Estuario Weekly Update
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP) continues celebrating the month of Earth Day, with educational and ecosystem restoration activities in benefit of the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). You can still participate! See the upcoming activities, below.
Support the SJBEP with your Refund
This new filing season, consider donating your refund to the actions of eliminating sanitary discharges to bodies of water loved by all, such as the Condado Lagoon and beaches. You also support the restoration of the San Juan Bay, canals that connect the lagoons of the San Juan metropolitan region, and management projects for this important ecosystem.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary”, which—for individuals and corporations—you will find on line 1B of the “Refund” box on page 1 of your return.
This method is possible thanks to Act 48 of 2009, which establishes the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Learn about the different methods available to donate to the Estuary in estuario.org/donar/.
Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, over 1,200 participants joined the seventeenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico! Through observation, education and action, they contributed to the protection of the bodies of water on our Island. Thank you to every person who participated, supported and shared this effort. You make a difference!
We are immensely grateful for our sponsors: Donativos Ambientales Ford, EarthEcho, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and the Municipality of Bayamón, for their support in achieving this event.
We also recognize our collaborators, who facilitated workshops, kit distribution, and monitoring stations open to the public during the event: Rafael E. Rojas Cortiña, Mónica Raquel Tapia Ponce, Mayra Soiza, Nicole M. Pillot Torres (BoriCorps), Deborah Rivera, Israel Guzmán Arbelo (DNER), Bryan L. Lugo (Revolución Científica), Braulio A. Quintero (ISER Caribe), and Vanessa Marie Canino Falcón. We will soon publish the photos shared by the participants. Until next time!
Family Day
In addition to the Water Quality Day, we held the most recent Family Day in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, April 5, at the Jaime Benítez Park. During the morning, we received many young people who came to participate in water quality monitoring activities.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, several families came together for a game of badminton and other educational activities, focused on the importance of protecting our waters.
At four in the afternoon, about 60 people enjoyed an interpretive walk through the Reserve, where they discussed the importance of this natural space in relation to its urban environment. The walk included information about the importance of the Lagoon for marine life, terrestrial flora and fauna, and the economic development of the region. After the walk, we played a trivia based on the information learned through the walk.
The Family Day closed with Cine del Estuario, presenting the film, The Wild Robot. About 114 people joined the screening.
We thank all the participants who joined us, and the collaborators who make this event possible every month. The next Family Day will be on Saturday, May 7, 2025. See you then!
Discussions on the Estuario Plan Revision
Help us validate priority issues, goals, and objectives for restoration and conservation, as part of the revision of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the San Juan Bay Estuary or Plan del Estuario.
The Plan will be organized around specific objectives to achieve the goals set and thus address the priority problems in the restoration and conservation of the estuarine system, its watershed and related ecosystems. Click here to download the document under review. We will be receiving written comments until April 29, 2025 via THIS LINK.
We will have two events to generate discussion and inspiration:
Community Conversation on the Estuario Plan Revision
For residents, neighbors and friends of the region, on April 22, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in San Juan (TBD), with virtual space. Sign up here.
Scientific and Technical Conversation on the Estuario Plan Revision
For scientists, experts, and connoisseurs of the SJBE system, on April 23, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in San Juan (TBD), with virtual space. Sign up here.
We greatly appreciate your support in sharing this information and ensuring that as many citizens, communities, scientists, and experts as possible can actively participate in this Revision.
Define with us the future of the waters of the metropolitan region of San Juan. The Estuario Plan belongs to everyone. See you there!
Discover the endemic birds of Puerto Rico that inhabit the SJBE
Participate in this virtual educational talk, as part of the activities during the month of Earth Day and the Caribbean Endemic Birds Festival. You will learn about the Island’s endemic birds that inhabit the ecosystems connected to the SJBE. The workshop will be on Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom. Contacto Verde hours will be validated. Sign up here.
Interpretive tour: Discovering the nature of urban forests
Join this interpretive tour in the Piñones State Forest, part of the SJBE Urban Forest Network, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. On this tour, you will learn about the forest’s biodiversity, the ecological services it offers and its natural connection with the waters of the SJBE. This tour is valid for Contacto Verde hours. Sign up today, at estuario.org/eventos.
Campaign for residue management in Piñones
On Monday, March 24, the SJBEP and LimPiaR visited several businesses in Piñones, to continue educating about the correct disposal of solid waste, as part of the education campaign: Deja una huella limpia en Piñones.
The campaign seeks to train the commercial sector in the region, thus integrating solid waste reduction practices and incorporating criteria of environmental responsibility and diversion of materials.
Learn more about the initiative, here.
Capacity Building Workshop for the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Management of Resources and Waste of the SJBE
On Tuesday, April 8, representatives of the Intermunicipal Network for the Integrated Management of Resources and Waste of the SJBE watershed participated in a capacity building workshop, where we explored resources for access to financing, as well as elements and strategies of the intermunicipal proposal for the integrated management of resources and waste in the basin.
We thank the Municipality of Toa Baja for their leadership in hosting the workshop. We also recognize the participation of the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San Juan, who contributed valuable tools, needs and opportunities to strengthen this collaborative proposal.
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Field Experience
As part of the certification of citizen scientists of the SJBEP, we carried out the most recent field experience of the Microplastic Characterization and Reduction module, through the San José Lagoon and the Blasina channel.
On this occasion, we had teachers, mothers and students from the San Juan school, who are researching the issue of microplastics in water.
Thank you for joining us!
Planting of coastal vegetation in Loíza
On Saturday, March 29, students from the San Antonio de Padua School planted coastal vegetation on the beach of Vacía Talega, in Loíza. The planting was carried out with emphasis on the restoration of dune and mangrove ecosystems, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Certification for Citizen Scientists of the SJBEP. They planted a total of 118 specimens, including red mangroves, green buttonwood, seagrapes and cocoplums.
We are grateful for the support of teacher Soraya Asad, who integrated this certification into her course. See more activities from the Coastal Resilience module below.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information in estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical evaluation; on Wednesday, April 16, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom
Field experience: Bacteriological evaluation of water; Thursday, April 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field experience: Bacteriological evaluation of water; Thursday, April 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; on Friday, April 25, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Field experience; Saturday, April 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Location will be announced
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; Thursday, April 17, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 26, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 26, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
See more information in estuario.org/ccc.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, April 10, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
