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The Environmental Protection Department today (May 16) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Eighteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 were graded as Fair (Grade 2) and one was graded as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach South Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Kiu Tsui Beach
Butterfly Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Pui O Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Shek O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* Silverstrand Beach
Golden Beach Stanley Main Beach
Grade 3 beach is 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, Lower Cheung Sha Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Kadoorie 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,¡± 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.
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.
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, May 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:01
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