Press Releases

Press Release

Grading of beach water quality released

The Environmental Protection Department today (October 3) released the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 19 as Good (Grade 1), 13 as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).

Beaches with an asterisk are non-gazetted beaches. (S) indicates a beach that is equipped with shark nets.

Grade 1 beaches are:

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

Grade 2 beaches are:

Lower Cheung Sha Beach Chung Hom Kok Beach (S)
Silver Mine Bay Beach (S) Butterfly Beach (S)
Clear Water Bay Second Beach (S) Cafeteria New Beach (S)
Silverstrand Beach (S) Cafeteria Old Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach (S) Golden Beach (S)
Trio Beach (S) Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S)
Big Wave Bay Beach (S)  

Grade 3 beach is Kadoorie Beach (S).

A department spokesman said Deep Water Bay Beach and Shek O Beach had been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, Big Wave Bay Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2 and Kadoorie Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 3; while Chung Hom Kok Beach and Hap Mun Bay Beach had changed 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 exceeded 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, October 3, 2003


 
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