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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 27) released the latest grading of water quality for 33 beaches.
Twenty-three beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), nine were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Pui O Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silverstrand Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* Stanley Main Beach
Golden Beach St Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Middle Bay Beach
Castle Peak Beach Shek O Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
Grade 3 beach is:
Kiu Tsui 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 on Beach Water Quality (www.beachwq.gov.hk or www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Golden Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach, Middle Bay Beach and Shek O Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, and Kiu Tsui 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," 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.
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/Friday, May 27, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:01
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