| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (August 22) released
the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public,
rating 23 as Good (Grade 1), nine as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor
(Grade 3).
Beaches with
an asterisk are non-gazetted beaches. (S) indicates a beach that
is equipped with shark nets.
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Pui
O Beach (S) |
Big
Wave Bay Beach (S) |
| 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) |
| Cheung
Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Shek O
Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam
Beach (S) |
South Bay
Beach (S) |
| Hap Mun
Bay Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's
Beach (S) |
| Kiu Tsui
Beach (S) |
Stanley
Main Beach (S) |
| Trio Beach
(S) |
Turtle
Cove Beach (S) |
| Discovery
Bay* |
|
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
New Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay First Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Clear Water
Bay Second Beach (S) |
Golden
Beach (S) |
| Silverstrand
Beach (S) |
Ma Wan
Tung Wan Beach (S) |
| Butterfly
Beach (S) |
|
| |
|
Grade 3 beach
is Kadoorie Beach (S).
A department
spokesman said Big Wave Bay Beach, Repulse Bay Beach and Pui O Beach
had been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, while Clear Water Bay
First Beach had changed 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 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 22, 2003
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