***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department today (June 9) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Nineteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 12 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and two were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Pui O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Discovery Bay* South Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Golden Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Shek O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Kadoorie Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's website at www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Kiu Tsui Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Shek O Beach and St. Stephen's Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, and Big Wave Bay Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," a 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.
Seven gazetted beaches -- Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Ting Kau Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach -- are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The 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 9, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:00
NNNN
