XN000022-1989-07-06 — Page 19

THURSDAY, JULY 6. 1989

18

GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

*

THE

THURSDAY!

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION

DEPARTMENT

(EPD)

ANNOUNCED GRADES ON

THE BACTERIAL WATER

QUALITY

TODAY OF

ALL BATHING BEACHES IN HONG KONG,

IS ΤΟ AN EPD SPOKESMAN SAID THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM

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

BE ANNOUNCED BIWEEKLY DURING THE BATHING FREQUENCY AT WHICH BEACH WATERS ARE

THE GRADING WILL SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH THE USUALLY SAMPLED.

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

OBTAINED

GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE

GASTROINTESTINAL ESTIMATE OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR 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 DURING RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

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.

DURING BATHING WATERS COMMONLY BECOME WORSE DUE TO HEAVY USAGE

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

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:

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

100 PER E.COLI COUNT IS LESS THAN

100 MILLILITRES AT HEALTH RISK IS BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED

LESS SEVEN CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

1,000 PER

MEAN

EACH

THAN

THE

ACCEPTABLE. "B" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS MEAN E.COLI COUNT IS LESS THAN

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

MORE PER

POOR. THE MEAN "C" GRADE INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS E.COLI COUNT IS 1,000 OR

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

/THE DECISION