THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1990
13
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
THE
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY
WATER QUALITY BACTERIAL ANNOUNCED GRADES ON BEACHES IN HONG KONG.
OF
ALL
(THURSDAY) BATHING
TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS
AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION BEACHES.
THE THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING
BEACH WATERS BATHING SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH ARE USUALLY SAMPLED.
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E. COLI BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
DATA OBTAINED
INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF 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. THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON A VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
INFORMATION
THE SUMMER. THIS. THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING
OF BATHING REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY
LESS POLLUTION WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR TO THE BEACHES.
HOWEVER,
THE GRADES
A GIVE
GOOD
GENERAL
THE FORM
OF PICTURE OF REPORTING AND 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:
**
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.
SO
10 CASES
GRADE "2" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS FAIR. THE E. COLI 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.
GRADE "3" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS
ACCEPTABLE.
E. COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 610 PER 100 MILLILITRES BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO 15 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWİMMERS.
AT
THE EACH
MORE
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
OF GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS MORE THAN 15 MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
CASES
/THE DECISION