Grading of beach water quality released
***************************************
Twelve beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 as Fair (Grade 2) and 13 as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach* | South Bay Beach |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach* | St Stephen's Beach |
| Kiu Tsui Beach | Stanley Main Beach* |
| Lo So Shing Beach | Tai Po Lung Mei Beach* |
| Repulse Bay Beach* | Trio Beach* |
| Silverstrand Beach* | Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Cafeteria New Beach | Kwun Yam Beach |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Middle Bay Beach |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach* | Pui O Beach* |
| Deep Water Bay Beach* | Shek O Beach* |
| Discovery Bay | Tong Fuk Beach |
| Hung Shing Yeh Beach* |
Turtle Cove Beach |
Grade 3 beaches are:
| Approach Beach | Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
| Big Wave Bay Beach | Kadoorie Beach* |
| Butterfly Beach* | Lido Beach* |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach* |
| Casam Beach* | Silver Mine Bay Beach* |
| Castle Peak Beach | Ting Kau Beach* |
| Golden Beach* |
Compared with the grading released last week, Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach, Repulse Bay Beach, South Bay Beach and St Stephen's Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, Castle Peak Beach and Hoi Mei Wan Beach from Grade 4 to Grade 3.
"We observed steady water quality improvement at beaches in Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan Districts. We will continue our monitoring at these beaches to keep track of their water quality recovery," an EPD spokesman said.
Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), 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.
While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected 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. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Note 1: Lifeguard services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 20 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk above, from June 30.
Note 2: Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service.
Ends/Friday, July 22, 2022
Issued at HKT 17:50
Issued at HKT 17:50
NNNN