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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 17) released the latest grading of water quality at 37 beaches.
Twenty-three beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 14 were rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach South Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Discovery Bay* Stanley Main Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach Trio Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Approach Beach Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach Kiu Tsui Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Casam Beach Pui O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Golden 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. The 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.
Following the improvement in water quality, four gazetted beaches in Tsuen Wan, namely Lido Beach, Casam Beach, Approach Beach and Hoi Mei Wan Beach, were reopened for swimming from Wednesday (June 15).
Compared with the grading released last week, Pui O Beach and Cafeteria Old Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to 2.
Silver Mine Bay Beach was upgraded to Grade 2 from its last grading (Grade 4) this Monday (June 13).
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
Noting that a recent oil spill had affected Deep Water Bay Beach in Southern District, the spokesman reminded the public to check the latest updates from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department before swimming.
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 those 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, June 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:03
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