XN000022-1990-06-14 — Page 14

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1990

13

GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

THE

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY

WATER QUALITY BACTERIAL ANNOUNCED GRADES ON BEACHES IN HONG KONG.

OF

ALL

(THURSDAY) BATHING

TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS

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

THE THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT BIWEEKLY INTERVALS DURING

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

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

DATA OBTAINED

INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF 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. THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON A VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

INFORMATION

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.

HOWEVER,

THE GRADES

A GIVE

GOOD

GENERAL

THE FORM

OF PICTURE OF REPORTING AND 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:

**

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.

SO

10 CASES

GRADE "2" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS FAIR. THE E. COLI 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.

GRADE "3" INDICATES THAT THE WATER QUALITY IS

ACCEPTABLE.

E. COLI COUNT IS NO MORE THAN 610 PER 100 MILLILITRES BEACH SO GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS NO 15 CASES OF MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWİMMERS.

AT

THE EACH

MORE

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

OF GRADED, AND THE EXPECTED HEALTH RISK IS MORE THAN 15 MINOR ILLNESS PER 1,000 SWIMMERS.

CASES

/THE DECISION