Estuario Weekly Update
This week, we share more ways to support and contribute to the protection and management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE), from the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico and activities in celebration of Earth Day, to workshops, field experiences and professional opportunities. Read on and join in!
Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
The day has arrived! This Saturday, April 18, 2026, we will have the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico, where groups from around the archipelago will evaluate and collect data on the quality of the bodies of water that surround them.
We have distributed all the monitoring kits and are ready for the event. If you didn’t receive your kit or if you didn’t register your group, you can still participate in one of the multiple open stations, which are made possible by the event’s co-hosts. See the list of available open stations, in: estuario.org/diadecalidaddeagua.
Press conference
SJBEP thanks the government leaders who were present during the press conference for the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico, representing the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Autonomous Municipality of Bayamón. Thank you! for your continuous and close collaboration, and the commitment to the health of our waters.
Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
Celebrate the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico with the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP)! Join the next Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. We will have an open monitoring station on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park, with water quality evaluations at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
See the complete agenda of activities, in estuario.org/eventos.
Various activities will count toward accumulating Contacto Verde or community service hours, as applicable. No registration is required. If you have any questions or comments, please email us at: [email protected].
Cine del Estuario
Cine el Estuario presents: A Minecraft Movie; on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. This feature is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair!
Endemic birds in the estuary
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Birds Festival with the talk: Endemic birds of Puerto Rico in the estuary basin; provided by Eliezer Nieves Rodríguez, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.
This talk counts toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos.
Earth Day with Jardín Botánico de la UPR
On Saturday, April 25, Estuario joins the celebration of Earth Day at Jardín Botánico de la UPR in Río Piedras. There will be food kiosks, artisans, educational activities and more.
We will have several activities during the event:
Participatory Bird Census Field Experience [7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.] (this activity requires registration, at: estuario.org/eventos)
Informational Talk: San Juan Bay Estuary: Education and Citizen Science Opportunities [10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.]
Interpretive Tour: Discovering the Nature of Urban Forests [1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.]
We will also have information tables, where you will learn about the urban green spaces in the SJBE basin and their biodiversity, and where you will have the opportunity to sign up for the Estuario 5K at the “early bird” price of $30. Hope to see you there!
Interpretive trail in urban forest
Get a closer look at one of the green spaces that vitalize the cities connected to the SJBE. Join the interpretive tour: Discovering the nature of urban forests; on Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Piñones State Forest.
This trail counts toward Contacto Verde or community service hours.
Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos.
Estuario 5K at Jardín Botánico
Join a race like no other, carried out entirely within the grounds of the botanical garden, Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras. We have an updated route, perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. You will travel along trails, appreciating streams and lakes, listening to the singing of birds and under the shade of centuries-old native trees. There will be a 1K segment for kids. Little ones will have fun at their own pace!
The second edition of the Estuario 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. at Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras, in San Juan.
The Estuario 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuario 5K
There are still spaces for adult volunteers (ages 18 and older) to support during the Estuario 5K race at Jardín Botánico, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on May 17, 2026. Volunteers of the event will receive a T-shirt and will have reserved parking steps from the event. They will need to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce at a later date.
Sign up to volunteer at the Estuario 5K, in estuario.org/eventos.
Actions for the reduction of aquatic waste
In the SJBE watershed.
Recycling Pop-up in Loíza
This Saturday, April 18, 2026, SJBEP will be present at the Recycling Pop-up in Loíza, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Parque Miguel Fuentes Pinet. Stop by our educational table, where you will learn about the community campaign, Deja una huella limpia en Piñones, as well as other initiatives for the conservation of our waters and gray infrastructure.
The Recycling Pop-up in Loíza takes place on the third Saturday of each month. #1, #2 and #5 plastic, aluminum, brass and corrugated cardboard are accepted. This event is organized by LimPiaR, Tais and the Municipality of Loíza.
Barrio Obrero Foundation Festival
From April 17 to 19, the Barrio Obrero Foundation Festival is being held, with musical performances by school groups, cooperative games and exhibitions that highlight the importance of community work. The last day of the festival will feature handcraft kiosks, information tables, children’s activities, creative workshops, an exhibition of classic bicycles, music and a photographic exhibition. SJBEP will be present with an educational table.
The Barrio Obrero Foundation Festival will be active on Saturday, April 18 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, April 19 from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Plaza Antonio R. Barceló, Avenida Borinquen.
Green gathering in the Municipality of Trujillo Alto
On Saturday, April 18, SJBEP will also be present at the Green Gathering of the Municipality of Trujillo Alto, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the Paseo del Bicentenario, Barrio Pueblo (next to Puente Histórico). There will be a butterfly garden, collection of electronic equipment, a talk about bees, a reading of a children’s story and information about the municipal recycling program. 100 native trees will be given away.
The collection of electronic equipment will be accepting computers, cell phones, iPads, chargers, computer parts and cables, Reuters, converter boxes, DVDs, VHSs, VCRs, GPSs, printers, fax machines, scanners, radios, sound equipment, cameras, mp3s and televisions.
Community Fair at La Goyco
The La Goyco Community Workshop Fair will be on Saturday, April 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. There will be workshops, story reading, music, a discussion on compost, screening and discussion of the documentary, The Rights of Nature; talks and more. SJBEP will be present with an information table.
Workshop for interpreters and guides
SJBEP invites tour guides, environmental interpreters and non-formal educators to the workshop, Birds of estuarine ecosystems: Techniques to create meaningful experiences; on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. We will review the identification of common birds in the different ecosystems of the SJBE watershed and various techniques to incorporate into guided tours and ecotourism experiences.
The workshop counts for continuing education contact hours for tour guides. Sign up today, HERE.
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Remember that all workshops and field experiences count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. See more information in estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Field Experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; Monday, April 20, at 8:30 a.m. at Las Curías Lake and Piedras River
Field Experience: Physical-Chemical Monitoring; Tuesday, April 21, at 9:00 a.m. at San Juan Bay
Field Experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; Wednesday, April 22, at 8:00 a.m. at Laguna San José/Torrecilla
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, April 23, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; on Saturday, April 25, at 7:00 a.m. at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; Tuesday, April 21, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field experience; on Friday, April 24, at 9:00 a.m. at Laguna San José/La Torrecilla
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves; Thursday, April 23, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Seed Propagation; on Sunday, April 26, at 8:00 a.m. at Vivero Estuario at Centro TAU, Loíza
Media coverage
April 17, 2026. Comienza el proceso de comentarios públicos para el nuevo Plan del Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan. Ciencia y Ambiente. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/otros/notas/comienza-el-proceso-de-comentarios-publicos-para-el-nuevo-plan-del-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan/
Weekly water quality monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, April 16, 2026, as part of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists Water Quality Monitoring module. Up next, the results.
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, April 16, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. Several stations exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. We recommend avoiding these areas. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
