***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 30) released the latest grading of water quality of 37 beaches.
Twenty-four beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 12 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* St. Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Approach Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lido Beach
Casam Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Castle Peak Beach Pui O Beach
Golden Beach Silverstrand Beach
Grade 3 beach is:
Butterfly 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, Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Silver Mine Bay Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach, Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Big Wave Bay Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Middle Bay Beach, Shek O Beach and Stanley Main Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Hoi Mei Wan Beach has been upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 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, August 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:09
NNNN
