THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1990
11
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
* * * *
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY
WATER BACTERIAL ON
ANNOUNCED GRADES BEACHES IN HONG KONG.
THE
QUALITY
OF
(THURSDAY) ALL BATHING
ΤΟ INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS
AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION
BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING BEACHES. THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT
THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH BEACH THE BATHING SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH WATERS ARE USUALLY SAMPLED.
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E. COLI BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
DATA OBTAINED
OF
AN INCLUDES
ESTIMATE AS WITH LAST YEAR, THE GRADING ALSO
GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR AS A RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION. ON A VERY LARGE BASED
BODY OF IS THE ESTIMATE INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
STATISTICAL
OF BATHING LESS POLLUTION PICTURE REPORTING AND
THE SUMMER. THIS THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR
THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL TO THE BEACHES. HOWEVER, OF THE WATER QUALITY AT BATHING BEACHES AT THE TIME OF FORM THE BEST AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
TT
BEACH SO SWIMMERS IS
GRADE 1" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD. THE E. COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 24 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED RISK OF MINOR ILLNESS TO UNDETECTABLE.
GRADE "2" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS FAIR. THE E. COLI 90 COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 180 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH BEACH GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO MORE THAN OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
10 CASES
GRADE "3" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS
MILLILITRES AT E.COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 610 PER 100
MORE BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO 15 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
ACCEPTABLE.
THE
EACH
THAN
GRADE "4" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS POOR. THE E. COLI AT EACH BEACH SO COUNT IS MORE THAN 610 PER 100 MILLILITRES GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS MORE THAN 15 MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
CASES OF
THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A BASED ON A JUDGEMENT
OF
WHAT
DEGREE
OF
BEACH TO SWIMMERS
1S
ACCEPTABLE. POLLUTION
IS
/NORMALLY, THE