XN000022-1990-06-28 — Page 8

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1990

7

GRADING. OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY

BACTERIAL WATER

ON THE

ANNOUNCED GRADES BEACHES IN HONG KONG.

(THURSDAY) QUALITY OF ALL BATHING

TO INFORM SWIMMERS AND THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM IS

AT VARIOUS THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE OF BACTERIAL POLLUTION

BIWEEKLY DURING THE BATHING BEACHES, THE GRADING WILL BE ANNOUNCED

AT FREQUENCY THE

WHICH BEACH WATERS ARE SEASON TO COINCIDE WITH USUALLY SAMPLED.

DATA OBTAINED THE GRADING IS BASED ON THE MOST RECENT E. COLI

AS WITH LAST YEAR, BY THE EPD IN ITS ROUTINE MONITORING PROGRAMME.

OF THE RISK OF SUFFERING SOME THE GRADING ALSO INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE MINOR SKIN OR GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLAINTS AS A RESULT OF A BEACH WHICH HAS SOME DEGREE OF POLLUTION. THE ESTIMATE IS A VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

SWIMMING AT BASED ON

IN

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.

OF THE WATER BEST

HOWEVER, THE GRADES GIVE A GOOD GENERAL PICTURE QUALITY AT BATHING BEACHES AT THE TIME OF REPORTING AND FORM THE AVAILABLE FORECAST FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.

THE SYSTEM FOR GRADING BEACH WATER QUALITY IS AS FOLLOWS:

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.

BEACH SO SWIMMERS IS

80

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 SWIMMERS.

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

CASES OF

BEACH TO SWIMMERS

IS POLLUTION

19

ACCEPTABLE.

THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO CLOSE A

DEGREE OF OF WHAT BASED ON A JUDGEMENT

/NORMALLY, THE