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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 4) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 gazetted beaches and one non-gazetted beach (Discovery Bay) that are open for swimming.
Eleven beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), twenty-two as Fair (Grade 2), four as Poor (Grade 3) and one as Very Poor (Grade 4).
Grade 1 beaches are:
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Hap Mun Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Repulse Bay Beach
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South Bay Beach
St Stephen's Beach
Tong Fuk Beach
Trio Beach
Upper Cheung Sha Beach
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Grade 2 beaches are:
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Anglers' Beach
Butterfly Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Casam Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
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Golden Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Kadoorie Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Lido Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Pui O Beach
Shek O Beach
Stanley Main Beach
Turtle Cove Beach
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Grade 3 beaches are:
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Approach Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach
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Silverstrand Beach
Ting Kau Beach
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Grade 4 beach is:
Compared with the grading released last week, Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1; Butterfly Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach and Hoi Mei Wan Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Chung Hom Kok Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2; Silverstrand Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3; Discovery Bay from Grade 1 to Grade 4.
“The deterioration of water quality in Discovery Bay was due to heavy rain, while the changes in other beaches are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality,” the EPD spokesman said.
The EPD spokesman also said 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.
Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions. Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose E. coli readings show abnormalities that may affect bathers' health. Bathers should avoid swimming at these beaches until their water quality improves.
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.
Ends/Friday, August 4, 2017
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