The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 4) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 gazetted beaches and one non-gazetted beach (Discovery Bay) that are open for swimming.

     Eleven beaches were rated as good (grade 1), 22 as fair (grade 2), four as poor (grade 3) and one as very poor (grade 4).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Hap Mun Bay Beach	South Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach	St Stephen's Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach	Tong Fuk Beach
Lo So Shing Beach	Trio Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Repulse Bay Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:

Anglers' Beach	Golden Beach
Butterfly Beach	Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach	Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Kwun Yam Beach
Casam Beach	Lido Beach
Castle Peak Beach	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach	Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Pui O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach	Stanley Main Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach	Turtle Cove Beach

               
Grade 3 beaches are:

Approach Beach	Silverstrand Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach	Ting Kau Beach

Grade 4 beach is:

Discovery Bay

     Compared with the grading released last week, Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been upgraded from grade 2 to grade 1; Butterfly Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach and Hoi Mei Wan Beach from grade 3 to grade 2. Chung Hom Kok Beach has been changed from grade 1 to grade 2; Silverstrand Beach from grade 2 to grade 3; Discovery Bay from grade 1 to grade 4.

     "The deterioration of water quality in Discovery Bay was due to heavy rain, while the changes in other beaches are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality,” the EPD spokesman said.

     The EPD spokesman also said 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.

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the geometric mean of the E coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions. Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose E coli readings show abnormalities that may affect bathers' health. Bathers should avoid swimming at these beaches until their water quality improves.

     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 websites on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk or www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.

Ends/Friday, August 4, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:10

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