The EPD has been running its comprehensive Beach Water Quality Monitoring Programme since 1986. The monitoring programme has been recognized as a model for Asia, operating throughout the year and covering some 50 beaches across the territory. It is an integrated process that includes water sampling, laboratory analysis, and publication of information.

Hong Kong’s beaches are widely scattered across its southern, western and eastern coasts, so it is relatively easy for most Hong Kong residents to make their way to a beach when they feel the urge. Many of Hong Kong’s best beaches (41, to be exact) are ‘gazetted’ by the government, which means they are maintained and managed by the government for public use. In 2004, 32 gazetted beaches were open for swimming, while the other nine were closed for reasons to be discussed later in this report. All of these beaches were included in the Beach Water Quality Monitoring Programme. The Programme also covers nine non-gazetted beaches, selected because they are popular swimming places and have the potential for gazetting sometime in the future.

Of the beaches open for swimming, four opened all year round in 2004 due to their location and popularity: Deep Water Bay, Clear Water Bay Second, Silverstrand, and Golden Beach. Others closed for the winter for between three and five months, depending on the individual beach. Beach open seasons ran from the beginning of March or April until the end of October or November.

The EPD divides these beaches into six main districts for administrative purposes. Southern District includes all the beaches on Hong Kong Island. Sai Kung District covers beaches in the clear, sheltered waters on the eastern side of the territory, while Tai Po District includes three non-gazetted beaches around Tolo Harbour. To the west of the territory, the Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun Districts cover 16 beaches that run along the length of coast facing Lantau Island. Outlying Islands District includes a number of lovely beaches on the islands of Lantau, Lamma, and Cheung Chau.

Beaches monitored by the EPD

Southern District Sai Kung District Outlying Islands Tuen Mun District Tsuen Wan District Tai Po District Gazetted beach Gazetted beach Gazetted beach Gazetted beach Gazetted beach   Big Wave Bay Rocky Bay (closed) Shek O Turtle Cove Hairpin Stanley Main St. Stephen's Chung Hom Kok South Bay Middle Bay Repluse Bay Deep Water Bay Kiu Tsui Hap Mun Bay Trio Silverstrand Clear Water Bay First Clear Water Bay Second Lo So Shing Hung Shing Yeh Kwun Yam Cheung Chau Tung Wan Tong Fuk Upper Cheung Sha Lower Cheung Sha Pui O Silver Mine Bay Butterfly Castle Peak (closed) Kadoorie Cafeteria Old Cafeteria New Golden Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Anglers' (closed) Gemini (closed) Hoi Mei Wan (closed) Casam (closed) Lido (closed) Ting Kau (closed) Approach (closed)     Non-gazetted beach Non-gazetted beach Non-gazetted beach   Non-gazetted beach   Pak Sha Chau Campers Tai Kwai Wan Discovery Bay Lung Kwu Sheung Tan Lung Kwu Tan   Lung Mei Sha Lan Hoi Ha

The Water Quality Objective (WQO) is used by the EPD as a benchmark standard for assessing beach water quality. Developed in Hong Kong in the late 1980s, the WQO specifies acceptable levels for the occurrence of certain kinds of bacteria in beach water. In particular, the WQO states thatthe level of E. coli should not exceed 180 per 100mL, calculated as the geometric mean of all samples collected from March to October.

To find out if an individual beach has met the WQO, the EPD gathers the information from all the samples taken from that beach during the swimming season (March to the end of October). These samples are taken at least three times a month but maybe more often, and are collected at between 3- and 14-day intervals. It then calculates the geometric mean of E. coli bacteria across all these samples, and compares this figure with the WQO. Although other bacteria may be present in the samples, the WQO focuses on E. coli bacteria because these have been proved to provide the best correlation with the illness rates associated with swimming (specifically skin and gastrointestinal illnesses).