| Beach
Monitoring Programme
To protect public
health and to assess whether the Water Quality Objective is met, a comprehensive beach
monitoring programme has been implemented by the EPD. The Beach
Monitoring Programme has the following six functions:
- to assess
compliance with the Water Quality Objective;
- to detect
any change in beach water quality;
- to identify
polluted beaches that need remedial actions;
- to evaluate
pollution abatement programmes;
- to decide
on the opening of beaches; and
- to advise
the public on the beach water quality status.
The Beach Monitoring
Programme covers 41 gazetted beaches and 3 non-gazetted beaches
scattered in six different districts.
During
bathing seasons, all gazetted
beaches are monitored at least three
times per month, while
the non-gazetted beaches are
monitored at least twice per
month. To conform with the Water Quality Objective,
the interval between the sampling
occasions is maintained at 3
to 14 days. All data collected
during the bathing season will
be used for assessing the annual
water quality trend of the beach.
During non-bathing seasons,
gazetted beaches which remain
open throughout the year are
still monitored at least three times
per month, all other beaches
are monitored once per month.
| Beach
monitoring frequencies |
| Beach |
Monitoring
frequency |
Bathing
season
(March to October) |
Non-bathing
season
(November to February) |
|
Gazetted beaches open all year round *
|
at least 3 times per month
|
at least 3 times per month
|
|
Other gazetted beaches
|
at
least 3 times per month
|
once
per month
|
|
Non-gazetted
beaches
|
at least
3 times per month
|
once
per month
|
|
*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Golden Beach and Silverstrand
Beach
|
The beach
monitoring work includes beach water sample collection, laboratory
analysis and data management. During each beach monitoring visit,
beach water samples are collected where the water depth is between
thigh to waist depth i.e. about 1 metre depth for analysis of E.
coli bacteria and physical measurements of pH, salinity
and turbidity. The water samples are delivered to the laboratory
for analysis as soon as sampling is completed and are stored at
about 4°C during transportation. Dissolved oxygen concentration
and temperature of the beach water are measured in-situ at
each of the beaches and observations such as weather and beach conditions,
are also recorded.
|