| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental
Protection Department today (June 27) released the latest grading
of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 14 as
Good (Grade 1), 18 as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. (S) indicates
a beach that is equipped with shark nets.
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Hap
Mun Bay Beach (S) |
| Upper Cheung
Sha Beach (S) |
Kiu Tsui
Beach (S) |
| Tong Fuk
Beach (S) |
Trio Beach
(S) |
| Hung Shing
Yeh Beach (S) |
Deep Water
Bay Beach (S) |
| Lo So Shing
Beach (S) |
Repulse
Bay Beach (S) |
| Cheung
Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Turtle
Cove Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam
Beach (S) |
Discovery
Bay* |
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Clear
Water Bay First Beach (S) |
Big
Wave Bay Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay Second Beach (S) |
Chung Hom
Kok Beach (S) |
| Silverstrand
Beach (S) |
Hairpin
Beach (S) |
| Butterfly
Beach (S) |
Middle
Bay Beach (S) |
| Cafeteria
New Beach (S) |
Shek O
Beach (S) |
| Cafeteria
Old Beach |
South Bay
Beach (S) |
| Golden
Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's
Beach (S) |
| Ma Wan
Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Stanley
Main Beach (S) |
| Pui O Beach
(S) |
Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
The Grade 3 beach is
Kadoorie Beach (S).
A spokesman for the department
said Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Discovery Bay had been upgraded
from Grade 2 to Grade 1 and Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach from Grade 3 to
Grade 2; while Pui O Beach had fallen from Grade 1 to Grade 2 and
Kadoorie Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation
of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," the spokesman
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, 2511 6666.
Under the grading system, beaches are classified in 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,
June 27 2003
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