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Press Release
Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (August 4) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Thirteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 13 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and seven were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Discovery Bay* Stanley Main Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Repulse Bay Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
South Bay Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Pui O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Silverstrand Beach
Kwun Yam 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, Chung Hom Kok Beach, Discovery Bay, Hap Mun Bay Beach, Repulse Bay Beach, South Bay Beach and St. Stephen's Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1.
Kwun Yam Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, and Castle Peak Beach has 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, August 4, 2006
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