During the past 15 years, we observed a lot of changes, including the rapid increase in population from 5.5 million in 1986 to 6.8 million in 2000. The EPD had implemented a series of environmental protection measures to minimise the environmental impact associated with population and development pressure. Among those measures, the implementation of Sewerage Master Plans (SMPs) in various districts and enforcement of environmental legislations to control water pollution had brought about significant water quality improvement at most of the beaches.

As depicted in Figure 6.1, the percentage of gazetted beaches complying with the WQO has increased from 74% in 1986 to 85% in 2000. Starting from 1999, no gazetted beach has been ranked "Very Poor?(Figure 1.1). The improvement of beach water quality is brought about by the joint effort of the EPD and DSD to implement various SMPs and enforcement of relevant environmental legislations to combat sewage pollution problems in the beach hinterland. The success of such concerted efforts is summarized in Table 6.1.

Figure 6.1	Percentage of gazetted beaches complying with WQO in 1986 and 2000

Table 6.1	Major improvement measures implemented in the past 15 years

		Repulse Bay 1989
Rocky Bay
1996

6.1 Southern District

In the late 1980s, the water quality of the beaches on the south of Hong Kong Island, particularly the two most popular beaches, viz. Repulse Bay and Middle Bay beaches which were at the verge of closure (Figure 6.2), had been deteriorating due to sewage discharges from the unsewered beach hinterland. A series of remedial measures were implemented by the EPD and DSD to safeguard the water quality of these beaches including:

• implementation of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO) to control all discharges in the Southern Water Control Zone (WCZ) which was declared in 1989;
• implementation of the Hong Kong Island South SMP to divert sewage away from the beaches;
• repair of the leaking sewage submarine outfall at the Repulse Bay and close the screening plant subsequently; and
• provision of Dry Weather Flow (DWF) interceptors to intercept flow from polluted storm water drains.

Figure 6.2	Water quality changes of Repulse Bay Beach and Middle Bay Beach from 1986 to 2000

As a result, the water quality of a number of beaches on the south of Hong Kong Island, including the Repulse Bay, Middle Bay, South Bay and Stanley Main beaches had improved significantly since 1989. After the implementation and enforcement of the Water Pollution Control (Sewerage) Regulation in 1994, owners are required to connect their properties to the public sewer. Most of the properties in the hinterland of Deep Water Bay and Stanley Main were connected to the main sewerage in 1999 and the potential pollution sources had been completely removed in the hinterland of these beaches. For Tai Tam and Shek O areas, the connection work was in progress.

Although the water quality of the Shek O Beach on the east of Hong Kong Island complied with the WQO, the nearby Rocky Bay Beach had been closed since 1989 because of its very poor water quality. This beach was polluted by sewage discharges from the squatter and village houses in the hinterland. A U-shaped channel was constructed by the DSD in the beach hinterland in 1997 to collect and convey the sullage from the Shek O Village and the polluted flow from the combined sewer to the newly commissioned Shek O Sewage Screening Plant for treatment and disposal via a submarine outfall at Tai Tau Chau. In subsequent years, additional dry weather flow interceptors are constructed to further intercept the wastewater from the squatter area.

The water quality of the Rocky Bay Beach had improved from 'Very Poor' to 'Poor' in 1997, then to 'Fair' and full compliance with the WQO since 1999 (Figure 6.3).

Figure 6.3	Water quality changes of Rocky bay Beach from 1986 to 2000

6.2 Islands District

Except the Silvermine Bay Beach on Lantau Island, the water quality of all beaches on the outlying islands could comply with the WQO in the past 15 years. The Silvermine Bay Beach had been closed for three years from 1987 to 1989 due to the discharge of livestock waste in Mui Wo. Occasional overflow of sewage from septic tanks and soakaway pits in the unsewered hinterland also contributed to the pollution problem.

To tackle the livestock waste pollution problem, the Livestock Waste Control Scheme was implemented in Mui Wo since 1988 and livestock rearing was gradually phased out in the catchment. The polluted discharges in the beach hinterland were also under control after the commissioning of the Mui Wo Sewage Treatment Works and the declaration of the Southern WCZ in 1989. As a result, the water quality of the Silvermine Bay Beach started to improve and could comply with the WQO in 1989 (Figure 6.4). Further improvement of water quality was observed at the Silvermine Bay Beach since 1999 after the village houses in the hinterland were gradually connected to the public sewer.

Figure 6.4	Water quality changes of Silvermine Bay Beach from 1986 to 2000

6.3 Tuen Mun District

Tuen Mun is one of the new towns in the New Territories with rapid development, and the population of the Tuen Mun District has almost doubled in the past 15 years. In the late 1980s, the sewerage in the district was inadequate to cope with the increase in population and the Tuen Mun beaches were polluted by sewage discharged from the hinterland. The pollution problem was further exacerbated by the sewage submarine outfall at Pillar Point having leakage problem, and the polluted Tuen Mun River which received wastewater discharged from village houses, livestock farms and industrial buildings along the river. As a result, another beach, the Cafeteria Old Beach was closed in 1986 after the closure of the Castle Peak Beach in 1981.

To improve the collection of sewage at the eastern coastal region of Tuen Mun, a trunk sewer had been laid along the Castle Peak Road from So Kwun Wat to Sam Shing Estate in the early 1990s. The North Western WCZ was declared in 1992 and enforcement of the WPCO had brought all industrial and commercial discharges in the Tuen Mun District under effective control. The expedient connections to the storm water drains were rectified. All discharges in the beach hinterland were under constant surveillance to ensure no sub-standard effluent was discharged into the beach area. These efforts had effectively prevented further deterioration of water quality at the Tuen Mun River and beaches in 1993 before the provision of proper sewerage.

Water quality improvement was first observed at the Castle Peak Beach in 1993 when the polluted storm drain was diverted away from the beach by the DSD. In 1994, the sewerage from So Kwun Wat to Sam Shing Estate was connected to the Tuen Mun sewerage system. Enforcement carried out by EPD also rectified the drainage misconnection in the hinterland of Cafeteria Old Beach. The water quality of the Cafeteria Old Beach had improved significantly since then (Figure 6.5).

Figure 6.5	Water quality changes of Castle Peak Beach and Cafeteria Old Beach from 1986 to 2000

After the implementation of the Livestock Waste Control Scheme and enforcement of the Waste Disposal (Livestock Waste) Regulation, all the polluted discharges arising from livestock farms in Tuen Mun had been completely removed in mid 1995. The leaking sewage submarine outfall at Pillar Point had also been repaired by the DSD at the end of 1994. As a result of this series of efforts, the water quality of the Tuen Mun beaches generally improved and the Cafeteria Old Beach was reopened to the public after closure for 10 years.

Further improvement of water quality at the Tuen Mun beaches was observed in 1999 after the DSD had replaced the old 0.9 km Pillar Point Sewage Submarine Outfall by a new 2 km outfall to discharge treated effluent further away from the beaches. Together with the continuous vigorous enforcement efforts, the water quality of the Tuen Mun beaches complies with the WQO for bathing water since 1999.

6.4 Sai Kung District

Although the catchment of Sai Kung beaches was unsewered and there was intensive housing development in the district in the past 15 years, half of the Sai Kung beaches could always maintain the 'Good? water quality status and all of them complied with the WQO. This is attributed to the continuous enforcement efforts of EPD to control all polluted discharges in the beach hinterland after declaration of the Port Shelter WCZ in 1989. The EPD had also implemented a series of campaigns in the district to arouse the environmental awareness of residents to properly operate and maintain their treatment facilities. This increase in environmental awareness, together with the enforcement sweeps conducted by EPD had resulted in good environmental compliance in the beach hinterland.

6.5 Tsuen Wan District

The beaches in the Tsuen Wan District were notoriously known for their poor water quality in the past. The deterioration of beach water quality was attributed to the sewage arising from the village and squatter houses in the unsewered hinterland, as well as the polluted marine water from the Rambler Channel. The rapid industrial and residential development in the Tsuen Wan District in the early 1990s had exacerbated the problem. As a result, the Anglers' Beach was closed in 1995, and the Ting Kau and Approach beaches were closed in 1996.