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Press Release

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department today (July 21) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.

Eleven beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 15 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and seven were rated as Poor (Grade 3).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Hap Mun Bay Beach                       Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach                   Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach                               Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach                           Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach                         Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Shek O Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:

Big Wave Bay Beach                      Middle Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach       Pui O Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach                   Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach           Silver Mine Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach      Silverstrand Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach                  South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*                              St. Stephen's Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach

Grade 3 beaches are:

Butterfly Beach                              Golden Beach
Cafeteria New Beach                      Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach                       Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Castle Peak Beach

The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach.  All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.

Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend.  The information may also be obtained from the department's website at www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
 
Compared with the grading released last week, Kwun Yam Beach and Shek O Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Silver Mine Bay Beach has been upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2.

Lower Cheung Sha Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, and Golden Beach and Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach have been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.

"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," a spokesman said.
 
Under our present grading system, beaches are classified into 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.

People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.

The spokesman warned 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, July 21, 2006

  

 

 

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