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Beach
Water Quality Report 2002
Chapter Three
Beaches
in the Sai Kung District
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| 3.1 |
The beaches
in the Sai Kung District
continued to meet the WQO
for bathing water in 2002.
Four out of the six gazetted
beaches in Sai Kung were
ranked 'Good' (Figure 3.1).
They were Hap Mun Bay, Kiu
Tsui, Trio and Clear Water
Bay Second. Silverstrand
and Clear Water Bay First
had the same rank, i.e.
'Fair' as in 2001. Despite
no change in ranking, slight
improvement in water quality
was observed at Trio and
Clear Water Bay Second.
The water quality of the
other four beaches remained
similar as in previous years.
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| 3.2 |
Hap Mun Bay and
Kiu Tsui are located on the Sharp
Island separated from the mainland
and do not have much residence
in their hinterland. They were
less susceptible to the effect
of heavy rain as reflected by
their good beach grading (Figure
3.2), and both beaches had the
annual geometric mean E. coli
counts below 5 per 100mL for the
last seven consecutive years.
Similarly, Trio also had good
water quality and its beach grading
only showed slight fluctuation.
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| 3.3 |
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The
water quality of Hap Mun
Bay is consistently good
throughout the whole year
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The water quality
of the three beaches located
at Outer Port Shelter, viz.
Silverstrand, Clear Water Bay
First and Second, is comparatively
less stable and fluctuations
are observed from year to year.
The beach grades of these three
beaches also reflect wider fluctuations
in their water quality during
the bathing season (Figure 3.2).
Among them, the water quality
of Silverstrand fluctuated more
widely (Figure 3.3) because
its unsewered hinterland had
more residential developments
and a number of streams and
storm drains leading to the
vicinity of the bathing area
(Figure 3.4).
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| 3.4 |
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| The
hinterland of Silverstrand
Beach has relatively more
residential development
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The major sewage treatment facilities
(STFs) in the hinterland of those
beaches at Outer Port Shelter
are either private sewage treatment
plants (STPs) or septic tank and
soakaway pit systems. Silverstrand
has over sixty of these STFs in
the hinterland and many of these
are at close proximity to the
streams. Septic tanks are particularly
susceptible to the effect of heavy
rain which may flush out pollutants
from them. Apart from the effect
of heavy rain, septic tank seepages
and malfunctioning of these STPs
due to power failure, running
out of disinfectants, pipe blockage,
etc. may also cause temporary
deterioration in beach water quality.
The EPD had made continuous effort
to carry out inspections of these
STFs and enforcement against any
polluting discharges. Prior to
the beginning of the bathing season,
EPD would step up the inspection
programme against STFs to arouse
the awareness of house owners
to ensure that all STFs in the
area were properly maintained
and the effluent discharge standards
were met. |
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| 3.5 |
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Construction
of sewerage system for the
Silverstrand area |
In order to protect the coastal
water quality of Port Shelter,
it had been recommended in the
Port Shelter Sewerage Master Plan
to provide proper sewerage for
the Sai Kung District (Figure
3.5). The sewerage system for
the Silverstrand area, which was
part of the Stage I works, had
been commissioned in 2002. Notice
to urge the house owners in the
Silverstrand area to connect their
discharges to the public sewers
had also been issued. By 2003,
when most of the village houses
in the hinterland are connected
to public sewers, Silverstrand
would be less susceptible to the
effect of heavy rain and its water
quality is expected to improve. |
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| 3.6 |
The Stage II and
III works, including the provision
of sewerage to Sha Kok Mei, Ho
Chung, Tai Po Tsai and Tseng Lan
Shue, are tentatively scheduled
to be completed by 2007. When
these improvement works are completed,
the good water quality of the
Port Shelter and the beaches in
Sai Kung will be safeguarded.
The implementation programme for
the Stage IV works will be developed
at a later stage. |
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