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Press Release
Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 12) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 beaches.
Twenty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), fifteen were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Very Poor (Grade 4).
Grade 1 beaches are:
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Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*
Hap Mun Bay Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
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Middle Bay Beach
Repulse Bay Beach
Shek O 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 2 beaches are:
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Approach Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Casam Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Golden Beach
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Kadoorie Beach
Lido Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Pui O Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach
Silverstrand Beach
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Grade 4 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, Hoi Mei Wan Beach has been upgraded from 2 to 1. Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Lo So Shing Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to 2. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to 4.
Pui O Beach was upgraded to Grade 2 from its last grading (Grade 4) this Thursday (August 11).
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches except for Butterfly Beach, which had a high E.coli count on the last sampling occasion. The EPD is now carrying out an investigation," 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.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The 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.
Ends/Friday, August 12, 2011
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