Grading of beach water quality released

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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (March 28) released the latest grading of water quality at 14 beaches now open to the public, rating 11 as Good (Grade 1) and three as Fair (Grade 2).

The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach while those with (S) are equipped with shark nets.

	
Grade 1 beaches are: 


Deep Water Bay Beach (S)           Hairpin Beach (S)

Middle Beach (S)                   Shek O Beach (S)

Repulse Bay Beach (S)              Stanley Main Beach (S)

South Bay Beach (S)                Turtle Cove Beach (S)

St Stephen's Beach (S)             Big Wave Bay Beach (S)

Clear Water Bay Second Beach (S)


Grade 2 beaches are:

Chung Hom Kok Beach (S)            Golden Beach (S)

Silverstrand Beach (S)

A spokesman for the department said Chung Hom Kok Beach had been upgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 2 last week.

"The change is within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," he said.

The bathing season for other beaches in the New Territories will begin on April 1. The latest grading of these beaches are:

Grade 1:
Lower Cheung Sha Beach        Clear Water Bay First Beach (S)

Upper Cheung Sha Beach (S)    Discovery Bay *

Pui O Beach (S)               Tong Fuk Beach (S)

Hung Shing Yeh Beach (S)      Lo So Shing Beach (S)

Kwun Yam Beach (S)            Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach (S)

Hap Mun Bay Beach (S)         Trio Beach (S)

Kiu Tsui Beach (S)


Grade 2:

Silver Mine Bay Beach (S)       Cafeteria Old Beach 

Cafeteria New Beach (S)          Butterfly Beach (S)

Kadoorie Beach (S)

The Grade 3 (Poor) beach is Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S)

Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's homepage at http://www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline at 2511 6666.

Under the 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 for the five most recent sampling occasions.

Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose last E coli reading exceeds a threshold figure, irrespective of the geometric mean. Swimmers are advised to avoid these beaches until the water quality improves.

Three gazetted beaches - Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach and Ting Kau Beach - are currently closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.

The spokesman said Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach would also be closed for the same reason after the bathing season of other beaches in the New Territories started on April 1.

However, the sand areas of the four beaches will still be open and ancillary services such as toilets, changing facilities and barbecue pits will be provided.

The public is advised not to swim at these closed beaches.

The spokesman cautioned 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.

End/Friday, March 28, 2003

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