XN000022-1989-04-27 — Page 39

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THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989

THE

BEACH WATERS

THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING BATHING SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH ARE USUALLY SAMPLED.

THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT BACTERIA DATA OBTAINED BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.

THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS AS A RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME OF POLLUTION.

DEGREE

A VERY THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON

LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING THE SUMMER. THIS 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.

DURING BATHING WATERS COMMONLY BECOME WORSE DUE TO HEAVY USAGE

PICTURE OF THE THE SUMMER. HOWEVER, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL

OF REPORTING AND FORM 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:

THE "A" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD.

IS LESS THAN 100 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT E.COLT COUNT

THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK 19 LESS THAN BEACH SO GRADED, AND SEVEN CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

MEAN EACH

THE

LESS

"B" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS ACCEPTABLE.

COUNT IS LESS THAN MEAN E.COLI

PER 1,000

100 MILLILITRES AT RACH BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS THAN 18 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

POOR. THE MEAN "C" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS

100 E.COLI COUNT IS 1.000 OR MORE PER

MILLILITRES AT EACH

18 AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS

OR BEACH SO GRADED,

MORE CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

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

CONSIDERED GRADING OCCURRED THE BATHING SEASON

NORMALLY A RECOMMENDATION ON CLOSURE WOULD ONLY BE

•

IF COUNCIL

A "C" BY THE URBAN OR THE REGIONAL REPEATEDLY, SO THAT THE AVERAGE HEALTH RISK OVER EXCEEDED 15 CASES PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

ONLY BE OBTAINED.

SIMILARLY, A RECOMMENDATION TO RE-OPEN

IF A "B" GRADE CONSIDERED

OR

A CLOSED BEACH WOULD

WERE BETTER

CONSISTENTLY

/AT PRESENT,