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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 9) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 beaches.
Eighteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 16 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and five were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach South Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Approach Beach Kiu Tsui Beach
Butterfly Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Castle Peak Beach Pui O Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* Silver Mine Bay Beach
Golden Beach Ting Kau Beach
Kadoorie Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Lido Beach
Casam Beach Silverstrand Beach
Hoi Mei 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 and www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Big Wave Bay Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Shek O Beach and Stanley Main Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1.
"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 suspected red tide has recently affected Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District, an EPD spokesman advised the public to check the latest update 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 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 9, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:00
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