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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 25) released the latest grading of water quality of 33 beaches.
Twenty-one beaches were graded as Good (Grade 1) and 12 were graded as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Middle Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Pui O Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach South Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach St. Stephen's Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Stanley Main Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Trio Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Castle Peak Beach Shek O Beach
Discovery Bay* Silver Mine Bay Beach
Golden Beach Silverstrand 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, Shek O Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2.
¡°The change is generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beach,¡± 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.
The department has published a report entitled ¡°Beach Water Quality in Hong Kong 2007¡±. The report, which summarises the state of local beaches in 2007, is available at the department¡¯s website.
Ends/Friday, April 25, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:11
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