Tyler+Research

=Responsibility (What is our responsibility?)= When people drop litter such as plastic and cans, food wrappers and cigarette butts, they can be washed by the rain into rivers and other waterways through stormwater drains in the streets. At the beach, it is important that people take home their litter or put it into garbage bins at the beach so that it doesn't get into the sea. =Connection (How is it connected to other things?)= Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die. Even the insects that live on the surface of the water are badly affected. Nico Zurcher, a Hong Kong University Research Assistant who is consulting on the government’s Water Quality Objectives, concurs: “That’s the real risk with industrial chemicals in the water,” he explains. _ On a balmy morning at Lido Beach in Tsuen Wan a small group of local seniors are enjoying some welcome rest and relaxation. Some are playing volleyball, a few are sun-bathing, while others are swimming in the cool waters. Framed by the spectacular backdrop of the Ting Kau and Tsing Ma bridges, and with the sun shining high above, this looks like a typical day at the beach in Hong Kong. Picturesque, it seems, despite the fact that this particular beach is officially closed to the general public. For over ten years now, Lido Beach, together with seven neighbouring beaches along the Rambler Channel in this district, has been deemed a health hazard, singled out by the government for its poor, and potentially dangerous, water quality.
 * Is it our responsibility to clean up trash on beaches.
 * How is trash in the water connected to sea animals?

Back at Lido, and Mr Wong, a septuagenarian, is ready to enter the water, unperturbed by a large yellow sign that reads: “Please do not enter the water. This beach is polluted.” Wong, who has been loyal to this beach for more than four decades, says defiantly, “We will continue to come here and swim. Rain or shine, we still come.” Mr Wong says even his doctor sees no danger: “I’ve been swimming here for so many years and don’t have any problems. Every year I go to the doctor for a check up and he tells me to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Lido Beach, known as one of our city’s worst, is perhaps not a fair representation of the overall situation. But even so, on the whole, Hong Kong beaches are rarely afforded great reputations. Take the fact that in the year of the handover only 63 per cent of our beaches were even rated as ‘fair’ by the government. Or the constant anecdotal fears that – much like the air around us – the city’s surrounding waters have increasingly fallen victim to China’s industrial boom. Or add to that the regular, material reminder that our beaches leave much to desire – in the form of floating plastic bags, Coke bottles, or used condoms. With all these anecdotes, fears, and perceived threats, how can Mr Wong – and ocean-loving people like him – so confidently brave these waters? Or is it actually not that bad?

(in the water)

To the average Hongkonger, the concerns about the safety of our beach water flow from many fronts. And perhaps the most relentless reminder is aesthetic. Garbage and detritus has long been a problem, mainly because of the nearby location of factories in the region – as well as Hongkongers’ lax attitude to littering. Hong Kong’s Marine Department reports collecting 12,000 tonnes of floating refuse annually, and last year the South China Morning Post reported that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department picked up an additional 15,500 tonnes. That’s not even mentioning the work of NGOs, like the Green Council, whose International Coastal Cleanup last year collected more than 7,000kg worth of junk – mostly food wrappers and plastic bottles – from the territory’s shorelines. And as Seba Sheavly, an environmental consultant, points out: “Debris respects no state or national boundaries. It will float anywhere.” It’s a sobering thought. More alarmingly still is that according to Doug Woodring, director of Project Kaisei, an organisation studying both the scale and impact of marine debris, “80 per cent of the garbage floating in the water comes from the land.” A recipient of the Hong Kong Earth Champion Award in 2008, Woodring says that everything from trash left behind in the mountains to wastes from Guangdong can end up in our coastal waters.

Sure, a plastic bottle floating past you in the water might spoil your serenity slightly, but Woodring also warns that there are potentially toxic consequences to that vessel as well. “As the plastics breakdown, they get ingested by sea life, which absorb the toxins,” he says. It leads to bio-magnification, where toxins build up in sea life as bigger fish eat smaller fish, until one ends up on your dinner plate. It’s a similar affect from the industrial chemicals that seep into our waterways and oceans from the SAR and beyond. Nico Zurcher, a Hong Kong University Research Assistant who is consulting on the government’s Water Quality Objectives, concurs: “That’s the real risk with industrial chemicals in the water,” he explains. “The concentrations you encounter while swimming really aren’t enough to affect you. The health risk is from ingesting toxins as part of the food chain.”

Thankfully, the levels of these industrially sourced compounds have seen a sharp decline in recent years. In the past, heavy metals had been recorded in sediments and there’s a history of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which show up in the tissue of local marine life. However, both the government and industry have acted together to make these levels more acceptable, at least according to Zurcher. “There used to be a lot of photographic chemical industry here,” says Zurcher. “Silver, a surprisingly toxic heavy metal, was a substantial component.” The digital age dried up film processing demands, and with the decay of that business model, the threat has diminished significantly.

Toxins and plastic, though, are both big, fat red herrings. “Your greatest concern is sewage discharge,” says Zurcher. Ultimately this means that the real test of water quality lies with bacterium. It’s essentially a fecal problem, and one that can cause flu, diarrhoea, skin rash, hepatitis, respiratory disease or eye, ear and nose infections, as well as all the other nasty symptoms people usually associate with dirty water.

So how does the government go about sorting this problem out? The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (EPD) gauges beach cleanliness by checking the level of E. Coli bacteria on a regular basis. The EPD collects water samples from gazetted (managed) beaches on a weekly basis (as well as cleans them three times a month) and rates them accordingly on a scale that range from ‘good’ (less than 24 E. coli colonies per 100ml of water) to ‘very poor’ (over 610 E.coli colonies per 100ml of water) – which leads to closure. A ‘good’ rating essentially reduces the chances of falling ill to an undetectable level, while a ‘very poor’ rating pushes that figure up to somewhere nearer to 1.5/100 cases and higher. One of the more alarming figures released by the government shows that in 1997 Ting Kau beach in Tsuen Wan (which has been closed ever since) had an E.coli count of around 1583 to every 100mL of water. Even though that has now been reduced significantly in 2009 to around 145 that is still within the realms of being technically unsafe. Therefore, going by international standards, Hong Kong’s system is more in-depth than those of most other countries. And the assessments over the past decade or so have shown quite remarkable results. Things are definitely improving.

Ninety-three per cent of our beaches received a ‘good’ or ‘fair’ annual grade in 2009 – a record high for Hong Kong beaches – and a marked 30 per cent improvement on the 1997 levels. Add to that a 90 per cent improvement over the last eight years in the Eastern Harbour’s E.Coli levels, and there’s significant reason to be optimistic about our beaches’ future. Zurcher credits this improvement to Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS), a government program that led to the construction of a 23.6 km-long system of tunnels deep underground for sewage disposal. “For this type of plant, it’s the biggest in the world,” he says. Since 2001, 75 per cent of harbour area sewage, from Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, has been diverted through HATS. And the upcoming second step (known as HATS Stage 2A) includes further disinfecting of effluent and extension of the public sewers along Castle Peak Road, which should spread the purifying love further around our waterways and beaches.

As more projects take shape the area is expected to improve substantially, and with that next phase of Harbour Area Treatment Scheme still to come, it should result in even cleaner water. As far as enjoying Hong Kong’s beaches go, the prognosis, by most accounts, is pretty good – and getting better. So what are you still reading this for? The summer’s here, so get out there and hit the beach.

In Hong Kong, the water is really polluted. I wish that the government will start to help the poor waters. I know that it is hard, but the citizens must help too. I didn't polluted anything, and so did many people, but there are some people that still do. I wish they won't pollute any more. Listen up readers! If you did something that is related to pollution, beware of being caught by the cops! You will be fined of $2,5000 and be in prison for six months, so yeah, it's up to you!

In Hong Kong, when you go to the harbor, you will see ships, and boats. But when you start to look closer, you will find bunch of Garbage, lying in the ocean. This is a picture of the "Star Ferry" in Hong Kong. Many people use this as their main mode of transportation to cross the harbor. Many carelessly throw their trash into the water making the water more and more polluted. Many tons of sewage are pumped into the ocean each year. This picture of the Repulse Bay Sewage Pumping Station. This is where all of the sewage from Repulse bay and nearby places goes to be pumped back out to the ocean. By Eri I lived in Hong Kong all my life. So, I partly see the reason why so many people do not notice, the garbage in our water is increasing every time I see it. I think that the people should think of how poor the marine animals are=, and how poor the water are. I should tell the people to stop POLLUTING! Because of you, the water is smelly, poisonous. It is so cruel! By Kent: He got some summary too. [|Click here] Before, the Victoria Harbor was really clean. But after a few years, it becomes a place full of wastes and sewage! Why? Because the people is not careful enough, and they don't care about the waters!

The **Great Pacific Garbage Patch**, also described as the **Pacific Trash Vortex**, is a [|gyre] of [|marine litter] in the central [|North Pacific Ocean] located roughly between [|135°] to [|155°W] to [|42°N].[|[][|1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch] The patch extends over an indeterminate area, with estimates ranging very widely depending on the degree of plastic concentration used to define the affected area. Although many media and advocacy reports have suggested the patch extends over an area larger than the continental U.S, recent research sponsored by the [|National Science Foundation] suggests the affected area may be twice the size of Texas,[|[][|2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch][|[][|3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch] while a recent study concluded that the patch might be even smaller.[|[][|4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch] This can be attributed to the fact that there is no specific standard for determining the boundary between the “normal” and “elevated” levels of pollutants and what constitutes being part of the patch. The size is determined by a higher-than normal degree of concentration of [|pelagic] debris in the water. Recent data collected from Pacific [|albatross] populations suggest there may be two distinct zones of concentrated debris in the Pacific.[|[][|5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch] The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of [|pelagic] [|plastics], [|chemical sludge], and other [|debris] that have been trapped by the currents of the [|North Pacific Gyre].[|[][|6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch] Despite its size and [|density], the patch is not visible from [|satellite photography] since it primarily consists of suspended particulates in the upper [|water column] [//[|citation needed]//]. Since plastics break down to ever smaller [|polymers], concentrations of submerged particles are not visible from space, nor do they appear as a continuous debris field. Instead, the patch is defined as an area in which the mass of plastic debris in the upper water column is significantly higher than average.





The Garbage Patch is located within the [|North Pacific Gyre], one of the five major oceanic [|gyres].

What is water pollution? Water pollution is what happens when factories, wastewater treatment plants, construction sites, and people put things in the water that make it dirty. At one time, factories dumped untreated waste into the water. This is an example of water pollution. Not only does water pollution come from what is dumped into the water, but what is dumped on the land. When you put trash in a storm drain, toilet or in a body of water (rivers, lakes, streams, oceans) it causes the water to be polluted. Just think, if someone were changing their oil on their car and they dumped the oil on the ground, what would happen? Would you want to eat the fish that came from a waterway where you knew that oil went? Even today, accidents on ships and off-shore drilling rigs spill oil into the oceans. Animal waste runoff from livestock feedlots seeps into groundwater, lakes, rivers and streams that eventually make it to the ocean. Fertilizers and pesticides wash off from fields and forests and soak into lakes, rivers, streams and ground water. Wastes from mines drain into water. Garbage disposals and toilets are also a large waste contributor. Imagine how you would feel if you saw trash floating in a river where you were fishing. Sometimes polluted water smells, or looks muddy or too ugly for swimming or boating. But even water that looks clean and smells good can be polluted. It may be loaded with germs and dangerous chemicals that you cannot see or smell. Polluted water may be unsafe for drinking, bathing, swimming or fishing. Fish and plants that live in polluted water can absorb the poisons from the water. If eaten, the person could get sick. In polluted water, many fish and plants cannot live at all. Fortunately, there are rules in place - called regulations. These rules or regulations ensure that the wastes that are dumped, are properly cleaned so that you can fish, swim and enjoy the water. Nature recycles fresh water. Nature can only recycle so much, so it is important for you to take care of your water. Please do not throw trash in storm drains, toilets or spill something down a drain that should not be spilled there. Check with your mom or dad and ask them how you can help take care of the water.

Here are some links: http://www.epa.gov/owm/wpollu.htm http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/waterpollution.HTM http://www.groundwater.org/kc/whatis.html http://www.epa.gov/kids/water.htm http://www.enwin.com/kids/water/water_quality.cfm http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/environment/water/introtowater.htm

Water is everywhere—in the sky, in the ground, and in our homes—and we use it every day. Learn how to care for this important resource. Of course we use water every day of our lives. We use it as a source of nutrition; we use it for recreation; and we use it for a number of different activities in our homes and while we're at school. Have you ever visited another country and been warned not to drink water from the tap, or not to eat fruits and vegetables that can't be peeled first? These countries have water that is polluted, and treatments that are not advanced enough to deliver the healthy water that humans require; 80% of the diseases in developing nations are water-related. Wasteful water use hurts our rivers. You can make wise water choices that can really improve our environment:
 * Don't pour anything down your storm sewers - that water goes directly into our rivers, lakes and streams untreated, so always be sure to properly dispose of hazardous waste.
 * Be sure to pick up after your pet. Leaving pet waste on the lawn can wash E. coli bacteria into our rivers, lakes and streams, which are the sources of our drinking water!
 * Consider using a rain barrel. In addition to saving rainwater to use for gardens and lawn watering instead of your municipally treated water, it also helps to prevent excess rainwater from washing motor oil and other particles from your driveway and roadways down the sewer.
 * Never hose down your driveway - sweep it instead! As well as conserving water, this also reduces storm runoff into storm sewers.
 * Consider natural gardening alternatives! Again, fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides can runoff from our lawns into our rivers, lakes and streams. You can still have a green and healthy lawn without using chemicals that can contaminate our sources of drinking water.
 * Don't flush pharmaceuticals down your toilet. Instead, return unused medications to your pharmacist for proper disposal.

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these [|bodies of water]; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual [|species] and populations, but also to the natural [|biological communities].
 * Water pollution** is the contamination of [|water] bodies (e.g. [|lakes], [|rivers], [|oceans] and [|groundwater]). Water pollution occurs when [|pollutants] are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate [|treatment] to remove harmful compounds.

Although most people take water for granted, it's a valuable resource that can be exposed to contamination. Water pollution can harm marine and freshwater life and cause significant health problems. So the Water Supplies Department strives to ensure the adequacy and safety of the drinking water supply in Hong Kong. The Environmental Protection Department also works hard to improve the beach, river and marine water quality, which has resulted in an increase in the number of clean beaches and a decrease in the number of polluted rivers over recent years. The implementation of Harbour Area Treatment Scheme has also significantly reduced key pollutants.