| Press
Release
Grading
of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection
Department today (June 6) released the latest grading of water quality
at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 22 as Good (Grade 1), nine
as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
The beach with
an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. (S) indicates a beach that
is equipped with shark nets.
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Upper
Cheung Sha Beach (S) |
Trio
Beach (S) |
| Tong Fuk Beach
(S) |
Big Wave Bay Beach
(S) |
| Hung Shing Yeh
Beach (S) |
Chung Hom Kok Beach
(S) |
| Lo So Shing Beach
(S) |
Deep Water Bay
Beach (S) |
| Kwun Yam Beach
(S) |
Hairpin Beach (S) |
| Cheung Chau Tung
Wan Beach (S) |
Repulse Bay Beach
(S) |
| Pui O Beach (S) |
Shek O Beach (S) |
| Clear Water Bay
First Beach (S) |
South Bay Beach
(S) |
| Clear Water Bay
Second Beach (S) |
St. Stephen's Beach
(S) |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach
(S) |
Stanley Main Beach
(S) |
| Kiu Tsui Beach
(S) |
Turtle Cove Beach
(S) |
Grade 2 beaches
are:
| Lower
Cheung Sha Beach |
Cafeteria
Old Beach |
| Kadoorie Beach
(S) |
Cafeteria New Beach
(S) |
| Butterfly Beach
(S) |
Golden Beach (S) |
| Middle Bay Beach
(S) |
Silver Mine Bay
Beach (S) |
| Discovery Bay* |
|
The Grade 3
beaches are:
| Ma
Wan Tung Wan Beach (S) |
Silverstrand
Beach (S). |
| |
|
A spokesman for the
department said Chung Hom Kok Beach and Repulse Bay Beach had been
upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, while Middle Bay Beach had fallen
from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
"The changes
are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological
water quality of the beach," the spokesman said.
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, 2511 6666.
Under the
grading system, beaches are classified in 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/Friday,
June 6, 2003
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