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Press Release

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department today (April 17) released the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 22 as Good (Grade 1), 10 as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Very Poor (Grade 4).

The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach while those with (S) are equipped with shark nets.

Grade 1 beaches are:

Lower Cheung Sha Beach Hap Mun Bay Beach (S)
Upper Cheung Sha Beach (S) Kiu Tsui Beach (S)
Discovery Bay* Trio Beach (S)
Pui O Beach (S) Big Wave Bay Beach (S)
Tong Fuk Beach (S) Deep Water Bay Beach (S)
Hung Shing Yeh Beach (S) Hairpin Beach (S)
Lo So Shing Beach (S) Middle Bay Beach (S)
Kwun Yam Beach (S) Shek O Beach (S)
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach (S) St. Stephen's Beach (S)
Clear Water Bay First Beach (S) Stanley Main Beach (S)
Clear Water Bay Second Beach (S) Turtle Cove Beach (S)

Grade 2 beaches are:

Silver Mine Bay Beach (S) Cafeteria Old Beach
Silverstrand Beach (S) Cafeteria New Beach (S)
Butterfly Beach (S) Golden Beach (S)
Kadoorie Beach (S) Chung Hom Kok Beach (S)
South Bay Beach (S) Repulse Bay Beach (S)

The Grade 4 beach is Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S).

A spokesman for the department said Repulse Bay Beach had changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2 last week.

"The change is generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," he said.

"The very poor water quality of Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach is due to heavy rain which flushed pollutants from the unsewered beach hinterland into the water," he added.

Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's homepage at http://www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline at 2511 6666.

Under the grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the level of E. coli in the water.

Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose last E. coli reading exceeds a threshold figure, irrespective of the geometric mean. Swimmers are advised to avoid these beaches until the water quality improves.

Seven gazetted beaches - Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Ting Kau Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach - are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.

The public is advised not to swim at these closed beaches.

The spokesman cautioned 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.

End/Thursday, April 17, 2003

 

 
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