Weekly Estuary Update
We continue celebrating Earth Month with educational activities and ecosystem restoration projects connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. You still have a chance to participate! See upcoming activities below.
Support the Estuary with your Refund
This tax season, consider donating part of your refund to efforts to eliminate sewage discharges into beloved bodies of water like Condado Lagoon and beaches. You'll also be supporting the restoration of San Juan Bay, the canals connecting the lagoons in the San Juan metropolitan area, and management projects for this vital 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 the line 1B of the boxing “Refund” on page 1 of your form.
This method is possible thanks to Law 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 at estuary.org/donate/.
Puerto Rico Water Quality Day
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, more than 1,200 participants joined the seventeenth annual Puerto Rico Water Quality Day. Through observation, education, and action, they contributed to the protection of our island's waterways. Thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and shared this effort. You make a difference!
We are immensely grateful to our sponsors: Ford Environmental Donations, 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 making this event possible.
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 (DRNA), 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 out
In addition to Water Quality Day, we held our most recent Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve on Saturday, April 5, at Jaime Benítez Park. During the morning, we welcomed many young people who came to participate in water quality monitoring activities.
At two 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 participants discussed the importance of this natural space in relation to its urban surroundings. The walk included information about the importance of water for marine life, terrestrial flora and fauna, and the region's economic development. After the walk, we played a trivia game.
The family day out concluded with Cine del Estuario, presenting the film, The Wild Robot. Approximately 114 people joined us for the screening.
We thank all the participants who joined us and the collaborators who make this event possible each month. The next Family Day Trip will be on Saturday, May 7, 2025. See you then!
Conversations on the Estuary Plan Review
Help us validate the priority issues, goals, and objectives for restoration and conservation, as part of the Review of the Comprehensive Management and Conservation Plan for the San Juan Bay Estuary, or the Estuary Plan.
The Estuary Plan will be organized around specific objectives to achieve the established goals and address the priority issues 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 accepting written comments until April 29, 2025, through THIS LINK.
We will have two discussions to generate debate and inspiration:
Community Conversation on the Estuary Plan Review
For residents, neighbors, and friends of the region, April 22, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in San Juan (TBD), with a virtual component. Register here.
Scientific and Technical Conversation on the Estuary Plan Review
For scientists, experts, and those familiar with the San Juan Bay estuary system, on April 23, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in San Juan (TBD), with a virtual component. Register here.
We greatly appreciate your support in sharing this information through your networks and ensuring that as many citizens, communities, scientists, and experts as possible can actively participate in this review.
Join us in shaping the future of the waterways in the San Juan metropolitan area. The Estuary Plan belongs to everyone, because we all live with the Estuary. We look forward to seeing you there!
Discover the endemic birds of Puerto Rico that live in the estuary
Join this virtual educational talk, part of Earth Month activities and the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. Learn about the island's endemic birds that inhabit the ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom. Green Contact hours will be credited. Register here.
Interpretive tour: Discovering the nature of urban forests
Join this interpretive tour in the Piñones State Forest, part of the San Juan Bay Estuary 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 provides, and its natural connection to the estuary waters. This tour counts toward Green Touch hours. Register today at estuary.org/events.
Leave a clean footprint in Piñones
On Monday, March 24, Estuary and LimPiaR visited several businesses in Piñones to continue educating about the proper disposal of solid waste, as part of the campaign, Leave a clean footprint in Piñones.
The campaign seeks to train the region's commercial sector, thus integrating solid waste reduction practices and incorporating criteria of environmental responsibility and material diversion.
See more information about the initiative here.
Capacity building workshop for the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management of the Estuary
On Tuesday, April 8, representatives of the Intermunicipal Network for the Integrated Management of Resources and Waste in the Estuary Basin participated in a capacity-building workshop, where resources for access to financing were presented, 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 acknowledge the participation of the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, and San Juan, who contributed valuable tools, needs, and opportunities to strengthen this collaborative proposal.
Field experience in the characterization and reduction of microplastics
As part of the certification of citizen scientists of the Estuary, we carried out the most recent field experience of the Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module, through the San José Lagoon and the Blasina canal.
This time we have teachers, mothers and students from the San Juan school, who are conducting research on the topic of microplastics in water.
Thanks for joining us!
Planting of coastal vegetation in Loíza
On Saturday, March 29, students from Colegio San Antonio de Padua planted coastal vegetation on Vacía Talega beach in Loíza. The planting focused on the dune and mangrove ecosystem as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary's Citizen Scientist certification program. They planted a total of 118 specimens, including red mangrove, button mangrove, sea grape, and cocoplum trees.
We appreciate the support of Professor Soraya Asad, who integrated this certification into her course. See more activities from the Coastal Resilience module below.
Certification of scientific citizens
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-Chemical Sampling ; Wednesday, April 16, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm via Zoom
Field Experience: Bacteriological Water Sampling; Thursday, April 17, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at County Lagoon
Field Experience: Bacteriological Water Sampling; Thursday, April 24, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at County Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; Friday, April 25, from 7:00 am to 10:00 am at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Field experience; Saturday, April 12, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Location will be announced.
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses ; Thursday, April 17, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm via Zoom
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 26, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am at County Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 26, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at County Lagoon
See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, April 10, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
