THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1988
27
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
WATER
QUALITY
OF
ALL
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (BPD) TODAY (THURSDAY) ANNOUNCED THE LATEST GRADES ON THE BACTERIAL BATHING BEACHES IN HONG KONG.
THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS THE GENERAL PUBLIC REGULARLY ABOUT THE STATE AT VARIOUS BRACHES.
TO
OF
INFORM SWIMMERS AND
BACTERIAL
POLLUTION
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE B. COLI DATA OBTAINED IN ITS ROUTINE BRACH WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME.
BY THE KPI
GRADING ARE BASED ON THE E. COLI DATA USED FOR
THE MEDIAN OVER A TWO AND A VALUES OF THE MOST RECENT FIVE RESULTS, OBTAINED HALF MONTH PERIOD ACCORDING TO THE USUAL SAMPLING FREQUENCY.
THIS REPRESENTS A BRACHES IN MOST SWIMMING
THE GRADES FOR SOME BEACHES MAY FLUCTUATE. NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY OF THE CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR LESS POLLUTION TO THE AREAS.
GENERAL PICTURE OF THE FORM THE BEST AVAILABLE BACTERIAL WATER QUALITY FORECAST OF BEACH WATER QUALITY IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
NEVERTHELESS, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD
AND OF BEACHES,
THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
INDICATES THE MEDIAN
E.
COUNT COLI
IS BITWEEN
"A" GRADE
0-99 PER 100 MILLILITRES, AND THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD.
"B" GRADE 100-999 ACCEPTABLE.
THE INDICATES
MEDIAN
PER
MILLILITRES, 100
E. COLI AND THE
IS COUNT
BETWEEN QUALITY 19 WATER
OR MORE
"C" GRADE INDICATES THE MEDIAN E. COLI COUNT 18 1,000 PER 100 MILLILITRES, AND THE WATER QUALITY IS POOR.
BEACH TO SWIMMERS THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A BASED ON A JUDGEMENT OF WHAT DEGREE OF POLLUTION IS ACCEPTABLE,
13
CONSIDERED NORMALLY, A RECOMMENDATION ON CLOSURE WOULD ONLY BE BY THE URBAN OR THE REGIONAL
GRADING OCCURRED COUNCIL IF A "C" REPEATEDLY. SIMILARLY, A RECOMMENDATION TO REOPEN A CLOSED BRACH WOULD
IF
OR ONLY BE
A "B" GRADE
BETTER WERE CONSISTENTLY CONSIDERED OBTAINED.
UNSUITABLE
AT PRESENT, FIVE BATHING BEACHES HAVE BEEN DECLARED FOR SWIMMING PURPOSES, BASED ON THE WATER QUALITY DURING PAST SEASONS.
THESE BEACHES