***************************************
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 12) released the latest grading of water quality for 37 beaches.
Twenty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 15 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and one was rated as Very Poor (Grade 4).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Shek O Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach South Bay Beach
Discovery Bay* St. Stephen's Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hoi Mei Wan Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Approach Beach Kadoorie Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Lo So Shing Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Casam Beach Pui O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silverstrand Beach
Golden Beach
The Grade 4 beach is:
Butterfly 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 website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Compared with the grading released last week, Hoi Mei Wan Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to 1. Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Lo So Shing Beach and Lower Cheung Sha Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to 2. Butterfly Beach has been changed from Grade 2 to 4.
Pui O Beach was upgraded to Grade 2 from its last grading (Grade 4) this Thursday (August 11).
"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches except for Butterfly Beach, which had a high E. coli count on the last sampling occasion. The EPD is now carrying out an investigation," an EPD spokesman said.
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 12, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:14
NNNN