Grading of beach water quality released
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Thirty-two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), five as Fair (Grade 2) and one as Very Poor (Grade 4).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Anglers' Beach | Lido Beach |
| Big Wave Bay Beach | Lo So Shing Beach |
| Cafeteria New Beach | Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach |
| Casam Beach | Middle Bay Beach |
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach | Pui O Beach |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Repulse Bay Beach |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Shek O Beach |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach | Silverstrand Beach |
| Discovery Bay | South Bay Beach |
| Golden Beach | St Stephen's Beach |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach | Stanley Main Beach |
| Hung Shing Yeh Beach | Tong Fuk Beach |
| Kadoorie Beach | Trio Beach |
| Kiu Tsui Beach | Turtle Cove Beach |
| Kwun Yam Beach | Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Approach Beach | Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
| Butterfly Beach | Ting Kau Beach |
| Castle Peak Beach |
Grade 4 beach is:
Deep Water Bay Beach
Compared with the grading released last week, Cafeteria New Beach, Casam Beach and Golden Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Deep Water Bay Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 4.
"The very poor water quality of Deep Water Bay Beach was largely due to the heavy rainfall on May 4," the EPD spokesman said. He also 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.
Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the geometric mean of the E coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions. Grade 4 is assigned to beaches whose E coli readings show abnormalities that may affect bathers' health. Bathers should avoid swimming at these beaches until their water quality improves. People are also advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
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.
Ends/Friday, May 5, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:00
Issued at HKT 17:00
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