Grading of beach water quality released
***************************************
Nineteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 18 as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Pui O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach St Stephen's Beach
Kadoorie Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Approach Beach * Discovery Bay
Big Wave Bay Beach Golden Beach
Butterfly Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Casam Beach Shek O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Stanley Main Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Silver Mine Bay Beach Ting Kau 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, Kadoorie Beach, Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach, Middle Bay Beach and Pui O Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Butterfly Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Stanley Main Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2 and Silver Mine Bay Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," the 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, August 26, 2016
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
NNNN