| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental
Protection Department today (May 9) released the latest grading
of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 20 as
Good (Grade 1), 11 as Fair (Grade 2), two as Poor (Grade 3).
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach while those with
(S) are equipped with shark nets.
Grade 1 beaches
are:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Kiu
Tsui Beach (S) |
| Upper Cheung Sha
Beach (S) |
Big Wave Bay Beach
(S) |
| Tong Fuk Beach (S)
|
Deep Water Bay Beach
(S) |
| Hung Shing
Yeh Beach (S) |
Hairpin Beach (S) |
| Lo So Shing Beach
(S) |
Middle Bay Beach
(S) |
| Kwun Yam Beach (S) |
Shek O Beach (S) |
| Cheung Chau Tung
Wan Beach (S) |
South Bay Beach
(S) |
| Pui O Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's Beach
(S) |
| Clear Water Bay
Second Beach (S) |
Stanley Main Beach
(S) |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach
(S) |
Turtle Cove Beach
(S) |
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Silverstrand Beach
(S) |
Cafeteria New Beach
(S) |
| Butterfly Beach
(S) |
Chung Hom Kok Beach
(S) |
| Repulse Bay Beach
(S) |
Clear Water Bay
First Beach (S) |
| Golden Beach (S)
|
Trio Beach (S) |
| Discovery Bay* |
|
Grade 3 beaches
are:
| Kadoorie
Beach (S) |
Ma Wan
Tung Wan Beach (S) |
| |
|
A spokesman for the department
said Pui O Beach had upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1 while Discovery
Bay, Clear Water Bay First Beach and Trio Beach had changed from
Grade 1 to Grade 2 last week.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation
of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," he said.
Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information
may also be obtained from the department's homepage at http://www.epd.gov.hk
or the beach hotline at 2511 6666.
Under the grading system, beaches are classified into four grades
according to the level of E. coli in the water.
Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the
E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose last E. coli reading exceeds
a threshold figure, irrespective of the geometric mean. Swimmers
are advised to avoid these beaches until the water quality improves.
Seven gazetted beaches - Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Ting Kau
Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach
- are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.
The public is advised not to swim at these closed beaches.
The spokesman cautioned that many beaches were likely to be more
polluted than their grades suggested during and after periods of
heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three
days after a storm or heavy rainfall.
End/Friday, May 9, 2003 |
