​The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 3) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
Twenty-two beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 12 as Fair (Grade 2), four as Poor (Grade 3) and two as Very Poor (Grade 4).
Grade 1 beaches are:
| Big Wave Bay Beach* | Middle Bay Beach |
| Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach* | Pui O Beach* |
| Chung Hom Kok Beach | Repulse Bay Beach* |
| Clear Water Bay Second Beach* | Shek O Beach* |
| Deep Water Bay Beach* | South Bay Beach* |
| Hap Mun Bay Beach* | St. Stephen's Beach |
| Hung Shing Yeh Beach* | Stanley Main Beach* |
| Kiu Tsui Beach | Tai Po Lung Mei Beach* |
| Kwun Yam Beach | Tong Fuk Beach |
| Lo So Shing Beach | Turtle Cove Beach |
| Lower Cheung Sha Beach | Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
| Butterfly Beach* | Golden Beach* |
| Cafeteria New Beach | Kadoorie Beach* |
| Cafeteria Old Beach | Silver Mine Bay Beach* |
| Clear Water Bay First Beach | Silverstrand Beach* |
| Castle Peak Beach | Ting Kau Beach* |
| Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach | Trio Beach |
Grade 3 beaches are:
| Approach Beach | Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
| Casam Beach* | Lido Beach* |
Grade 4 beaches are:
| Anglers' Beach* | Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach* |
Compared with the grading released last week, Shek O Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Cafeteria New Beach, Cafeteria Old Beach, Golden Beach, Kadoorie Beach, Silver Mine Bay Beach, Silverstrand Beach and Trio Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, Approach Beach, Casam Beach, and Hoi Mei Wan Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3, and Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 4.
"We observed water quality deterioration at several beaches in Tsuen Wan District, which was largely due to the prolonged unstable weather in the past two weeks. We will continue to closely monitor the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.
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.
While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
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. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD's beach thematic website.
Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 22 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from April 1. Due to the damage caused to the footpaths leading to Chung Hom Kok Beach by landslides, the beach is temporarily closed until further notice. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).
Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which is a non-gazetted beach that has no lifesaving service.
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