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The Environmental Protection Department today (June 20) released the latest grading of water quality at 33 beaches open to the public, rating 13 as Good (Grade 1), 19 as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Poor (Grade 3).

The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. (S) indicates a beach that is equipped with shark nets.

     Grade 1 beaches are:




Lower Cheung Sha Beach            Hap Mun Bay Beach (S)


Upper Cheung Sha Beach (S)        Kiu Tsui Beach (S)


Pui O Beach (S)                   Trio Beach (S)


Tong Fuk Beach (S)                Deep Water Bay Beach (S)


Hung Shing Yeh Beach (S)          Repulse Bay Beach (S)


Lo So Shing Beach (S)             Turtle Cove Beach (S)


Kwun Yam Beach (S)




     Grade 2 beaches are:




Clear Water Bay First Beach (S)    Big Wave Bay Beach (S)


Clear Water Bay Second Beach (S)   Chung Hom Kok Beach (S)


Silverstrand Beach (S)             Hairpin Beach (S)


Butterfly Beach (S)                Middle Bay Beach (S)


Cafeteria New Beach (S)            Shek O Beach (S)


Cafeteria Old Beach                South Bay Beach (S)


Golden Beach (S)                   St. Stephen's Beach (S)


Kadoorie Beach (S)                 Stanley Main Beach (S)


Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach (S)     Silver Mine Bay Beach (S)


Discovery Bay*


     The Grade 3 beach is Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach (S).

A spokesman for the department said Lower Cheung Sha Beach had been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1 and Silverstrand Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2; while Big Wave Bay Beach, Hairpin Beach, Shek O Beach, Stanley Main Beach, Chung Hom Kok Beach, South Bay Beach, St. Stephen's Beach, Clear Water Bay First Beach, Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Discovery Bay had fallen from Grade 1 to Grade 2.

"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach," the spokesman said.

Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's homepage at http://www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.

Under the grading system, beaches are classified in 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 exceeds a threshold figure, irrespective of the geometric mean. Swimmers are advised to avoid these beaches until the water quality improves.

Seven gazetted beaches - Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Ting Kau Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach - are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.

The public is advised not to swim at these closed beaches.

The spokesman cautioned 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.

End/Friday, June 20 2003

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