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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 1) released the latest grading of water quality of 39 beaches.
Twenty beaches were rated as good (grade 1), 17 were rated as fair (grade 2) and two were rated as poor (grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Shek O Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Silverstrand Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Stanley Main Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Trio Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Middle Bay Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach Discovery Bay*
Approach Beach Golden Beach
Butterfly Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lido Beach
Casam Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Ting Kau Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Castle Peak Beach Pui O 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, Hung Shing Yeh Beach, Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach and Silverstrand Beach have been upgraded from grade 2 to grade 1; Cafeteria Old Beach from grade 3 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, August 1, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:01
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