Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 4) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches (see Note 1 and Note 2) and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay, see Note 3).
Thirty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), six as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Big Wave Bay Beach | Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
| Butterfly Beach* | Middle Bay Beach |
| Cafeteria New Beach | Pui O Beach* |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Repulse Bay Beach* |
| Castle Peak Beach | Shek O Beach* |
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach | Silver Mine Bay Beach* |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Silverstrand Beach* |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach* | South Bay Beach |
| Deep Water Bay Beach* | St. Stephen's Beach |
| Golden Beach* | Stanley Main Beach |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach* | Tai Po Lung Mei 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 |
| Lo So Shing Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Approach Beach | Discovery Bay |
| Casam Beach* | Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Ting Kau Beach |
Grade 3 beaches are:
| Lido Beach* | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach* |
Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), 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.
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 EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
Note 1: In view of the relaxation of some social distancing measures, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced on May 3 that 15 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk above, will reopen on May 5 with lifeguard services to be provided.
Note 2: The Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works, which was affected by the unstable supply of chemicals earlier on, has resumed normal dosage of sodium hypochlorite solution (referred to as bleach) in the disinfection system, and met the discharge standard for bacteriological water quality. The routine water quality monitoring conducted by the EPD at Tsuen Wan beaches confirmed that their water quality has returned to normal level, suitable for swimming.
Note 3: Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service.