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The Environmental Protection Department today (June 16) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Thirteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 15 were rated as Fair (Grade 2) and five were rated as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach Kwun Yam Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Stanley Main Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Discovery Bay* Trio Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Cafeteria New Beach Pui O Beach
Castle Peak Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Shek O Beach
Golden Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach South Bay Beach
Lo So Shing Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Middle Bay Beach
Grade 3 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria Old 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, Kiu Tsui Beach, Lo So Shing Beach, Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Middle Bay Beach, Pui O Beach and South Bay Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Butterfly Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach and Kadoorie Beach have been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.
"The changes are largely due to the recent heavy rain flushing pollutants from the beach hinterlands; however, they are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,Ħħ a 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.
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, June 16, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:01
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