PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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were let for plant equipment for the Sha Tin new town permanent sewage treatment works.
Monitoring of water quality in local waters was continued, to obtain long-term data for the design of new facilities for sewage treatment and disposal, and to establish pollution levels and trends. A data report summarising all monitoring results to the end of 1975 was prepared.
The laying and extension of stormwater drains was completed in the Central and Kennedy Town reclamations and at Au Tau, Yuen Long. River training works at Sha Tin and Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, were also completed. Works in progress included extension of arterial drains in the Western, Chai Wan, Kowloon Bay and Yau Ma Tei reclamations and drainage improvement works in Ma Hang, Stanley.
Port Works
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On Hong Kong Island, 125 metres of seawall to retain a reclamation for the sewage screening plant at Aberdeen was completed during the year. Contracts were let for the construction of a total of 2 320 metres of seawalls at Aldrich Bay, Chai Wan, Western District and Po Chong Wan, Aberdeen, to retain reclamations for various purposes.
In the harbour, dredging of the realigned central fairway to a depth of 11 metres below chart datum was completed. This fairway will be the main access for ships to Victoria Harbour during the construction of the immersed tube tunnel across the harbour for the mass transit railway.
In Kowloon, work commenced on the construction of a new ferry-pier and concourse at Sham Shui Po to replace and improve existing facilities at Pei Ho Street. Two outfalls, forming part of the drainage development works in Kowloon Bay, were under construction. A contract was let for the construction of the seawall foundation at Cheung Sha Wan.
In the New Territories, work began on the extension of Cheung Chau ferry pier to provide better landing facilities. Reclamation work was under way in a small section of Rambler Channel typhoon shelter to provide land for cargo handling.
Quarrying
Demand for quarry products rose steadily during 1976 with the result that prices-particularly for crushed rock aggregates-were about 10 per cent above those of the previous year. At the end of 1976 the six quarries run under government contracts were producing some 20 per cent more material than in the previous December, and several of the quarries were installing new plant to increase their output capacities.
At the two government quarries, haulage roads were completed at both sites and new crushing and screening plant was commissioned at Mount Butler.
The materials testing laboratories operated by the quarries section of the civil engineering office of the Public Works Department carried out 98,455 tests on building materials, of which 6,174 were for private firms.