Press Releases

Press Release

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department today (June 13) released the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 23 as Good (Grade 1), eight 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)
Discovery Bay*  

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)

The Grade 3 beaches are:

Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S) Silverstrand Beach (S)
   

A spokesman for the department said Discovery Bay had been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1.

"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 13 2003



 
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