THURSDAY, O OBER 12, 1989
21
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY
QUALITY THE BACTERIAL
GRADES ANNOUNCED
ON REACHES IN HONG KONG.
WATER
{THURSDAY)
OF ALL BATHING
IS TO AN EPD SPOKESMAN SAID THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM
STATE OF BACTERIAL INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE POLLUTION AT VARIOUS BEACHES,
THE GRADING WILL BE SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH THE USUALLY SAMPLED.
ANNOUNCED
FREQUENCY
BIWEEKLY DURING
AT WHICH BEACH WATERS
THE
BATHING
ARE
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT BACTERIA DATA BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
OBTAINED
INCLUDES THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE
GASTROINTESTINAL ESTIMATE OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR COMPLAINTS AS A RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION.
ALSO GRADING
AN
LARGE VERY
BODY OF STATISTICAL THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON A INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG DURING RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
THE SUMMER. THIS THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING
BATHING REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY OF
LESS POLLUTION WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR TO THE BEACHES.
DURING BATHING WATERS COMMONLY BECOME WORSE DUE TO HEAVY USAGE
PICTURE GENERAL
OF THE THE SUMMER. HOWEVER, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD
AND OF REPORTING
FORM WATER QUALITY AT BATHING BEACHES AT THE TIME THE BEST AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
GOOD. THE "A" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS
100 MILLILITRES AT E. COLI COUNT IS LESS THAN 100 PER
15 HEALTH RISK
LESS BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED SEVEN CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
MEAN
EACH
THAN
ACCEPTABLE. THE 100 MILLILITRES AT
"B" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS MEAN E. COLI COUNT IS LESS THAN 1,000 PER EACH BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS LESS THAN 18 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
POOR. THE MEAN "C" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS
AT 100 MILLILITRES PER
BACH E. COLI COUNT IS 1.000 OR MORE
IS 18 OR MORE BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
BEACH
TO SWIMMERS
19
THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A BASED ON A JUDGEMENT OF WHAT DEGREE OF POLLUTION IS ACCEPTABLE.
/NORMALLY, A