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Press Release
Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 12) released the latest grading of water quality of 36 beaches.
Nineteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), sixteen as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
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Big Wave Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*
Hap Mun Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
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Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Repulse Bay Beach
Shek O Beach
Silverstrand Beach
South Bay Beach
St. Stephen's Beach
Tong Fuk Beach
Trio Beach
Turtle Cove Beach
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Grade 2 beaches are:
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Approach Beach
Butterfly Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Casam Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Golden Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
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Kadoorie Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Lido Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Pui O Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach
Stanley Main Beach
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Grade 3 beaches are:
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. Latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's websites on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk or www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Butterfly Beach, Castle Peak Beach, Golden Beach, Kadoorie Beach, Pui O Beach and Silver Mine Bay Beach have changed from Grade 1 to 2. Cafeteria New Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Kwun Yam Beach have been upgraded to Grade 2 since their last grading (Grade 4) this Wednesday (April 10).
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
"For Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Kwun Yam Beach, we observed the temporary deterioration of water quality was largely due to heavy rain. The latest samples taken show that the water quality of the beaches has resumed normal."
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.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The EPD 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.
Meanwhile, the department has published a report entitled "Beach Water Quality in Hong Kong 2012". The report summarises the water quality of gazetted beaches in 2012 and is accessible at a dedicated website at www.beachwq.gov.hk and EPD's website at www.epd.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, April 12, 2013
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