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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 20) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Nine beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 22 were graded as Fair (Grade 2) and two were graded as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach South Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Pui O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Discovery Bay* St. Stephen's Beach
Golden Beach Stanley Main Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Kadoorie Beach
The beach with an asterisk is a non-gazetted beach. All gazetted beaches are equipped with shark nets.
Beach grades are published weekly before the weekend. The information may also be obtained from the department's website at www.epd.gov.hk or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Kadoorie Beach has been upgraded from Grade 4 to Grade 3. Chung Hom Kok Beach, Kiu Tsui Beach, Lo So Shing Beach, Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Pui O Beach, Repulse Bay Beach, Stanley Main Beach and Upper Cheung Sha Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
¡§The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,¡šan EPD spokesman said.
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.
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.
Seven gazetted beaches -- Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach, Casam Beach, Gemini Beaches, Hoi Mei Wan Beach, Lido Beach and Ting Kau Beach -- are closed to swimmers year round because of poor water quality.
People are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The 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, June 20, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:00
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