***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department today (October 30) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches. Twenty-eight beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and five were rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Among them, eight beaches will continue to be opened for swimming in November. Seven of them were rated as Good (Grade 1) and one was rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Golden Beach Stanley Main Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Grade 2 beach is:
Big Wave Bay Beach
The other 25 beaches will be closed to swimmers from November 1 for the winter season. Twenty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and four were rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cafeteria New Beach Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Castle Peak Beach Pui O Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Shek O Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach South Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Discovery Bay* Tong Fuk Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Trio Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kadoorie Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Silver Mine Bay 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 websiteĦ@(www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) on Beach Water Quality or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria Old Beach, Chung Hom Kok Beach and Golden Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to 2.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD 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, October 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:10
NNNN
