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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 31) released the latest grading of water quality for 37 beaches.
Twenty-two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and 15 were rated as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Pui O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Discovery Bay * Shek O Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach South Bay Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Lido Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Approach Beach Clear Water Bay
Second Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach Golden Beach
Butterfly Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Middle Bay Beach
Casam Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Castle Peak Beach Stanley Main Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan 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 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, Lido Beach, Shek O Beach and Silverstrand Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1.
Pui O Beach and Silver Mine Bay Beach have been upgraded to Grade 1 and Grade 2 respectively since their last grading (Grade 4) this Thursday (August 30).
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
"For Pui O Beach and Silver Mine Bay Beach, we observed that the temporary deterioration of water quality was largely due to heavy rain earlier this week. The latest samples taken show that the water quality of the beaches has improved."
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, August 31, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:27
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