XN000022-1988-08-25 — Page 15

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1988

14

GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

(THURSDAY} WATER QUALITY OF ALL

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY ANNOUNCED THE LATEST GRADES ON THE BACTERIAL BATHING BEACHES IN HONG KONG.

ΤΟ INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS

AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION BEACHES.

THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE E. COLI DATA OBTAINED IN ITS ROUTINE BEACH WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAMME.

BY THE EPD

GRADING ARE BASED ON THE MEDIAN THE E. COLI DATA USED FOR

OVER A TWO AND A VALUES OF THE MOST RECENT FIVE RESULTS, OBTAINED HALF MONTH PERIOD ACCORDING TO THE USUAL SAMPLING FREQUENCY.

THIS REPRESENTS A BEACHES IN MOST SWIMMING

THE GRADES FOR SOME BEACHES MAY FLUCTUATE. NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY OF THE CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR LESS POLLUTION TO THE AREAS.

GENERAL PICTURE OF THE NEVERTHELESS, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD

AND FORM THE OF BEACHES,

BEST AVAILABLE BACTERIAL WATER QUALITY FORECAST OF BEACH WATER QUALITY IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.

THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:

H

'Α

Ir

GRADE

INDICATES

THE

MEDIAN

E.

COLI COUNT IS

BETWEEN

0-99 PER 100 MILLILITRES, AND THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD.

"B" GRADE 100-999 ACCEPTABLE.

PER

INDICATES

100

THE MILLILITRES,

MEDIAN

E+

COLI THE AND

COUNT IS WATER

QUALITY

BETWEEN IS

"C" GRADE INDICATES THE MEDIAN E. COLI COUNT IS 1,000 PER 100 MILLILITRES, AND THE WATER QUALITY IS POOR.

OR MORE

BEACH TO SWIMMERS IS THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A BASED ON A JUDGEMENT OF WHAT DEGREE OF POLLUTION IS ACCEPTABLE.

IF A "C"

CONSIDERED GRADING OCCURRED

NORMALLY, A RECOMMENDATION ON CLOSURE WOULD ONLY BE

REGIONAL COUNCIL THE BY THE URBAN OR REPEATEDLY. SIMILARLY, A RECOMMENDATION TO REOPEN A CLOSED BEACH WOULD

A "B" IF

BETTER WERE CONSIDERED ONLY BE OBTAINED,

GRADE OR

CONSISTENTLY

UNSUITABLE

AT PRESENT, FIVE BATHING BEACHES HAVE BEEN DECLARED FOR SWIMMING PURPOSES, BASED ON THE WATER QUALITY DURING PAST SEASONS.

/THESE BEACHES

P