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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (September 27) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 beaches.
Nineteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 18 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach South Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Discovery Bay* Tong Fuk Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Trio Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Kadoorie Beach
Approach Beach Kiu Tsui Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Casam Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Castle Peak Beach Pui O Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Golden Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach Silverstrand Beach
Grade 3 beach is:
Butterfly Beach
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
Following the improvement in water quality, Anglers' Beach, which is a gazetted beach in Tsuen Wan, was reopened for swimming last Friday (September 20).
A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's websites on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk and www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Middle Bay Beach and Trio Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1. Approach Beach has been upgraded from Grade 3 to 2.
"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.
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, September 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:01
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