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Press Release
Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (July 25) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 25 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and six were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Hap Mun Bay Beach
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Hung Shing Yeh Beach
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Grade 2 beaches are:
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Big Wave Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*
Golden Beach
Kadoorie Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
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Middle Bay Beach
Pui O Beach
Repulse Bay Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach
Silverstrand Beach
South Bay Beach
St. Stephen's Beach
Stanley Main Beach
Tong Fuk Beach
Trio Beach
Turtle Cove Beach
Upper Cheung Sha Beach
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Grade 3 beaches are:
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Butterfly Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
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Castle Peak Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Shek O Beach
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The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's website at www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Hap Mun Bay Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1 and Big Wave Bay Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Golden Beach, Kadoorie Beach and Silver Mine Bay Beach have been upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Cafeteria New Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
Under our present 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 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, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach, Lido Beach and Ting Kau Beach -- are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The spokesman warned 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.
Ends/Friday, July 25, 2008
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