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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 1) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 beaches.
Twenty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 13 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and three were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cafeteria New Beach Lo So Shing Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Pui O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* St. Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kadoorie Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Casam Beach Middle Bay Beach
Castle Peak Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silverstrand Beach
Golden Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Approach Beach
Big Wave Bay 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 websites 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, Cafeteria New Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach, Kadoorie Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1. Big Wave Bay Beach has been changed from 2 to 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, June 1, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:01
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