Grading of beach water quality released
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Thirty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and eight as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Anglers' Beach | Lo So Shing Beach |
| Big Wave Bay Beach | Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach |
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach | Middle Bay Beach |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Pui O Beach |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Repulse Bay Beach |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach | Shek O Beach |
| Deep Water Bay Beach | Silverstrand Beach |
| Discovery Bay | South Bay Beach |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach | St Stephen's Beach |
| Hung Shing Yeh Beach | Stanley Main Beach |
| Kadoorie Beach | Tong Fuk Beach |
| Kiu Tsui Beach | Trio Beach |
| Kwun Yam Beach | Turtle Cove Beach |
| Lido Beach | Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Approach Beach | Castle Peak Beach |
| Butterfly Beach | Golden Beach |
| Cafeteria New Beach | Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
| Casam Beach | Ting Kau Beach |
Compared with the grading released last week, Approach Beach, Cafeteria New Beach, Casam Beach and Ting Kau Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Castle Peak Beach has been upgraded to Grade 2 since its last grading (Grade 4) on April 25.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," the EPD spokesman said.
"For Castle Peak Beach, we observed that the earlier temporary deterioration of water quality (sampled on April 24) was due to heavy rain. The latest sample taken shows that the water quality of the beach has improved."
Under the 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.
The EPD spokesman advised the public to check the latest update from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department before swimming in Hap Mun Bay Beach (Sai Kung District), which may be affected by suspected red tides found recently.
The EPD spokesman also 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.
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.
Ends/Friday, April 28, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:10
Issued at HKT 15:10
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