| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental
Protection Department today (May 23) released the latest grading
of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 22 as
Good (Grade 1), nine as Fair (Grade 2), one as Poor (Grade 3) and
one as Very Poor (Grade 4).
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach while those with
(S) are equipped with shark nets.
Grade
1 beaches are:
| Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
Kiu
Tsui Beach (S) |
| Upper Cheung
Sha Beach (S) |
Trio Beach
(S) |
| Tong Fuk
Beach (S) |
Big Wave
Bay Beach (S) |
| Hung Shing
Yeh Beach (S) |
Deep Water
Bay Beach (S) |
| Lo So Shing
Beach (S) |
Hairpin
Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam
Beach (S) |
Middle
Bay Beach (S) |
| Cheung
Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Shek O
Beach (S) |
| Pui O Beach
(S) |
South Bay
Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay First 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:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Kadoorie
Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
New Beach (S) |
| Butterfly
Beach (S) |
Golden
Beach (S) |
| Repulse
Bay Beach (S) |
Chung Hom
Kok Beach (S) |
| Discovery
Bay* |
|
The Grade 3 beach is Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S) while the Grade
4 beach is Silverstrand Beach (S).
A spokesman for the department said Silver Mine Bay Beach had upgraded
from Grade 2 to Grade 1, Kadoorie Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2
while Lower Cheung Sha Beach had changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2
and Silverstrand Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 4 last week.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation
of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," the spokesman
said.
"The very poor grading of Silverstrand Beach is due to a particularly
high reading recorded following three days of heavy rain in the
area. This might have flushed pollutants from the unsewered beach
hinterland into the water," he added.
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, 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 23, 2003
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