| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection
Department today (October 31) released the latest grading of water
quality at 11 beaches on Hong Kong Island and three beaches in the
New Territories.
Twelve beaches were rated
Good (Grade 1) and two were rated Fair (Grade 2).
Other beaches in the
New Territories will be closed from tomorrow (November 1).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Big Wave
Bay Beach |
Shek O
Beach |
| Chung Hom
Kok Beach |
South Bay
Beach |
| Deep Water
Bay Beach |
Stanley
Main Beach |
| Hairpin
Beach |
St. Stephen's
Beach |
| Middle
Bay Beach |
Turtle
Cove Beach |
| Repulse
Bay Beach |
Clear Water
Bay Second Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Golden
Beach |
Silverstrand
Beach |
All the above beaches
are equipped with shark nets.
A department spokesman
said Big Wave Bay Beach had been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade
1 and Golden Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 2.
"The changes are generally
within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water
quality of the beach," said a spokesman for the department.
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.
Ends/Friday, October
31, 2003
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