***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 19) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 beaches.
Seventeen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 20 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and two were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Lo So Shing Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach St Stephen's Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Stanley Main Beach
* Discovery Bay Tong Fuk Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Trio Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Lido Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Butterfly Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Middle Bay Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Pui O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Shek O Beach
Golden Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach South Bay Beach
Kadoorie Beach Ting Kau Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Approach Beach Casam Beach
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. 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, Discovery Bay, Stanley Main Beach and Turtle Cove Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Butterfly Beach, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Ting Kau Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
Under the 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, June 19, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:00
NNNN