***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 29) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 beaches.
Twenty beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 18 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Discovery Bay* South Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Stanley Main Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach
Approach Beach
Golden Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Butterfly Beach
Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria New Beach
Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Casam Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Castle Peak Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach
Ting Kau Beach
Grade 3 beach is:
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. The 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 and www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Clear Water Bay First Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach and Golden 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.
In Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan districts, 14 beaches had been temporarily closed on August 25 and 26 as a precaution following the equipment breakdown at the Pillar Point Sewage Treatment Works. They were reopened on August 27 as water samples collected by the EPD have confirmed that the water quality is suitable for swimming. Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach in Tsuen Wan is rated as Good (Grade 1), while the other seven beaches in Tsuen Wan, namely Lido Beach, Casam Beach, Hoi Mei Wan Beach, Gemini Beaches, Anglers' Beach, Approach Beach and Ting Kau Beach, and all six beaches in Tuen Mun, namely Butterfly Beach, Castle Peak Beach, Kadoorie Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach, Cafeteria New Beach and Golden Beach, are rated as Fair (Grade 2). Members of the public are reminded that no lifeguard service is provided at Gemini Beaches.
Under our 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 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:32
NNNN
