| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (September 26) released
the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public,
rating 19 as Good (Grade 1), 12 as Fair (Grade 2), one as Poor (Grade
3) and one as Very Poor (Grade 4).
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) |
Chung
Hom Kok Beach (S) |
| Upper
Cheung Sha Beach (S) |
Hairpin
Beach (S) |
| Tong Fuk
Beach (S) |
Middle
Bay Beach (S) |
| Hung Shing
Yeh Beach (S) |
Repulse
Bay Beach (S) |
| Lo So Shing
Beach (S) |
South Bay
Beach (S) |
| Cheung
Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Stanley
Main Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam
Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's
Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay First Beach (S) |
Turtle
Cove Beach (S) |
| Hap Mun
Bay Beach (S) |
Discovery
Bay* |
| Kiu Tsui
Beach (S) |
|
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Shek
O Beach (S) |
| Silver
Mine Bay Beach (S) |
Butterfly
Beach (S) |
| Clear Water
Bay Second Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
New Beach (S) |
| Silverstrand
Beach (S) |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Trio Beach
(S) |
Golden
Beach (S) |
| Deep
Water Bay Beach (S) |
Ma Wan
Tung Wan Beach (S) |
The Grade 3 beach is Big Wave Bay Beach (S) and the Grade 4 beach
is Kadoorie Beach (S).
A department
spokesman said Hairpin Beach and Middle Bay Beach had been upgraded
from Grade 2 to Grade 1, Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach from Grade 3 to Grade
2; while Shek O 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.
"The very poor water quality of Kadoorie is due to heavy rain which
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 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, September 26, 2003
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