THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1990
7
GRADING. OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY
BACTERIAL WATER
ON THE
ANNOUNCED GRADES BEACHES IN HONG KONG.
(THURSDAY) QUALITY OF ALL BATHING
TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS
AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION
BIWEEKLY DURING THE BATHING BEACHES, THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED
AT FREQUENCY THE
WHICH BEACH WATERS ARE SEASON TO COINCIDE WITH USUALLY SAMPLED.
DATA OBTAINED THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E. COLI
AS WITH LAST YEAR, BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME THE GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE MINOR SKIN OR GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS AS A RESULT OF A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION. THE ESTIMATE IS A VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
SWIMMING AT BASED ON
IN
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.
OF THE WATER BEST
HOWEVER, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL PICTURE QUALITY AT BATHING BEACHES AT THE TIME OF REPORTING AND FORM THE AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
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.
BEACH SO SWIMMERS IS
80
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 SWIMMERS.
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 GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS MORE THAN 15 MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
CASES OF
BEACH TO SWIMMERS
IS POLLUTION
19
ACCEPTABLE.
THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A
DEGREE OF OF WHAT BASED ON A JUDGEMENT
/NORMALLY, THE