XN000022-1990-05-17 — Page 12

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1990

11

GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

* * * *

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY

WATER BACTERIAL ON

ANNOUNCED GRADES BEACHES IN HONG KONG.

THE

QUALITY

OF

(THURSDAY) ALL BATHING

ΤΟ INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS

AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION

BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING BEACHES. THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT

THE FREQUENCY AT WHICH BEACH THE BATHING SEASON, TO COINCIDE WITH WATERS ARE USUALLY SAMPLED.

THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E. COLI BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.

DATA OBTAINED

OF

AN INCLUDES

ESTIMATE AS WITH LAST YEAR, THE GRADING ALSO

GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME MINOR SKIN OR AS A RESULT OF SWIMMING AT A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION. ON A VERY LARGE BASED

BODY OF IS THE ESTIMATE INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

STATISTICAL

OF BATHING LESS POLLUTION PICTURE REPORTING AND

THE SUMMER. THIS THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION IN THE BACTERIAL QUALITY WATERS IN MOST CASES, AS RAIN AND TIDES BRING MORE OR

THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL TO THE BEACHES. HOWEVER, OF THE WATER QUALITY AT BATHING BEACHES AT THE TIME OF FORM THE BEST AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.

THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:

TT

BEACH SO SWIMMERS IS

GRADE 1" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS GOOD. THE E. COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 24 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED RISK OF MINOR ILLNESS TO UNDETECTABLE.

GRADE "2" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS FAIR. THE E. COLI 90 COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 180 PER 100 MILLILITRES AT EACH BEACH GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO MORE THAN OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

10 CASES

GRADE "3" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS

MILLILITRES AT E.COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 610 PER 100

MORE BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO 15 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

ACCEPTABLE.

THE

EACH

THAN

GRADE "4" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS POOR. THE E. COLI AT EACH BEACH SO COUNT IS MORE THAN 610 PER 100 MILLILITRES GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS MORE THAN 15 MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

CASES OF

THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A BASED ON A JUDGEMENT

OF

WHAT

DEGREE

OF

BEACH TO SWIMMERS

1S

ACCEPTABLE. POLLUTION

IS

/NORMALLY, THE