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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 20) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Twenty-two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 11 were rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Pui O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach St Stephen's Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Golden Beach
Butterfly Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Silverstrand Beach
Castle Peak Beach Stanley Main Beach
Discovery Bay*
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, there was no change in the grading for these beaches, except that Silverstrand Beach has been upgraded from Grade 4 to 2 from its last grading this Wednesday (May 19).
"Bacteriological water quality of Silverstrand Beach has returned to normal today," 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. Nevertheless, the department has been closely monitoring the water quality of these beaches, and their recent monitoring data are published on the department's website.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The EPD 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/Thursday, May 20, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:26
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