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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 31) released the latest grading of water quality at 39 beaches.
Nineteen beaches were rated as good (grade 1), 16 were rated as fair (grade 2) and four were rated as poor (grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Repulse 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
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Kadoorie Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach Kwun Yam Beach
Butterfly Beach Pui O Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Shek O Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Casam Beach Silverstrand Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Golden Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Approach Beach Lido Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach Ting Kau 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, Chung Hom Kok Beach, Deep Water Bay Beach, Stanley Main Beach and Turtle Cove Beach have been upgraded from grade 2 to grade 1; Anglers' Beach from grade 3 to grade 2. Kadoorie Beach and Silverstrand Beach have been changed from grade 1 to grade 2.
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an 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.
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, July 31, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:05
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