XN000022-1991-07-18 — Page 19

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1991

18

GRADING OF BEACH WATER QUALITY

*

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT (EPD) TODAY ANNOUNCED GRADES ON THE BACTERIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY OF BEACHES IN HONG KONG.

TO INFORM OF BACTERIOLOGICAL

THE PURPOSE OF THE GRADING SYSTEM 19 THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE STATE VARIOUS BEACHES.

(THURSDAY} ALL BATHING

SWIMMERS POLLUTION AT

AND

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

OF

INCLUDES AN 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,

VERY LARGE BODY OF STATISTICAL

THE ESTIMATE IS BASED ON A INFORMATION GATHERED IN HONG KONG IN RECENT BATHING SEASONS.

THE GRADING OF SOME BEACHES MAY VARY DURING THE SUMMER.

IN THE BACTERIOLOGICAL AS RAIN AND TIDES

BRING

THIS REPRESENTS A NATURAL FLUCTUATION QUALITY OF BATHING WATERS IN MOST MORE OR LESS POLLUTION TO THE BEACHES.

CASES,

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

WATER BEST

HINTERLANDS

THE SPOKESMAN SAID: "BEACHES WITH HIGHLY DEVELOPED

THE GRADES SUGGEST DURING AND ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE POLLUTED THAN AFTER HEAVY RAIN.

"BATHERS SHOULD AVOID SUCH BEACHES FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS AFTER IF THERE IS A STORM, LONGER IF THE WEATHER REMAINS OVERCAST OR LESS STRONG SUNSHINE."

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 19

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.

SO

10 CASES

/GRADE "3"