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Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (August 8) released
the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public,
rating 22 as Good (Grade 1) and 11 as Fair (Grade 2).
Beaches with
an asterisk are non-gazetted beaches. (S) indicates a beach that
is equipped with shark nets.
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Chung
Hom Kok Beach (S) |
| Upper
Cheung Sha Beach (S) |
Deep Water
Bay Beach (S) |
| Tong Fuk
Beach (S) |
Hairpin
Beach (S) |
| Hung Shing
Yeh Beach (S) |
Middle
Bay Beach (S) |
| Lo So Shing
Beach (S) |
Repulse
Bay Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam
Beach (S) |
Shek O
Beach (S) |
| Cheung
Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) |
South Bay
Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay First Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's
Beach (S) |
| Hap Mun
Bay Beach (S) |
Stanley
Main Beach (S) |
| Kiu Tsui
Beach (S) |
Turtle
Cove Beach (S) |
| Trio Beach
(S) |
Discovery
Bay* |
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Pui
O Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
Golden
Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay Second Beach (S) |
Kadoorie
Beach (S) |
| Silverstrand
Beach (S) |
Big Wave
Bay Beach (S) |
| Butterfly
Beach (S) |
Ma Wan
Tung Wan Beach (S) |
| Cafeteria
New Beach (S) |
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A spokesman
for the department said Deep Water Bay Beach, Discovery Bay, Hairpin
Beach, Lower Cheung Sha Beach and St. Stephen's Beach had been upgraded
from Grade 2 to Grade 1, while Big Wave Bay Beach had changed from
Grade 1 to Grade 2.
"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.
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 exceeded 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,
August 8, 2003
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