoir volumeis high, so the life of the reservoir is predicted to be quite short. However, in floodseason, much of the sediment load will be carried through the reservoir, if not alreadyintercepted by the two upstream reservoirs at Tangwan and Tangkou. Therefore, asediment sluicing system will not be required for Lajitan.

The Songshuling Reservoir will also have a short life with respect to the amount ofsediment inputs. Therefore, a sediment sluicing system will need to be installed in theSongshuling dam to bypass sediments that accumulate on the upstream side of the dam.

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Notwithstanding that only Songshuling will require a sluicing system, measures will alsobe taken to reduce and control the input of sediment into all four of the reservoirs.Public awareness and technical training on soil and water conservation techniques will bepart of the environmental management program for each project.

Regulating Downstream Flows

Regulation of flows during reservoir operation can also have adverse effects on aquaticecosystems. If no water is allowed to pass through a dam during reservoir filling, eitherinitially when reservoir inundation occurs, or during operation of peaking facilities whendaily recharging of the reservoir necessitates shutting off downstream flows, sections of ariver can become dewatered immediately below the dam. Sudden dewatering of sectionsof river can cause fish to be stranded in shallow pools where they are unable to survive aswater temperatures rise and dissolved oxygen concentrations decline. Peakingoperations, such as those proposed for the four Hubei hydropower stations, can dewatershort sections of river between the base of the dam and the tailrace during periods ofpower generation, when flows are diverted from the spillways to the turbines.Dewatering sections of river below a dam can also cut off water that is needed forirrigation or other uses.

The project designers estimate that it will take somewhere between one and fifty days tofill each reservoir, depending on the season (dry or monsoon). In addition, eachreservoir will be operated to provide water for peaking power production for a limitednumber of hours each day. During the dry season, when power is no longer needed forthe remainder of the day, the reservoirs will be recharged. During the monsoon season,water will be spilled during both the power generation period and the non-powergeneration period. Therefore, the most significant impacts related to downstreamchannel dewatering will be felt during the dry season.

The length of channel dewatering will vary depending on the volume of water thataugments downstream channel flows from groundwater inflows or tributary streams.Table 4-10 presents information on the augmentation flows downstream of each of thefour proposed projects.

Table 4-10 - Length of Downstream Channel Dewatering and Source ofAugmentation Flows


Name of River Zhongjian Youshi Guanduhe Juhe

Minimum Flow Rate 33.4 11.9 41.4 6Under OperatingConditions (m3 /sec)

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Length of Dewatered N/A - 1.7 km 8.0 km 10.5 km -Channel During Shuibuya status quoInitial Reservoir Backwater situation dueFilling1 meets to existing

Dongping XiakouTailrace irrigation

weir

Initial Period to Fill 6 months Several Hours Several Severalin Dry Season Days Days

Initial Period to Fill Several A few hours Several Severalin Wet Season Weeks Hours Hours

Riparian Flow N/A - future 30% of January 30% of N/A - statusRequirements backwater of Ave flows = 2 January Ave quo

Shuibuya m3 /sec flows = 2Reservoir m3 /sec

Length of DewateredChannel During -Regular Operationwith Riparian FlowReleases2

- Dry Season N/A 200 m 300 m 260 m

(ShuibuyaTailrace

- Wet SeasonN/A N/A - spilling N/A - N/A -(Shuibuya spilling spillingTailrace

DownstreamAugmentation Flows

- Distance - underground - Laotan Wan - Yangyu - XiaoxiaziDownstream of river 0.7 km; 0.2 km; 0.1 Gou 1.0 km; River 0.2Dam (km); 0.1 m 3/sec m 3/sec 0.1 to 4 km; 0 to 0.1Volume of 3 Inflow m 3/sec - Quedao Gou m3 /sec m 3/sec

1.7 km; 4.0 - Bailihe 8.0 - Ganhem3 /sec (697 km; 1 m 3/sec River 0.8km2 catchment, km; 0 to 0.121% of m 3/secYoushui River - Hansanheat damsite River 3.0

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kin; 0.2 to0.3 m 3/sec

- Sumi Gou4.0 km; 0 to0.1 m3/sec

- Niejia Gou9 km; 0.2 to0.3 m3/sec

- Tailrace ofJuxiawan10.5 km; 2to 4 m3 /sec

Estimated as the distance downstream to a point where augmentation flows are sufficient to supportaquatic organisms. Lesser flows may disappear into the riverbed gravels.

2 Riparian releases during dry season will be in the form of "spinning, no load" releases through turbinesand tailraces. During rainy season, water will be spilled over the dam, so no channel dewatering shouldoccur.

Adverse impacts can also accrue to resident fish populations if flows are increased toorapidly below a dam. The sudden surge of water can flush fish out of refuge areascausing mortality through mechanical damage, temperature shock, or predation.

Altered flow regimes can also affect spawning success due to changes in hydraulicconditions, water temperature and other environmental cues that are required by potentialspawners.

Total Gas Pressure Effects

Another potential impact to downstream fish populations is the effect of gas bubbledisease caused by increases in total gas pressure (TGP). This arises when water releasedover the spillways entrains air as it enters the plunge pool. Tiny air bubbles are driveninto the depths of the plunge pool, where they dissolve into the water, thereby raising thedissolved gas concentration above normal equilibrium levels to create super-saturation orTGP conditions as high as 115% to 120% of saturation. As the river flows downstreamthe supersaturated condition gradually reduces as air leaves solution allowing the water toonce again attain dissolved gas equilibrium. The blood of fish frequenting thesesupersaturated waters becomes supersaturated through the exchange of gases over theirgill membranes. As fish move from deeper to shallower water, or from supersaturatedwater to water with an equilibrium gas pressure, the bubbles come out of solution (i.e., arereleased from the fish's blood) to clog gill membranes, blood capillaries or other tissue.The result is mortality or crippling of the affected fish. In the latter case, fish becomeeasy prey for predators. Small or juvenile fish are affected more than larger fish due tothe size of bubbles relative to their body mass.

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Impacts of Hubei Hydropower Project

The fishery resources of the four affected rivers proposed for development under theHubei Hydropower Project have all been affected to varying degrees by existinghydropower dams. As a result, fish populations are represented by local endemicspecies. Nutrient conditions combined with exploitation rates have resulted in low levelsof fish productivity in each of the four rivers.

Construction of the Dongping Project is not expected to proceed until the ShuibuiyaProject is operational5 . The tailrace of the Dongping station will empty into thebackwater of the Shuibuya Reservoir. This will eliminate concerns regarding potentialdewatering of the river channel below Dongping, as well as mitigate the potential impactsof gas bubble disease.

Filling of the Lajitan Reservoir will proceed during the dry season, and will require onlyhours to complete. During this time the Youshui River channel will be dewatered forapproximately 1.7 km downstream. Daily dewatering of the channel will also occurduring dry season operation for up to 18 hours per day as the reservoir is recharged, unlessriparian flows are released.

Filling of the Songshuling Reservoir will proceed during the dry season, and require anumber of days to complete. During this time the Guandu River channel will bedewatered for approximately 8 km downstream. Daily dewatering of the channel willalso occur during dry season operation for up to 18 hours per day as the reservoir isrecharged, unless riparian flows are released.

The Xiakou Project is designed to discharge water into the Juxiawan Irrigation and PowerCanal, during the dry season. As noted above, at present virtually all of the water in theJu River is diverted into the canal. If the Xiakou Project proceeds, the worst casesituation would be the present status quo situation for the dry season. During the rainyseason gas super-saturation of waters immediately downstream of the dam could occur.

Although the fishery resources of the Youshui River (Lajitan Project) and, Guandu River(Songhuling Project) have already been compromised to varying degrees by existingdownstream or upstream hydroelectric developments, and show signs of poor productivityand over-exploitation, there is an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of the HubeiHydropower Project so as not degrade the remaining undeveloped downstream aquatichabitat any more than is necessary. During reservoir filling riparian flows will bemaintained by releasing 30% of the average low water (January) flows, or about 2 m 3/s forLajitan and Songshuling. This will require the incorporation of low level outlets in eachof these two dams to facilitate releases during filling. During power station operation,these peaking stations will provide for minimum fishery flows (2 m 3/s), to ensure the riverchannels below each dam are not dewatered during the dry season when there is nospillage. In addition, when flows conditions are changed as a result of power generationstart-up or shut-down, the flows will be ramped so as not to create sudden surges or rapiddeclines in flows.

5 Construction of the Shuibuya process has recently commenced. Dongping Reservoir will start filling by the endof 2004.

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Although spillway releases will only be required during the monsoon season from April toSeptember and, therefore, the potential to create conditions of gas super-saturation arelimited to this time of year, measures can be taken to protect the remaining fisheryresources downstream of the Lajitan, Songshuling and Xiakou projects. This wouldrequire designing the spillways to minimize the generation of gas super-saturationconditions.

4.2.4.3 Dam and Reservoir Stability

A Panel of Experts (POE), comprising relevant technical experts (international andnational) and chaired by Dr. Fabio Villegas, was appointed to review key technical aspectsof the project, including but not limited to: dam safety under extreme flood conditions;engineering geology in Karst conditions; hydraulic structures design; flood hydrology;major equipment layout and specifications; concrete technology; and construction of damsand hydropower facilities. The POE submitted its first report on 30 October 2000.

The four projects are located in a region of China that is subject to ground acceleration(seismic) forces. The Dongping, Lajitan and Xiakou sites are located in areas with aseismic rating of Level 6, whereas the Songshuling project is located in an area of seismicLevel 7.

All four projects will involve construction of concrete dams, which are inherently morestable and able to withstand seismic forces than earth or rock fill structures. All fourprojects have been designed to withstand seismic forces to the next highest level ofearthquake rating, which is a safety factor of approximately two times.

On the Dongping Project, there is a large volume historic landslide located immediatelyupstream of the dam site. As noted in Section 4.2, road construction techniques couldhave an effect in destabilizing slopes along the Dongping Reservoir. Sudden wasting ofthe material comprising the historic slide into the Dongping Reservoir could result inover-topping of the dam by a slide-generated wave. However, the dam is designed towithstand such an event. Downstream impacts would be minimal, given that both theZhongjian and Qingjiang rivers are incised within deep narrow gorges in which there arefew villages, and these are situated well above the river channels. Also, the existingGeheyan Reservoir or, when completed, the Shuibuya Reservoir, would likely attenuateany effects of an overtopping wave that resulted in a surge down the Zhongjian River, intothe Qingjiang River.

There are no reservoir stability concerns identified for the other three projects.

4.3 Other Impacts

4.3.1 Regional Transportation

The mountainous conditions within the four project areas limit road access into the region,contributing to the isolation of the area and the low level of economic development.

Each of the four proposed reservoirs will provide a new navigable waterway thatfacilitates development of year-round water borne transportation where only a seasonable,downstream water-borne transportation system presently exists. The reservoirs will formone part of an improved regional transportation system, the other part being comprised of

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roads that will be constructed along the edges of the reservoirs. These roads will connectsmall reservoir based ports to communities located in the back-country away from thereservoirs. These types of benefits have occurred on the Geheyan Project, wherefrequent ferry passenger service now provides a link to villages and road networks on bothsides of the reservoir. Overall, the movement of people, agricultural produce, coal andother goods has improved within the reservoir area.

However, road building experience within the region, for example, roads constructedalong the Geheyan Reservoir (Qingjiang), show that this process can create significantadverse impacts in the form of mass wasting of reservoir shorelines and relateddiminished visual aesthetics. The primary cause of these adverse impacts is poor roadbuilding practices. Rather than end-hauling spoils to strategically located spoils dumps,the material has been side-cast over the road embankment, a process that leads to massloading and over-steepening of the slope leading down the reservoir. As reservoir waterlevels rise and fall, the surficial deposits along the steep shoreline have been eroded,causing the toe of slope to fail, which initiates a full scale slope failure into the reservoir,all the way back up to the road.

The surficial deposits and geography along the edge of the Zhongjian River (DongpingProject), a tributary of the Qingjiang, are similar to the conditions found along theGeheyan Reservoir. Therefore, in designing and building roads along the DongpingReservoir extreme care will have to be taken to ensure that the same problems of roadinduced slope failures, and associated visual scarring, do not occur. Unlike theDongping Reservoir, the Songshuling and Xiakou reservoirs will be confined primarily bybedrock slopes. Therefore, roads will either have to be blasted out of the bedrock, orsituated back from the reservoir in easier-to-build terrain, with short spur roads leadingdown to strategic ports. In either case, road building is not expected to lead to slopeinstability. The upper two thirds of the Lajitan Reservoir will be bounded by shallowsloping quaternary river terraces that will provide relatively stable bases for road building.

4.3.2 Visual Aesthetics and Tourism

The settings for the Dongping, Songshuling and Xiakou reservoirs, and to a lesser extent,Lajitan, offer dramatic mountain landscape with a high scenic value. A successful touristtrade became established in the Geheyan Reservoir area (Qingjiang), shortly after thereservoir was impounded. Boat tours and tourist facilities have been introduced, creatingjobs and income for residents involved in serving this regional tourist destination. Thepotential exists to develop tourism for the four Hubei Hydropower Project reservoirs,although the level of tourist trade may be less significant than for Geheyan, due to themore remote locations.

The concerns of diminished aesthetics due to poor road building practices cited in Section4.3.1 will be given due consideration if tourism based on scenic reservoir landscapes is theobjective.

4.3.3 Acid Rock Drainage

Acid rock drainage is an increasing concern for many projects involving excavation oflarge volumes of rock. The problem arises when metal sulfide-bearing rock is excavatedand exposed to the atmosphere. The rock is colonized by bacteria that uses the sulfide as

59


its energy source. In the process, sulfuric acid is generated which dissolves the metalions, thereby creating a metal leachate that is toxic to aquatic organisms. Mineralsulfides are most often associated with granodiorite type rocks. The geology of the fourproject sites is predominantly calcareous, silt or mudstone type sedimentary deposits thatdo not contain metal sulfides. Therefore, there is no risk of creating acid rock drainageconditions as a result of quarry excavation or other rockwork associated with the HubeiHydropower Project.

4.3.4 Green House Gas Releases

Inundation of a section of river valley, as is being proposed for each of the fourhydropower projects, will result in submergence of any vegetation that is not removedprior to flooding. Over time the vegetation and organic detritus decomposes by aerobicand anaerobic processes, releasing water, various nutrients, and gases such as methane(CH4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO2), both of which are greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxideis also released when phytoplankton and other aquatic plants, that colonize a reservoir,respire during photosynthesis. Roughly half of the gas produced is released from thereservoir. The rest is dissolved in the water or re-metabolized. Table 4-11 presentsestimates of greenhouse gas (methane) production from each of the four reservoirs.These are compared with estimates from Mozhou Lake in Japan, an oligotrophic lake atsimilar latitude to the Hubei project reservoirs, which has a surface area of 19 km 2. Onan annual basis, the estimated volume of greenhouse gases that will be released from thefour reservoirs are thousands of times lower than what would be released from anequivalent capacity thermal generating station (see Section 5.3).

Table 4-11 - Estimated Methane Greenhouse Gas Releases

Greenhouse Gas Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou Mozhou(kg/yr) Lake (Japan)

Methane 145 55 49 80 340

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Chapter 5

Assessment of Project Alternatives

5.1 Introduction

This section of the EA Summary reviews three viable alternatives to the proposed HubeiHydropower Project as follows: 1) do not proceed with the proposed Hubei HydropowerProject or any of its four subprojects (the "No Action" alternative); 2) build a singlethermal generating station to provide power to the provincial grid; and 3) construct thefour hydro projects but select different sites for locating the dams and/or generatingstations.

5.2 Planning Process

The current Chinese procedures for planning energy projects requires that a feasibilitystudy be prepared for the entire set of potential hydroelectric develop cascades within agiven river basin prior to preliminary and detailed planning of any one specific project.Selection of potential sites is then be carried out and a preferred alternative selected. Thenext step is to prepare the preliminary designs for the selected project alternative. Leastcost planning is carried out for the entire provincial system. This includes proposedhydroelectric plants for which preliminary designs have been approved. Based on theleast cost planning, the alternative which best satisfies the power generation needs for theleast cost, is selected for further study and evaluation, including assessment ofenvironmental and social impacts.

5.3 Other Alternative Energy Generation Alternatives Not Considered

Nuclear power generation was not considered an option within the project area foreconomic and technical reasons. Neither was solar or wind power generation considered,primarily due to high economic cost in local climatic/environmental conditions.

5.4 The 'No Action' Alternative

All of the project counties are connected to the provincial grid. All are net exporters ofpower to the grid, although in dry season they are generally net importers. In times ofshortage in the grid, the project counties because of their relatively low economicproductivity, tend to have low priority for electricity supply and therefore are more proneto suffer power outages than the more developed areas of the province.

In general terms, if the subject projects are not built, then the provincial grid will look toother sources of generation to satisfy projected power demand growth, which even afteraggressive demand side management, is substantial. While the province, in compliancewith government policies, is attempting to maximize the development of hydropower andother renewables, the fact is that these cannot be developed in sufficient quantities and at a

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sufficient rate to meet overall power demand and therefore the alternative generation willthermal power of some sort, and that this will be developed outside the project counties.

A decision not to proceed with the Hubei Hydropower Project (i.e., the 'No-Action'Alternative) would generate the following socioeconomic and environmental impactswithin the project counties:

Socioeconomic

* Negative -- Inhabitants of these relatively isolated mountain communities wouldneed to increasingly rely on higher cost electricity imported from thegrid during dry season and increased exposure to power shortagesparticularly during periods of overall shortage in the province.

-- Fiscal revenues that would be generated based on the energy outputsof the projects would not accrue to the counties (rather they wouldaccrue to the jurisdictions where alternative thermal generation wouldbe located).

-- Indirect economic benefits accruing from investment in the projectcounties would not be realized.

-- The opportunity to use the resettlement associated with the project(and the funds available for it) as an opportunity for development ofthe affected people would be lost.

-- The opportunity to provide multipurpose benefits, particularlyincreased flood protection to the people to be protected by Xiakou, atan affordable cost, would be lost.

-- The combined effects of not providing a reliable source of electricity,and not improving the economy of the local areas through constructionand operation of the projects, would serve to perpetuate the status quoconditions that make these counties among the poorest in China.

* Positive - There would be no need to relocate a relatively small number of peoplefrom their current locations and, therefore, their lives would not bedisrupted.

Environmental

* Negative - Without the benefits of improved living conditions that the projectwould bring to the region, and the opportunity to use the projectreservoirs as sustainable fishery resources, the local inhabitants willcontinue to supplement their meager incomes with subsistence huntingand fishing, which further depletes the remaining small populations ofwildlife and natural fishery resources from an area in which manyspecies have already disappeared.

* Possitive - Not proceeding with the Hubei Hydropower Project will ensure that thealready diminished natural fishery resources are not inundated by theformation of reservoirs, which would result in disappearance of somefish species from these river reaches. Also, flows in short sections of

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river downstream of the dams would not be diminished during certainperiods of operation, thereby ensuring water would be available forresident fish populations in these sections of river.

5.5 Single Thermal Generating Plant Alternative

As noted above, as an alternative to the proposed hydropower electrical generationproject, a thermal plant could be provided to provide power to the grid. Because ofeconomies of scale, and the seasonal nature of the energy delivered by the hydropowerplants, thermal capacity and energy to replace them would likely come from severalsources. Therefore, the alternative options were selected based on a system analysismethodology. Least cost generation expansion studies for Hubei power grid wereconducted by State Power Economic Research Center (SPERC) and two cases, "With"and "Without", were examined. The "With" case included the proposed project as ageneration option to meet the future energy demand in Hubei Province; whereas, the"Without" case did not include the proposed project as a generation option. Bycomparing these two cases, the thermal capacity and generation replaced by theproposed project could be determined. In choosing candidate thermal power plants for thestudy all potentially economic alternatives were considered. These included: 300 and600 MW sub-critical and super-critical steam turbine plants burning coal, pumped storageplants, 300 MW combined cycle heat and power plants burning natural gas and (becauseof supply constraints on gas) 100 MW gas turbine plants burning distillate.

5.5.1 Avoided Thermal Capacity and EnergyThe analysis of avoided thermal capacity and energy was prepared by the State PowerEconomic Research Corporation (SPERC), located in Beijing, PR China. The analysisdemonstrated that the proposed hydropower plants replaced 116 MW of 600 MWsupercritical coal fired power plant and 122 MW of gas turbine burning distillate. Froman environmental perspective, thermal energy generation replaced is more important thanthe generating capacity replaced. The operating mode of the proposed project is presentedin Table 5-1, showing that its mode of operation varies from base load to peak loaddepending on the season and the hydrological situation. Thermal energy generationreplaced is: 600MW supercritical coal-fired thermal when the project is operating on baseload, combined cycle burning gas when it meets shoulder (or intermediate) load and gasturbine burning distillate when meeting peak load.

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Table 5-1 - Operation Mode of the Proposed Hubei Hydropower Project

Hydrologic year and season Operation ModeWet year, Wet season Base load, Shoulder loadWet year, Average season Base load, Shoulder loadWet year, Dry season Shoulder load, Peak loadAverage year, Wet season Base load, Shoulder loadAverage year, Average season Shoulder load, Peak loadAverage year, Dry season Shoulder load, Peak loadDry year, Wet season Base load, Shoulder loadDry year, Average season Shoulder load, Peak loadDry year, Dry season Shoulder load, Peak load

5.5.2 Avoided Emission Calculation

Associated with the avoided thermal energy generation are avoided atmosphericemissions. Table 5-2 presents the amount of avoided emissions in different years.

Table 5-2 - Avoided Emissions of the Proposed Project (Units: 000s tonnes)

Emission 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2015 2020S02 2.0 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.2 4.5TSP 0.5 1.0 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1NOx 0.8 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.3 1.9 2.2C02 287.6 670.2 691.8 722.9 710.5 748.0 657.6 733.5

5.5.3 Avoided Economic and Environmental CostsThe analysis described above also calculates the economic cost of thermal capacity andenergy replaced which can be compared to the economic cost of the hydropower plant.In addition, the monetary value of avoided emissions was calculated based on theexternality cost of each emission. Based on the study by Rowe, et al. (1994) forcoal-fired power plants in New York State, the dollar/person/tonne unit value of SO2 , NOxand TSP for power and energy projects were indicated (refer to "Economic Evaluation ofEnvironmental Impacts", ADB, 1996). In this study, a "benefit transfer method" wasapplied to fit these values into the Chinese situation.

Comparison of the PVs of the cost streams of alternative generation sequences shows thatthere are savings of 188.4 million RMB Yuan ($US 22.7 million) (PV2000) throughimplementation of the proposed project. In addition to these savings, the derived NPV(2000 constant price) of environmental benefits of each kind of emission are as follows:

* NPV of local environmental benefits (S02, TSP and NOx) is 182.0 million RMBYuan (or US$21.9 million ); and

* NPV of local and global environmental benefits (S02, TSP, NOx and C02) is 294.8million RMB Yuan (or US$35.5 million).

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Summary EA Report- Hubei Hydropower Project

The analysis clearly shows substantial economic and environmental benefits for the HubeiProject as a whole as well as for the project counties. The contribution to globalenvironmental objectives is also significant.

5.6 Optimization of Hydropower Alternatives

5.6.1 Dongping

The Dongping Project is situated on the Zhongjianhe, a tributary of the Qinjiang, whichjoins the Yangtze upstream of Dongting Lake. Its overall configuration (location andfull supply level) was determined in the context of the overall cascade planning for theQinjiang, which was undertaken many years ago and is now nearing completion. Thecascade planning considered benefits from hydropower and other water uses (floodcontrol, water supply, irrigation and navigation) and major environmental andresettlement impacts. For Zhongjianhe, a basin hydropower development plan wascompleted in July 1993. This plan put forward the following three mutually exclusivealternatives, all with two hydropower stations - Longdong and Tongziying -- as alreadygiven: (a) a "3-cascade" scenario with Dongping to be built at an upper dam site; (b) a"3-cascade" scenario with Dongping to be built at a lower dam site; and (c) a "4-cascade"scenario with Dongping to be built at an upper dam site and with an additionalhydropower station named Chenjiawan (4MW). With all aspects (technical, economic,financial, environmental, resettlement, etc.) taken into consideration, the alternative (b)was considered the most optimal. On the Zhogjianhe, Dongping is the downstream-mostdevelopment, 40 km downstream of the 26 MW Longdong and some smaller upstreamprojects. Its full supply level was chosen to avoid significant inundation of Xuanen town(population about 60,000). The Longdong project has limited flood control and watersupply benefits relating to Xuanen, but the main non-hydropower benefits in the overallcascade development of the Qinjiang arise from projects on the man stem - the 1212MW Geyehan development (completed) and the 1600 MW Shuibuya project, which isnow under construction.

The recommended dam site for the Dongping Hydropower Station is located on theZhongjian River at Zhongwudang. A dam at this location will create a reservoir that isprimarily confined within a steep narrow mountain gorge, thereby affecting only a fewsettlements. Therefore, the number of persons that will need to be resettled is relativelysmall. The slopes of the bedrock dominated river gorge supports only a thin veneer ofsoil, which is of poor quality from an agriculture perspective. When inundated, the soilwill have little influence on reservoir water quality. An alternative dam site was examinedat Baimadi, 7 km upstream of the Dongping damsite. The feasibility study indicates thatthis alternate dam site is not geologically stable, and is affected by karst structures thatwould affect the ability of the reservoir to retain water. This would necessitate buildinga lower dam, which would create a reservoir with limited storage capacity. A reservoirbehind a dam located here would inundate more agriculture land, thereby adverselyaffecting more people than would be the case with a reservoir created behind a dam at theselected site.

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5.6.2 Lajitan

The Lajitan Project is located on the Youshui River, which rises in Sichuan province,flows through Hubei Province, into Hunan province. The river is a tributary of theYuanshui River, which empties into Dongting Lake. Various basin planning studieshave been carried out, the first of these dating from the 1950s. The most recent, the1984 Youshui River Basin Planning Study included Lajitan with a full supply level of 380m. However, this was subsequently reduced to 360 m to avoid inundation of parts ofBaifusu Town. The damsite is about 22 km downstream of the existing Tangkou hydroproject (15 MW), which was brought on-power in 1994.

The recommended dam site for the Lajitan Hydropower Station is located in the upperreaches of the Youshui River near Baifusi town. This location was rated high for itshydraulic conditions, site geology and geography. It is situated close to existing roadnetworks, enabling convenient transportation to areas outside the region. There isconsiderable space afforded at this site for project construction. An alternative site forthe powerhouse was investigated at Jilongtan, 5 km downstream from the recommendedpowerhouse location adjacent to the Lajitan damsite. Although an additional 9 m ofhead would be obtained if the downstream powerhouse site was chosen, the cost ofconstructing a 5 km long power tunnel was deemed to be prohibitive.

5.6.3 Songshuling

The Songshuling Project is located on the Guandu River, which via the Duhe and HanShui rivers, join the Yangtze at Wuhan. Its overall configuration (location and fullsupply level) was determined in the context of the overall cascade planning for the HanShui, which was carried out in 1983. The cascade planning considered benefits fromhydropower and other water uses (flood control, water supply, irrigation and navigation)and major environmental and resettlement impacts. The adopted plan includes tworelatively large projects that have an impact on Songshuling: Longbeiwan (200 MW)about l9km upstream and Pangkou (510 MW) downstream. In effect, Songshuling is arelatively small run-of-river plant sandwiched between these two much larger projects -both of which include high dams & large reservoirs. The overall configuration ofSongshuling was to a large extent dictated by these larger projects. The Pangkou projectis in an advanced planning stage, while the Longbeiwan project is in the preliminaryplanning phase.

The recommended dam site for the Songshuling Hydropower Station is located in theupper reaches of the Guandu River at Yangyugou. This location is the furthestdownstream of two sites investigated. The geology, geography, ecology andconstruction conditions at the selected dam site location are conducive to projectdevelopment. The alternative site is located upstream at Liangjia Bridge, wheregeological conditions are also conducive to project development, and there would be lessagriculture land and fewer settlement areas inundated. However, the amount of powerthat could be produced from this location is only 11,200,000 kwh/year, which issignificantly less than can be produced from the site selected for the Songshuling Project.

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5.6.4 Xiakou

The Xiakou project is located on the Ju River, a tributary of the Juzhang River, north ofthe Yangtse. In addition to hydropower the project is intended to provide a measure offlood control for the town of Yuanan (pop. 38,000) about 50km downstream. The projectidea has been of long-standing, with first investigation and planning in 1958. A numberof studies and plans related to Xiakou have been conducted: a "Preliminary Design Reportfor Xiakou Hydropower Project" was completed in 1960, followed by "A Plan and DesignReport for Phase I Cascade Development of Ju River" in 1972, "General Survey Resultsof Ju River Water Resrouces" in 1978, and "Supplementary Report for Juzhang RiverBasin Plan" in 1989. All these studies and plans placed the full supply level at 290 m.This was subsequently lowered to 257 m in a feasibility study report completed in March1993, to substantially reduce inundation and resettlement impacts and also in line with theavailability of funds at that time. Further studies were carried out in 1999 for two waterlevels of 290 m and 264 m respectively and based on the benefits of flood control andimpact of inundation, the Hubei provincial authorities approved in principal the currentlevel of 264 m.

There is little potential for other significant water resource development in the area. Theriver is used as a source of irrigation water supplied from a number of weirs including theMaduhe (10 m high) dam, located about 50 m downstream. The project includesprovisions to ensure maintenance of existing irrigation flows.

The recommended dam site for Xiakou Hydropower project is located at Xiakou. Thesite provides for the shortest dam axis, thereby optimizing the capital investment, whileminimizing intrusion into nearby paddy lands. Two alternative dam sites wereinvestigated as part of the feasibility studies. These are located upstream anddownstream of the selected site. The alternative upstream dam site would require asmaller capital investment to develop. However, the site has poorer access, and is moreconfined making construction more difficult. Together, these two factors would result ina longer period of construction. The alternative downstream dam site is located in awider valley area, where lower relief terrain and wider watercourse are favorable forproject layout and construction. However this site would require a dam with a muchlonger axis, resulting in a higher capital investment to develop the project. Lesselectricity would be generated and more agriculture land would be submerged.

5.7 Conclusion

On balance, the benefits of proceeding with the proposed hydropower project wouldappear to significantly outweigh the negative consequences of adopting the 'No Action'alternative.

A single thermal power project located somewhere in the region, which is able to provideadequate base, shoulder and peak power to the provincial grid, could be constructed at alower capital cost than the four hydropower projects combined. However, the additionaloperating and annual investment costs of the thermal plant option would be much higherthan for the hydropower alternatives, resulting in more costly electricity on a per kilowatthour basis. Although a regional thermal plant would provide much needed electricitywithin the region, the cost to the environment in terms of atmospheric emissions, coal ash

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disposal, water quality concerns, etc., would be orders of magnitude higher than for thehydropower alternatives.

A number of possible locations have been examined for each of the four hydropower sitesas part of the feasibility study. The best location for each project has been determinedbased on the ability to optimize power production, and minimize environmental andsocioeconomic impacts.

Considering the various project alternatives evaluated, the proposed Hubei HydropowerProject, with its four identified sites, is the best alternative for meeting the projectobjectives -- providing electricity to the Hubei Province power grid at minimal cost to theenvironment; providing economic development opportunities within the project-affectedareas; and alleviating poverty.

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Chapter 6

Environmental Management Plan

6.1 IntroductionThis section of the report summarizes information on the environmental managementplan, monitoring program, and institutional requirements to implement the plan and carryout environmental monitoring.

6.2 EMP Purpose and ObjectivesIn accordance with the requirements of the World Bank's OP4.01 on EnvironmentalAssessment, this Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been prepared for theHubei Hydropower Project. The purpose of the EMP is as follows:

* Provide direction to owners, contractors, operators and environmental regulatoryagencies on environmental protection measures that need to be implemented toeliminate or reduce environmental effects of construction and operation activities ofthe proposed project;

* Delineate the requirements for environmental monitoring and inspection activities ofthe dam site construction zone, reservoir area and resettlement sites, includingidentification of the group or agency responsible for monitoring or inspection, type ofmonitoring or inspection to be undertaken, parameters to be tested, monitoring andinspection schedule, and reporting requirements;

* Identify organizations or institutions responsible for managing the environmentalprogram, who will ensure environmental protection measures are properly designedand implemented, undertake environmental monitoring, and prepare environmentalreports for the project;

* Define the budget required for managing the environmental program, developing andimplementing environmental protection and mitigation measures, carrying outenvironmental monitoring and inspection, and preparing environmental reports, aswell as equipment needed to carry out this work;

* Provide a schedule for carrying out the various environmental management activities.

A separate EMP will be developed for the transmission lines, as part of the ElAs for thetransmission line facilities, which have yet to be prepared. As noted in an earlier sectionof this report, the transmission line EIAs will be prepared once the transmission lineroutes have been defined. These supplemental EIAs will be completed prior to loaneffectiveness.

6.3 Institutional Roles and ResponsibilitiesThe institutional framework for managing the environmental component of the proposedproject mainly involves the owners, their supervision contractors (primarily from research

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and design institutes), environmental representatives of the prime contractors, and existinggovernment agencies and administrative departments. The primary roles andresponsibilities for ensuring environmental protection on the proposed project include:

* Environmental Management: this will be carried out by the owner's environmentalrepresentative for each project, with overall environmental oversight being theresponsibility of the environmental representative of the Project Management Office.This task will involve periodically reviewing the project plan and progress made, andauditing the implementation of the environmental protection tasks against variousscheduled work packages. It will also involve coordinating the monitoring andsupervision activities of contracted environmental monitoring agencies, identifyingand facilitating environmental training programs, and report preparation;

* Environmental Monitoring: this will be carried out by county level environmentalprotection, public health, forestry, agriculture and other related departments undercontract to the project owners. This task will involve implementing the monitoringplan for each project and preparing monitoring reports for submission to the projectowner's environmental management office (Project EMO);

* Environmental Inspection: this will be carried out at two levels as follows: 1) at thebasic level by an environmental representative of each prime contractor; and 2) at thenext level by a supervision contractor that reports to the owner's environmentalmanagement office, which has experience in environmental mitigation design andconstruction. This task will involve regular scheduled, as well as random inspectionsof the project construction zones, including the dam site and supporting facilities,resettlement sites, and reservoir inundation zone during project construction, todetermine the level of compliance with accepted norms and best practices forenvironmental protection;

* Social Supervision: this will be carried out by the local resettlement office, which mayin turn contract certain aspects of the work to the public health department, forestrydepartment, or other agencies. This task will involve monitoring and supervision ofenvironmental aspects of resettlement and reservoir clearing and sanitation.

Public education is important to ensure acceptance of environmental measures and newland management practices that may be implemented as part of the project, particularly innew resettlement communities. Therefore, the public at large will also have a role toplay in the environmental component of the project. In this latter regard, publiceducation will be encouraged as a project component.

Figure 6-1 summarizes the roles and relationships of the key participants of theenvironmental management program.

6.4 Monitoring, Inspection and Supervision ProgramChinese environmental laws and the World Bank policies require that a program ofenvironmental monitoring be carried out during construction and operation periods toidentify potential environmental issues as early as possible, and undertake measures toprevent or mitigate harm to the environment or local residents. For each subproject, anEnvironmental Management/Monitoring Office (project EMO) will be established within

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the Project Management Office (PMO). Personnel will be assigned to take charge of theenvironmental monitoring tasks during the construction and operation phases of eachsubproject. Each project EMO will work closely with the provincial and local countyenvironmental protection administrations and other relevant government environment,land management and public health departments.

Figure 6-1 - Institutional Framework for Environmental Management

Government of Hubei Hubei EnvironmentalProvince Protection Supervision

Project Management BureauOffice (PMO)

- Environmental Manager

Hydropower Company | M irProject Management Local Monitoring

Supervision Contractor Office (PMO) Authorities_______________________ C t c r * - Enviromnent ____

- Environmental - Water & SoilManagement/Monitoring Conservation

Office (EMO) - Forestry- Resettlement

- Public Health

Construction Construction ConstructionContractor's Contractor's Contractor's

Environmental Environmental EnvironmentalSupervisor Supervisor Supervisor

A A ~~~~~~~~~A

Contractual or InteragencyRelationship

Monitoring/Supervision ------------------

Relationship

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Since the Project Management Office established by the Govemment of Hubei Province isultimately responsible for ensuring that the loan covenants, including environmental andsocial safeguard policies of the World Bank, are followed, the manager of each ProjectEMO will report to a representative of the PMO. The responsibilities of the EMOs willinclude:

* Ensuring that environmental mitigation, monitoring/inspection and quality assuranceand control (QA/QC) programs, that form the core of the EMP, are all implementedeffectively;

* Ensuring project construction and operation activities meet applicable county,provincial and state level environmental protection guidelines, policies andregulations, as World Bank environmental and social safeguard policies;

* Ensuring that appropriate measures are implemented if previously unrecordedhistorical or archaeological artifacts are encountered as a result of projectconstruction/excavation activities (e.g., at damsite, ancillary services areas,transmission lines, roads, resettlement communities, etc.), including stopping all workin the immediate vicinity of the find, and notifying officials of the Hubei ProvinceAntiquities Bureau;

* Reviewing contractor environmental mitigation plans, then monitoring and inspectingthe mitigation works during and after construction/installation;

* Identifying requirements for environmental training and facilitating delivery ofappropriate training courses or seminars to project environmental staff, includingenvironmental representatives from the owners, supervision contractors, primecontractors, resettlement offices, and other appropriate groups;

* Supporting environmental awareness and education programs for members of thepublic living within the reservoir catchment area;

* Preparing the annual work plan for environmental protection, summarizing themonitoring data, and preparing and submitting environmental activity and statusreports to the Hubei Development Planning Commission.

As noted above, the monitoring tasks will be carried out by local county level monitoringunits under contract to the project environmental management office. These include theenvironmental monitoring station, hydrologic station and sanitary and anti-epidemicstation. The county level environmental management departments in each subprojectarea have trained monitoring personnel who will be contracted to carry out theenvironmental monitoring. It is expected that the local environmental protectiondepartments may have some monitoring equipment that they can use to collect andanalyze environmental samples. However, each project's EMO will be prepared topurchase necessary monitoring instruments and equipment for use during the constructionperiod, and also to fund institutions that will be contracted to analyze the water qualityand other environmental samples

The major tasks of the environmental monitoring and inspection program for eachsubproject will include:

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* Reservoir water quality monitoring: During the construction period monitoring,water quality monitoring will be carried out at selected locations within eachproposed reservoir area, as well as immediately downstream of the damsite.Within the proposed reservoir area, water samples will be collected from, andmeasurements taken within 500 m upstream of the damsite, midway up theproposed reservoir, and within the proposed backwater area of the reservoir. Aswell, water quality monitoring will be carried out in any major tributaries that willform an arm of the reservoir. Two sets of samples/measurements will beobtained over a one week period on three occasions each year (low water,mid-water and high water seasons). When the reservoirs have been filled and theprojects are operational, the water quality monitoring program will be adjusted toreflect the changes in hydraulic conditions behind the dam. The same locationswill be sampled during operation as were sampled in the pre-impoundmentconstruction period. However, the frequency of monitoring will be reduced totwo times per year (low water and high water seasons). Also, instead ofcollecting samples from a single point in the river, samples/measurements will beobtained from two locations across the reservoir at each sample station, and fromtwo depths (1 m from the surface; and 1 m from the bottom) from each of the twolocations, for a total of four samples at each site. Parameters to be tested duringboth the construction and operation periods include: temperature, dissolvedoxygen (DO), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate, nitrite, ammonia,phosphorous, biological oxygen demand (BOD), coliform (e-coli), andchlorophyll-a, fluoride, phenols, heavy metals scan, iron and manganese. Inaddition, once the reservoir is in operation, water transparency (i.e., sechi discmeasure or coefficient of light extinction) will be added to the parameters beingtested/measured.

* Air quality and noise monitoring: at selected locations within the dam siteconstruction zone, construction camps, and communities located close to the mainconstruction zones or along the main access roads leading to the dam sites, will besampled. Sampling will be carried out during two periods in the middle ten daysof July (wet season) and January (dry season). Air quality monitoring parameterswill include: total suspended particulates (TSP), sulfate (SO2 ), and oxides ofnitrogen (NOx). Noise monitoring will include 24 hour (day and night) as well as8 hour (daytime) ambient noise measurements in dBA. During air quality andnoise monitoring, climate information will also be collected.

* Post-Spill Monitoring: soil and water quality (including groundwater) monitoringwill be carried out following any accidental spills of hydrocarbons, or otherenvironmentally toxic substances, where the quantity of the spill exceeds 25 L.

* Resettlement village drinking water and wastewater quality monitoring:domestic water supplies for new resettlement villages will be sampled andanalyzed for coliform (e-coli), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), turbidity, andfluoride before villages are occupied and water consumption commences.Following relocation, monitoring will be carried out twice a year. Wastewater(sewage and gray water) discharged from village drains to local receiving waterswill also be monitored once villages are occupied to determine whether the

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effluent meets national standards. The responsibility for monitoring andreporting will rest with the local resettlement office, who may contract this work tothe local public health authorities.

* Environmental Inspections: at each project site the environmental representative ofeach prime contractor(s) will carry out inspections of their respective constructionareas on a weekly basis to ensure that: environmental protection and mitigationmeasures are being implemented effectively; work sites are maintained to bestpractice levels of environmental 'housekeeping'; and any previously identifiedproblems have been properly resolved. The supervision contractor'senvironmental representative will conduct monthly environmental inspections ofthe various contractor works, maintenance, storage, materials processing andfabrication areas to ensure the various contractors, including subcontractors, areapplying best practice environmental controls to the areas of the project site forwhich they are responsible. In addition to inspections carried out by Chineseproject representatives, the World Bank will carry out twice yearly implementationenvironmental inspections. This will be done by a Senior EnvironmentalSpecialist.

* Health Monitoring: periodic public health monitoring will be conducted by localcounty Public Health Department officials. The monitoring will focus on twodistinct populations: 1) the construction workforce, members of which will beexamined to ensure they are not carrying disease(s) that could spread to otherworkers or the local inhabitants; and 2) persons that are being resettled in newcommunities. For the on-site contractor work force, workers will be certified thatthey are healthy enough to work on the project. For the resettlees, monitoringwill be undertaken to ensure that the stresses of relocation are not adverselyaffecting the health of the project-affected persons.

* Data Management and Reporting: a data management and filing system will be setup by the respective Project EMOs to receive and compile all documents relatingto the environmental management program. Authorities contracted to carry outthe monitoring activities will be required to submit a monitoring report in a timelymanner following each monitoring event. The project environmentalmanagement and monitoring units will be responsible for compiling these data intoconsolidated project monitoring reports that will be submitted to the HubeiProvince PMO following each monitoring event. The Hubei Province PMO will,in turn, take the information contained in these reports and compile an annualenvironmental management and monitoring report that will be submitted to theWorld Bank for review.

6.5 Proposed EMP and Monitoring Budget

Table 6-1 provides a breakdown of the EMP budget for the proposed project. Thisbudget was approved by the Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau. Costs forsupplemental heritage/archaeological assessments and supplemental transmission lineEIAs will be covered under the overall project preparation budget administered by theGovernment of Hubei Province, in the same way as the supplemental Aquatic Ecological

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Assessment study, so are not included in the EMP implementation budget shown in Table6-1.

Table 6-1 - Proposed EMP Budget (RMvB Yuan) To End of Construction Period

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouEnvironmental MitigationWorks- Air Pollution Control 280,000 350,000 2,130,000 1- Noise Abatement 100,000 100,000 50,000 }- Solid Waste Disposal 60,00 40,000 90,000 } 1,273300- Public Health Program 180,000 300,000 120,000 }- Reforestation 300.000 500.000 6,611,200 }

Subtotal 920,000 1,290,000 9,001,200 1,273,300

Water Quality Protection- Soil & Water Protection 300,000 5,000,000 65,000 } included

Measures } in Envir.- Construction Process Water 160,000 } 160,000 } mitigation

Treatment / Disposal } 200 000 } works- Domestic (Camp) 80.000 92.000 }above

Wastewater Disposal

540,000 5,200,000 317,000Subtotal

Environmental Studies 300,000 N/A 150,000 N/A(Subtotal)Environmental Supervision& Monitoring- Construction Supervision' 240,000 250,000 120,000 250,000- Water Quality Monitoring 150,000 } } }- Air Quality Monitoring 240,000 } 450,000 } 240,000 } 240,000- Noise Monitoring 300,000 } } }- Sampling/Analysis 180,000 150,000 400,000 350.000

Equipment850,000 760,000 840,000

Subtotal 1,110,000

SUBPROJECT TOTALS 2,860,000 7,340,000 10,228,200 2,113,300PROJECT TOTAL RMIB Yuan 22,541,500

1 Includes training program.

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In addition to the construction period EMP budget shown in Table 6-1, a budget was alsoapproved by the Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau for environmental supervisionand monitoring through the operations period, as follows:

As part of the Chinese State acceptance process, a detailed EDP must be developed forthe period of project operation. Table 6-2 includes annual environmental managementbudgets for operations, that were provided at the time of report preparation. These costshave been factored into the tariff rates for each project and applied to the economicanalysis for the respective projects.

Table 6-2 - Approved EMP Budget (RMB Yuan/year) For Operations Period

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouOperations Not 100,000 300,000 100,000Environmental DefinedSupervision andMonitoringJ

6.6 Proposed EMP SCHEDULE

The primary construction contracts will be in place and contractors mobilized for each ofthe four projects by May 2002. Initial work will involve building construction camps,roads and ancillary works yards, and construction of the diversion tunnels, the latter ofwhich are scheduled for completion by October or November 2002. The first generatingunits are scheduled to go into operation in 2005 at Lajitan, Songshuling and Xiakou, andthe following year for Dongping. Reservoir filling will occur over a matter of months (amatter of weeks if during the rainy season) leading up to when the first units are installedand tested. The schedule for commissioning the first units more or less coincides withcompletion of the dams.

Implementation of the environmental management and monitoring programs willcommence just prior to the May 2002 date when contractors mobilize to the damsites, andwill initially involve pre-construction monitoring. Regular environmental monitoringand supervision, as identified above in Section 6.4, will be undertaken throughout theconstruction period, until all generating units have been installed, and contractors havedemobilized from the respective work sites. Once the project sites have been cleaned upand rehabilitated, post-construction monitoring will be carried out to confirm the work hasbeen satisfactorily completed.

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Chapter 7

Public Consultation and Disclosure

7.1 IntroductionThis section of the report documents the program of public consultation and publicdisclosure that was undertaken for the four hydropower projects, that comprise the HubeiHydropower Project.

7.2 Public Information, Consultation and Disclosure

The World Bank's Operation Policy (OP4.01) on Environmental Assessment requires thatproject developers obtain input from members of the public, regarding project relatedissues that may be of concern, during preparation of the draft EA Report. The policyalso requires that the draft EA Report be disclosed to persons living in the project-affectedarea, so they may review and provide comments on the project. Furthermore, the policyrequires that the concerns of the public be considered in project design. In keeping withthis World Bank Policy, the Chinese team responsible for preparing the EA for eachproject6 undertook a program of public consultation and disclosure for the respectiveprojects. Additional, more detailed consultation was undertaken by the East ChinaInvestigation and Design as part of the process for developing the RAPs. Finally, theBank's own Social Assessment Team, comprised of Bank and Chinese experts carried outpublic consultation to verify the findings of the RAPs.

The following public information, consultation and disclosure activities were undertakenas part of the EIA process:

* Public Information: newspaper articles and radio presentations were used todisseminate information on each of the proposed projects in the respective counties inwhich the projects will be constructed.

* Workshops. Meetings and Surveys: in developing the draft EA documents,meetings were held with government officials, designers, academics, local residentsand concerned citizens for the purpose of disseminating project information,gathering background socioeconomic data, obtaining anecdotal information onnatural resources utilization, identifying issues of concern, and obtaining publicviews/opinions and suggestions. Tables 7-1 and 7-2 summarize the publicinformation, workshop and survey events, completed for the four subprojects.

* Public Disclosure: advertisements were placed in the respective local countynewspapers, advising area residents that the draft EA documents and feasibilitystudies were available at local exhibit rooms and libraries for review and comment.Comments were incorporated into revisions to the draft EA reports. Details of thepublic disclosure process are included in Table 7-3.

B Initial consultations carried out by the Hubei Environmental Protection Research institute, which prepared the draft ElAs for each of the fourprojects; additional consultations were carried out by the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, as part of their task ofrevising and updating the ElAs to meet World Bank standards.

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Public consultations for the EIAs, RAPs and the follow-up verification process conductedby the Social Assessment Team all involved surveys of individual households, in whichwomen were strongly represented. Surveys of minority peoples also involvedconsultations with women. As the resettlement process proceeds, the grievance processoutlined in Section 4.2.1.2 will provide a further opportunity for public consultation withthe PAPs, including consultation with women and minority peoples.

Photographs illustrating some of the consultation events are shown in Plates 7-1 to 7-4.

Table 7-1 - Public Information Sessions Held During Preparation Of the FourSubprojects

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou RemarksPeople's congress meeting 2 2 2 2 Annualat the county level Conference

People's political 1 1 1 1 Annualconsultative meeting at the Conferencecounty level

Working meeting of county 5 4 6 4government

Newspaper Articles 13 11 9 12

Local TV news (county) 20 18 16 18presentations

Radio Broadcasting Stories 20 18 16 18

Professional meetings of 120 102 134 98developer

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Table 7-2 - Meetings and Surveys Carried Out in Preparing the Four EA Reports

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou RemarksWorkshops Introduced the- with provincial 1 1 1 1 importance and

project officer significance of EIA toproject office

- with county 1 1 1 1 Introduced EIA toofficials county officers (all

agency leader)

- with project 2 2 2 2implementationunit

Meetings with- environmental 8 8 8 8 Discussed technical

experts from issues, revised andWB and renew the draft EIAmission of WB report, EIA progress

report

- Provincialenvironmental 1 1 1 1protectioninstitute

- local experts 3 3 3 3 Participated byexperts in agriculture,water resources,environmentalprotection, forestindustry, sanitationetc

- farmers 2 2 2 2Surveys 4 4 4 4 Include EIA site visit,

preparingphotographic record

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Table 7-3 - Public Disclosure of Draft EIA Reports

Dongping Lajitan ] Songshuling Xiakou

EIA Reports 1 copy for government at county level; 1 copy for EPB of county; 2 copies forProvided to: library

TV Reporting Two Events: Two Events: Two Events: Two Events:- site visit on Apr. - site visit on - site visit on - site visit on May22, 2000 Apr. 26, 2000 May 25, 2000 23, 2000

- advertising - advertising - advertising - advertisingavailability of availability of availability of availability ofEIA report on ELA report on EIA report on EIA report onNov. 23, 2000 Nov. 8, 2000 Nov. 7, 2000 Nov. 7, 2000

Newspaper Nov.23, 2000 Nov 8, 2000 Nov 7, 2000 May 23, 2000Advertisement (earlier draft) and

Nov 7,2000 (laterdraft)

Availability of 2 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeks 2 weeksDraft EA Report (Nov.21-Dec. 5, (Nov.2-15, 2000) (Nov.7-21, 2000) (Nov.2-16,2000)to Public 2000)Number of 22 19 18 30ReadersNumber of 9 17 10 15Readers WhoProvidedCommentsDate Draft Report October 2000 October 2000 October 2000 October 2000Submitted toWorld BankDate Revised July 2001 July 2001 July 2001 July 2001EIA ReportSubmitted toWorld Bank

7.3 Survey Results

Table 7-4 summarizes the level of public support for each project, based on the surveyresults discussed below.

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Table 7-4 - Level of Public Support for Each Project

Item Dongping Lajitan Songshuling XiakouPopularity of the respective sub-projects,as determined by public surveys

- whole county Over 90% Over 90% Over 90% Over 90%

- reservoir area 100% 100% 100% 100%

7.3.1 Dongping Hydropower Station

The Dongping Hydropower project investigations were carried out in December 1995 andNovember 2000, and involved surveys of local residents during each study period (206and 22 persons surveyed, respectively). All of those interviewed during both surveyperiods indicated they supported the project, on the basis that the project will stimulate thelocal economy, and improve the standard of living for those living within the project area.

On the question of whether or not project affected persons would agree to relocate, all ofthose surveyed indicated that they would be willing to move, with most indicating thatthey would continue to live nearby, and a small number indicating they would rather moveto other places outside the project-affected area.

Most of the persons surveys indicated that the environmental impacts of the project wouldonly affect them somewhat, while the remainder (about 21%) indicated that theenvironmental impacts of the project would affect them significantly. Almost allrespondents (95%) supported adoption of reasonable environmental management policiesto protect the natural resources in the project area. Most people surveyed indicated thatsatisfactory measures could be adopted to mitigate the environmental and social impactsof the project. Suggestions for various aspects of the project were provided by 40.9% ofrespondents.

7.3.2 Lajitan Hydropower Station

The Lajitan Hydropower project was investigated in August 1999 and November 2000(125 and 19 persons surveyed, respectively). Almost all of those surveyed on bothoccasions indicated they were in favor of the proposed project, indicating that the projectwould stimulate the local economy, and improve living standards for local inhabitants.

Regarding the need for resettlement, almost all the respondents indicated a willingness torelocate, with the majority indicating they would rather move to other places outside ofthe reservoir area. A small number (6.4% of those surveyed) indicated they did not wantto move.

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Summary EA Reeort - Hubei Hydropower Project

Most of the persons surveys indicated that the environmental impacts of the project wouldonly affect them somewhat, while the remainder (between 9 and 11%) indicated that theenvironmental impacts of the project would affect them significantly. Almost allrespondents (95%) supported adoption of reasonable environmental management policiesto protect the natural resources in the project area. Most people surveyed indicated thatsatisfactory measures could be adopted to mitigate the environmental and social impactsof the project.

Of those surveyed, 94.7% of respondents provided suggestions for various aspects of theproject.

7.3.3 Songshuling Hydropower Station

The Songshuling Hydropower project was investigated in November 1995 and November2000 (87 and 18 persons were surveyed, respectively). All persons consulted indicatedthey were in favor of the proposed project, indicating that the project will stimulate thelocal economy, and provide for improved living standards in the project area. A smallpercentage of the survey respondents indicated that the project would provide onlyminimal benefits.

On the question of resettlement, almost all those indicated they would be willing torelocate, with roughly half indicating they would choose to live nearby, and halfindicating they would rather move to another location. A small number (6.7%) indicatedthey preferred not to move.

Most of the persons surveys indicated that the environmental impacts of the project wouldonly affect them somewhat, while the remainder (about 10%) indicated that theenvironmental impacts of the project would affect them significantly. The majority ofrespondents (83.3%) supported adoption of reasonable environmental managementpolicies to protect the natural resources in the project area. Most people surveyedindicated that satisfactory measures could be adopted to mitigate the environmental andsocial impacts of the project.

Over half the respondents (55.6%) provided suggestions for various aspects of the project.

7.3.4 Xiakou Hydropower Station

The Xiakou Hydropower project was investigated in April 1999 and November 2000 (39and 30 persons surveyed, respectively). Almost all of those surveyed indicated theywere in favor of the project proceeding, indicating that the project would lead to improvedliving standards and benefit the people within the project area.

On the question of resettlement, the vast majority of respondents indicated they would bewilling to relocate, of which just under half indicated they would choose to live nearby,and just over half would rather move to another location.

Most of the persons surveys indicated that the environmental impacts of the project wouldonly affect them somewhat, while the remainder (about 18%) indicated that theenvironmental impacts of the project would affect them significantly. Only some of therespondents (30%) supported adoption of reasonable environmental management policiesto protect the natural resources in the project area. Almost half of those surveyed had no

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opinion. Most people surveyed indicated that satisfactory measures could be adopted tomitigate the environmental and social impacts of the project.

Half of the respondents (50.0%) provided suggestions for various aspects of the project.

Plate 7-1: EA Team and World Bank Plate 7-2: Experts and local officersExperts Conducting Site Visit discussing draft Songshuling EA report

IF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I

Plate 7-3: EA Team Interviewing Plate 7-4: EA Team Meeting withProject Affected People Farmers in Lajitan Project Area

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Chapter 8

Summary and Conclusions

8.1 Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is a consolidation of findings, conclusions and recommendationsof the EIA studies carried out for each of the four separate projects --Dongping, Lajitan,Songshuling and Xiakou, that comprise the Hubei Hydropower Project.

8.2 Matrix Presenting Overall Study Results

Figure 8-1 summarizes the overall status of environmental impacts and expectedeffectiveness of recommended mitigation measures. As indicated in the matrix, the fourprojects that comprise the Hubei Hydropower Project are expected to greatly enhance thesocioeconomic conditions and improve the quality of life for inhabitants in each of theproject areas.

There will be some socioeconomic and environmental impacts. However, these will bemitigated by the creation of four reservoirs that are situated primarily within steep-sidednarrow rocky mountain gorges. The steep terrain and poor soil conditions supportnatural vegetation cover that is primarily woody shrubland. These conditions, in turn,provide poor conditions for supporting wildlife. No rare or endangered plants or animalsare known to exist within the areas that will be disturbed through construction orinundation. The long narrow reservoirs, constrained within the narrow gorges and, in thecase of Lajitan, between the Quaternary river terraces, affect a relatively small number ofsettlements that will need to be relocated.

Hydroelectric or irrigation dams already regulate flows above three of the proposed damsites (Dongping, Lajitan and Xiakou), and hydroelectric dams are in place downstream ofall four projects, thereby blocking fish movement to upstream reaches within the proposedreservoir areas. Fish found within the proposed reservoir areas primarily belong to oneor more species of carp, commonly found throughout the region.

Although cave structures (Karst or otherwise) are found in the Zhongjian River (DongpingProject), Youshui River (Lajitan Project) and Guandu River (Songshuling Project) areas,none of these support unique flora or fauna, or harbour archaeological or religiousartifacts. Therefore, if inundated, no critical natural habitat will be lost and no uniquebiodiversity features will be threatened.

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An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been developed for each project andincludes measures that will be taken to mitigate environmental impacts and protect theenvironment. A monitoring program will be carried out as part of the EMP, and anEnvironmental Management Office will be established for each project. Assuming thatthe EMP for each project is implemented effectively, the Hubei Hydropower Project willnot result in any significant adverse environmental effects. To facilitate theimplementation of the EMPs, a satisfactory budget for environmental aspects of theproject is included in the Government/Bank Loan Agreement. In addition, theAgreement requires establishment of an International Panel of Experts, including oneenvironmental specialist, who will visit the Project every six months during theconstruction period to ensure engineering and environmental performance. The Panelwill report to both the Government of the PRC and the Bank.

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Appendix A: Status of Social and Environmental ConditionsTable A-1 Environmental Status of each subproject

Items Species DP LJT SSL XKAquatics phytoplanktons 0.01 million/L 11/67.68 11/70.58 7/79.52 9/55.36

Zooplanktons /L 10/41.2 8/243 6/405 8/530Benthons /m 10/1160 5/1320 3/320 6/640

Fishes carp 15 7 11 13

sheaffish 1 1 1weever 1eel 1MEis 1 1 1 1[HE_is_ 1 2 2

Plants Evergreen Conifers Altitude356-800m Altitude800-1200m Altitude800-1800m < Altitude600mDeciduous Broadleaf <Altitude800m Altitudel 000-1 500m Altitude300-700mConifers and Broadleaf Altitude800-1200m Altitude800-1200m Altitude400-1000m <Altitude800mShrubberies Altitudel200-2014.5m <Altitude400m Altitude300-700mBanboos < Altitude800m <Altitude400mShrubberies Low hills <Altitude 800m <Altitude400m Altitude300-700mEconomic Woods Reservoir areas <Altitude400m <Altitude5OOm

Terricolo Animals 11 21 11 12usCreatures

Birds 11 15 24 9Reptile 10 5 5 5Amphibian 5 3 4 4

Hydrolog Project rivers Zhongjian River Youshui River Guandu River Zu Rivery

Length km 120 427 126.9 243.6Basin area km2 1656 18530 2961 3367Length in the county km 72 89 126.9Basin area in the county kmz 1228.3 2117 269Fall difference m 424 500 1409watercourse High in northwest High in northeast High in southwest High in northwestAverage amount mT/s 46.5 115 57.9 18.07

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I tems Species DP LJT SSL XKFlooding month 7 7 6-8 7Dry month 1 1 1 1

geologic Earthquake degree l <Ml NlI Elal

Soil Yellow brown Yellow yellow Yellow brown and purpleSoil pH value 5.1-6.5 4.3-5.6 6.8_7.9

meteorol Average temperature U 15.8 15.9 15.5 15.9ogy

The highest temperature U 40.8 38.9 43.4 40The lowest temperature U -12.7 -8.3 -9.9 -13.5Non- frost d/a 294 207-293 242 248Average precipitation mm/a 1536 1353 836.3 950-1100Time for reecipitation d/a 177.1 177.0 180.0 110Sunshine h/a 1150 1161-1445 1160 1650Average radioactivity amount kcal/cm2 84.2 86.8-93.7 89.5 90Average humidity % 75 82 75 78Annual evaporation 1124 1005 1384.6 1504Wind direction South wind in summer and ENE NNW

north wind in winter__ Average wind speed m/s 0.7 0.8 0.8

Water Monitoring station numbers 4 5 4 5quality oftherivers

Sampling time 1995.8.-1995.12. 2000.1. 1999.11.-1999.12. 1999.4.Water temperature U 12.0-25.0 8.0 9.6-9.7PH value 6.9-8.1 6.4-6.8 7.6-7.7 8.18-8.36Transpancy degree m 0.05-1.50suspension mg/L 43.2-133.6 12.0-13.0 11.0-17.0DO mg/L 8.8-10.7 8.92-10.16 8.6-9.1BOD5 mg/L 0.1-5.0 2.04-2.84 0.79-0.82 0.35-0.61K4MnO4 mg/L 1.3-3.6 2.23-2.62 0.89-0.91 1.05-1.81Total hardness mmoVUL 1.5Fluride mg/L 0.025 0.31Total P mg/L 0.01-0.13 0.010-0.043 0.025-0.032 0.012Total N mg/L 0.31- 1.76 0.08Kjeldahl Nitrogen mg/L 0-0.5

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I H IL; ME IRWI 1 M. To' OHM I01 1 EA P; I B OMMOiR! B 5

I tems Species DP LJT SSL XKN-NO3 mg/L 0.013-0.340 0.015-0.016Nitrate nitrogen mg/L 0.29-0.61 0.148-0.265 0.64-0.66Nitrate nitrogen mg/L 0.015-0.290 0.040-0.091 0.003Non-ionic ammonia mg/L 0.01 0.008-0.019Ceb+ mg/L 0.002Cu mg/L 0.005Pb mg/L 0.005Zn mg/L 0.04Ce mg/L 0.0005Total arsenic mg/L 0.004Selenium mg/L . 0.001-0.005Petroleum mg/L 0.025Volatile phenol mg/L 0.001 0.001Sulfide mg/L 0.01-0.10Total cyanide mg/L 0.002 0.47-0.67Total coliform bacteria population 540-2300 < 3n/LFecal coliform bacteria population 780-1100n/L

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Table A.-2 Current Social Environmental Status of the Regions Related 4 Projects

Item DP LJT SSL XK

Overall Population of the County 10,000 persons 33.53 30.07 45.0974 60.0977Overall population in the reservoir area 10,000 persons 11.6861 4.8332 3.0809 1.6275Overall area of the county kmr 2740 1344.48 3587.81 3859Overall area of the reservoir area km2 830.78 326.29 354.0 163Area ratio of the reservoir to the county % 30.3 24.3 5.2 4.2Population density of the county Person / km2 122.35 223= 66 125.70 155.73Population density of the reservoir area person / km2 140.66 148.12 85.5 99.85Gross Domestic Product of the county 9 10,000 yuan 43558 63637 56898 193349GDP per capita in the county yuan/person 2523 2116 1262 3217Net income per capita in rural area of the county yuan/perso 1419 1469 1471 1935Net income per capita in the reservoir rural areayuan/person. 1407 1539 1388 2046Financial revenue of the county 10,000yuan/a 4811 3278 3804 8021Financial revenue of the reservoir area 10,000 yuan/a 818 352 350 225Financial expenditure of the county 10,000 yuan/a 6674 2581 7641 8906Financial expenditure of the reservoir area 10,000 yuan/a 1042 390 370.5 230School/nursery school in the county school 285 146 156 157Hospital/clinic in the county Hospital/clinic 82 75 119 98Sickbed in the county piece 407 673 542 659Communication/broadcasting wire in the county Pole-km 2648 1987.1 2216.5 1368Road km 607.21 17.4. 1997.15 1275Area of Cultivated Land in the county ha 26983 17361 35077 48000Area of cultivated land in the reservoir area ha 8804 3703 3313 1215Person area of Cultivated Land in the county ha/person 0.0805 0.0577 0.0778 0.0799Person area of cultivated land in the reservoir areaha/person 0.0753 0.0766 0.1075 0.0878Area of paddy field in the county ha 9854 9284 6458 3354.61Area of paddy field in the reservoir area ha 3059 1768 306 431Volume of fertilizer utilized in the whole county t/a 29518 9820 41787 13148.7Volume of fertilizer utilized in the reservoir area t/a 9172 1876 2094 90Rate of fertilizer utilized in the whole county tVha-a 1.094 0.566 1.191 1.49Rate of fertilizer utilized in the reservoir area t/ha*a 1.042 0.507 0.632 1.5Statistical year year 1998 1998 1998 1999Note: a) the data of reservoir area in Lajitan Hydropower Station in Laifeng County does not include the data of Longshan County

in Hunan Province that is also to be submerged.b) The date conceming gross domestic product (GDP) is calculated on the basis of fixed price in 1990.c) The rural road long for 1251.59 km is not included.

Tab I e.A-3 Comparison in Rural Economic Status between Concerned RegionsItem China Hubei lXuan'en Laifeng Zhushan NanzhanItem China [ Province County Countv Count Count

Rural Population10,000 91524.7 4003.0 16.2 39.7 42.6 45.3

personsRural Labor Force

10,000 45961.7 1783.5 7.8 19.4 18.6 20.5PersonsOverall Cultivated Areaha 153969200 77392000 35430 70770 86120 88530

Overall Cropped Area ha 112912100 49405000 23390 48550 66320 63900

Output of Crops t 494171000 26344000 77785 200527 190740 361213

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Ite -China Hubei I Xuan'en I Laifeng | Zhushan NanzhanItem Ch Ina Province County County County g County

Cultivated Area of cofton 44914000 4806000 20 50 4330

Output of cotton t 4602724 580877 18 31 3410Cultivated Area of oil 123811000 10387000 3540 10720 9810 6850plants ha__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

Output of oil plants t 21573784 1954717 3836 16649 11400 10686Added value ofagriculture, forestry, 144651200 7679200 28274 58883 51403 96789fisheryandherd 10,000yuan__ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

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Appendix B: Environmental Prediction Data

Table B-1 Phytoplanktons in the Existing ReservoirsLongdong | Tangkou Huanglong

Species Reservoir { Reservoir Reservoirsurface bottom_ surface T bottom surface ] bottom

Crypto Cryptomonas Her 11.28 2.82phyta Chroomonas Hansg 5.64 14.1 5.64 155.1 33.84 2.56

Pyrrop Gymnodinium aeruginosum 2.82hyta Ceratium hirundinella 2.82 47.94 11.28 2.82Peridinium Ehr 2.82

Naked 2.82 2.82algae

Sueneaesmus Mey 39.48Chloro Scenedesmus bjuga 200.22 45.12 262.26 141.00 22.56phyta Sphaerocystis Chod 19.74

Schroederia nitzschioides_ 2.82

Cyclotella Sp 78.96 73.32Bacillar 16.92 11.28 11.28 33.84 11.28iophyta Nitzschia Hass 2.82

Navicula Bory 2.82

Golden Dinobryon Ehr 90.24algae

Total 131.13 228.42 327.12 344.04 240.96 256.62Note:data unit :10 4/L. Data collected from Sample Analysis of the site studies in March - May, 2000,Chinese Research

Academy of Environmental Sciences

Table B-2 the Zooplanktons in the Existing ReservoirLongdong Tangkou Huanglong

Species Reservoir Reservoir ReservoirSurface Bottom Surface Bottom

Euglypha dujardinBursella gargamellae 50 10Acineta grandisStrombidinm SP

Protozoa Epistylis SP 250Cinetochilum margavitaceumTintinnopsis Stein 75Difflugia limnetica 75 75Askenasia volvox _ 75 75Ascomorpha ecaudisKeratella Valga 50 10 5Polyarthra trigla 50

Rotifer Asplanchna Sp 400Keratella cochlearis 155 50

Conochilus Sp 25 75Diurella stylata 20osminopsis deitersi 1 1Daphnia cucullata 8 3Cladocer Daphnia pulex

ans Daphnia longis 1 1

Bosmina longirostris 5

Microcyclops Sp 3 2 1 1Copepod Mesocyclops leuckarti 6 1a Cyclops vicinus

Cyclops strenuus 1

Non-burl 3 3 16infant ITotal 114 28 674 485 403

Note: data unit :104/L. Data collected from Sample Analysis of the site studies in March - May, 2000,Chinese ResearchAcademy of Environmental Sciences

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Table B-3 Benthos in the Existing ReservoirLongdong Reservoir Tangkou Reservoir Huanglong

Species ReservporSpecies ~~Quanitity Biomass Quantity Biomass Quantity Biomass

Quanity uant Quantity Quantity QuantityPracladius choreus 800 3.600Tubifex Sp 200 0.480 350Limnodnius Sp 1320 1.980Branchiura sowerbyi 80 1.200Pelopia Sp 1360 3.4Ephemera 40 1.8Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri 120 0.144Total 2400 7.260 350 1520 5.344Biodiversity Index 0.441 0.172

Note:Benthons Quantity data unit /m2 Biomass Quantity unit:g/m2. Data collected from Sample Analysis of the site studies inMarch - May, 2000,Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences

Table B-4 Branch and Water Sources in the Reservoir's Downstream

Dongping Lajitan Songshuling Xiakou

underground Laotang Wan,0.2km Yangyu Gou,1.0km Xiaoxiaziriver,0.7km to the to the dam,0.1 m3/s to the River,0.2km to thedam,0.1 m3/s Quedao Gou,0.4km dam,0.1-4m3 /s dam, 0-0.1 m3/stail water of to the dam,4.0 m3/s Ganhe River,0.8kmShuibuya Reservoir to the dam,0-0.1runs to the dam m3/s

HansanheRiver,3.Okm,0.2-0.3M3Sm3ls

Sumi Gou,4.Okm tothe dam,0-0.1 m3/sNiejia Gou, 9.0km tothe dam, 0.2-0.3m3ls

Note: The data behind name of branch indicate distance from dam (km) and average flow range (m3/s), respectively.

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Documents

Summary Environmental Assessment Report Hubei Hydropower Development … · 2016-07-08 · Hubei Hydropower Development in Poor Areas Prepared for: The Government of Hubei Province