►
20.
Grading of beach water quality
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (Thursday) announced the grading of Hong Kong's beaches, based on their bacteriological water quality, for the 1996 swimming season.
The purpose of the grading system is to inform swimmers and the general public about the state of bacteriological pollution at various beaches.
The grading, based on the most recent E coli data obtained by EPD in its routine monitoring programme, will be announced biweekly during the bathing season to coincide with the frequency at which beach waters are usually sampled.
As with last year, it also includes an estimate of the risk of contracting some minor skin or gastrointestinal complaints 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 information gathered in Hong Kong in recent bathing seasons.
The grading of some beaches may vary during the summer. This represents a natural fluctuation in the bacteriological quality of bathing waters in most cases, as rain and tides bring more or less pollution to the beaches.
However, the grades give a good general picture of the water quality at bathing beaches at the time of reporting and form the 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.
"Bathers should avoid such beaches for two or three days after a storm, longer if the weather remains overcast or less if there is strong sunshine," Principal Environmental Protection Officer, Mr Patrick Lei, said.
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 beach so graded, and the expected risk of minor illness to swimmers is undetectable.
Grade "2" indicates that the water quality is fair. The E coli 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.