Water quality at 11 local beaches is to be tested and publicized during the three months of summer, starting from the end of this month, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced yesterday.
As temperatures rise during the summer, many people are expected to visit the nation’s public beaches for recreational activities, so the EPA has been monitoring the water quality at several beaches during the summer since 2002 to ensure a safe environment.
EPA Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management Director Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其) said that unlike the seawater monitoring data collected at a distance away from shore, the beach water quality monitoring collects water samples at several points within the floating safety lines.
This year, the beach water quality monitoring is to be conducted at 11 beaches at least once each month, and tested for two types of microorganisms — the coliform group and the enterococci group, Chu said.
The water quality is to be classified into three levels — “good,” “normal” and “unsuitable for water activities” — according to the concentration levels of the microorganisms, and announced on the EPA Web site.
Taipei Medical University biochemistry professor Chang E-e (張怡怡) said the coliform group contains fewer pathogenic bacteria and is more often considered an indicator determining environmental pollution.
However, the enterococci group contains more pathogenic bacteria that can infect people through wounds or accidentally swallowing seawater.
Chang said the distribution of the microorganisms in seawater is not even because bacteria are more likely to attach themselves to floating particles in the water, beachgoers are advised to avoid swimming in cloudy seawater.
Seawater turbidity is mainly affected by rainfall, and it usually takes about three days before the water becomes clear again after heavy rainfall, so visitors should also avoid visiting beaches after heavy rain, Chu said.
Chu added that people with wounds should also avoid the water.
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