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Press Release
Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department today (April 9) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Twenty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 12 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
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Big Wave Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*
Hap Mun Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
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Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Pui O Beach
Repulse Bay Beach
Shek O Beach
South Bay Beach
St. Stephen's Beach
Tong Fuk Beach
Trio Beach
Turtle Cove Beach
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Grade 2 beaches are:
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Butterfly Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach
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Golden Beach
Kadoorie Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach
Silverstrand Beach
Stanley Main Beach
Upper Cheung Sha Beach
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Grade 3 beach is:
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. Latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's website on Beach Water Quality or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Lower Cheung Sha Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1 and Upper Cheung Sha Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to 2.
"The change is generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," the 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, 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.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
An EPD 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.
Meanwhile, the department has already published a report entitled "Beach Water Quality in Hong Kong 2008". The report summarizes the state of Hong Kong's beach water in 2008. More details can be found in the report via the link: http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/water/beach_quality/files/bwq_report2008.pdf.
Ends/Thursday, April 9, 2009
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