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Grading of beach water quality released
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     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 24) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.

     Twenty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 13 were rated as Fair (Grade 2).

     Grade 1 beaches are:

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach     Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach            Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach    Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach           South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay*                 St. Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach              Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach           Tong Fuk Beach  
Kiu Tsui Beach                 Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach                 Turtle Cove Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach         Upper Cheung Sha Beach

     Grade 2 beaches are:

Big Wave Bay Beach             Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach                Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria New Beach            Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach  
Cafeteria Old Beach            Pui O Beach  
Castle Peak Beach              Silver Mine Bay Beach  
Clear Water Bay Second Beach   Silverstrand Beach
Golden 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.  Latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department's website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) on Beach Water Quality or the beach hotline 2511 6666.

     Compared with the grading released last week, Clear Water Bay First Beach, Discovery Bay and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1 and Big Wave Bay Beach has been upgraded from Grade 3 to 2.   

     "The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," 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.

     Seven gazetted beaches -- Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach, Lido Beach and Ting Kau 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, July 24, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:01

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