17
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1994
GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT TODAY {THURSDAY) BEACHES GRADES ON THE BACTERIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY OF ALL
ANNOUNCED
IN HONG KONG.
PUBLIC BEACHES.
THE PURPOSE OF THE
THE ABOUT
STATE
GRADING SYSTEM IS TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE OF BACTERIOLOGICAL POLLUTION AT VARIOUS
GRADING WOULD
BE
WITH
THE
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID THE ANNOUNCED BI-WEEKLY DURING THE BATHING SEASON TO COINCIDE FREQUENCY AT WHICH BEACH WATERS WERE USUALLY SAMPLED.
COLI DATA
THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E BY THE DEPARTMENT IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.
OBTAINED
AS WITH LAST YEAR, THE GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF THE A RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS AS RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION.
IS ESTIMATE
BASED ON A VERY LARGE BODY OF INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.
THE
STATISTICAL
THIS THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING THE SUMMER.
OF REPRESENTS A
QUALITY NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIOLOGICAL
OR LESS BATHING WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE POLLUTION TO THE BEACHES.
THE WATER HOWEVER, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL PICTURE OF
AT AT
AND FORM THE THE TIME OF REPORTING QUALITY
BEACHES
BEST AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
BEACHES WITH HIGHLY DEVELOPED HINTERLANDS ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE POLLUTED THAN THE GRADES SUGGEST DURING AND AFTER HEAVY RAIN.
AFTER THERE IS
P
'BATHERS SHOULD AVOID SUCH BEACHES FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS A STORM, LONGER IF THE WEATHER REMAINS OVERCAST OR LESS IF STRONG SUNSHINE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
THE E COLI
GRADED,
GRADE "1" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD. COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 24 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH BEACH SO AND THE EXPECTED RISK OF MINOR ILLNESS TO SWIMMERS IS UNDETECTABLE.
THE E COLI GRADE "2" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS FAIR. COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 180 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO MORE THAN 10 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
-
THE E COLI
GRADE '3" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS POOR. COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 610 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO MORE THAN 15 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.
/GRADE "4"