Weekly Estuary Update
This week, we celebrated significant achievements in the watershed: from a successful family day out focused on reducing plastic, to talks, plantings, and tours that continue to connect the communities of the San Juan Bay estuary with its waters.
We are making progress in the collaborative planning of the Estuary Plan, strengthening inter-municipal partnerships, and promoting concrete actions for the health of our waters. Below, learn how you can be part of this collective effort for more resilient, cleaner, and more sustainable ecosystems.
The Family Day Trip was a success
The San Juan Bay Estuary celebrated its most recent Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve last Saturday, July 5; this time celebrating “A Summer Without Plastic”.
Installation of “No Fishing” signs
The activities began at 1:00 pm, when citizens and the group Amigos de la Laguna (Friends of the Lagoon) joined the Estuary team to install No Fishing signs around Condado Lagoon; an important step in continuing to preserve biodiversity and support the restoration of the estuary's aquatic ecosystems. Thanks to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources for providing the signs, the Municipality of San Juan for its support, and especially to the citizens who are guardians of this body of water.
Talks and tours
After the signs were installed, we enjoyed an educational talk about coral tissue loss disease. The talk was given by expert Sandra Schleier, who, representing the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, explained the consequences of the disease, the challenges, and the current treatments being offered in Puerto Rico to ensure the health of the coral ecosystem.
After the talk, participants enjoyed the underwater tour “Discovering Urban Reefs” with the Estuary's coastal resilience coordinator, Mineris Figueroa. On this tour, they learned about the most common corals in the area, their ecological role, current threats, and what we can do to protect them.
Alongside the underwater tour, several volunteers had the opportunity to learn about the plants of the San Juan Bay estuary and their relationship to water quality. During this tour, participants shared experiences related to the plants, ate rose apples, and learned about the ecological role of plants in improving water quality.
Focus on Law 51-2022
Next, the participants received an important presentation on Law 51-2022, the “Law to Prohibit the Sale and Use of Single-Use Plastics.” Stacy Larancuent, from the aquatic waste team, explained the law, its importance, its implications, and its current status. She provided options for replacing single-use plastics, for being responsible consumers, and for participating appropriately in this much-needed change for our island.
The family day out concluded with the usual Estuary Cinema, where approximately 140 people gathered to enjoy the film “Inside Out 2”.
We thank Jose Ramos, administrator of Jaime Benítez Park, for his continued support of our events; Sandra Schleier and the DRNA for their support with the presentation and the "No Fishing" signs; all the volunteers; the Friends of the Lagoon; and the general public for their help installing the signs. Thanks also to José Julián González Santiago for his unwavering protection of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
The next day trip will be on Saturday, August 2nd.
We continue to strengthen the geospatial analysis of land cover for the economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services of the Estuary
Following up on meetings held during May, Metroeconómica, the consulting team, has been meeting with local experts to identify additional information that will help strengthen the geospatial analysis of land cover in the Estuary watershed. Once the geospatial analysis is complete, the team will proceed with the economic valuation of the goods and services provided by the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Presentations of the infrastructure actions of the Estuary Plan
Following the recent round of reviews, we will now focus on the specific actions to be included in the Estuary Plan to address each of the five (5) established goals, beginning with the first: Maintaining and improving obsolete and dilapidated gray and green infrastructure that negatively impacts water quality and sediments in the estuarine bed. Some of the topics we will be addressing include: sanitary sewer infrastructure, stormwater infrastructure, drainage and water exchange infrastructure, infrastructure to mitigate erosion and sediment transport, port and vessel infrastructure, transportation and mobility infrastructure, collaborative water quality monitoring, and impact analysis from areas outside the current study area.
We will offer two presentations to generate inspiration and written feedback:
Presentation to the residents, neighbors and friends of the region, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Estuary offices in Santurce, San Juan, with virtual space.
Presentation to scientists, experts and those knowledgeable about the San Juan Bay estuary system, Thursday, July 17, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Estuary offices in Santurce, San Juan, with virtual space.
Register today at estuary.org/eventsBefore the presentation, you will receive your copy of the draft of the proposed actions directly by email to the address provided in your registration.
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 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!
Friends of the Lagoon Meeting
Join us for the next Friends of the Lagoon meeting, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the gazebo of Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
All residents, users and friends of the Reserve are invited.
The meeting will be held virtually. To obtain the access link, please sign up at: estuary.org/events.
Event: A Different Sunset
This Saturday, July 12, the Estuary joins the event: A Different Sunset; where a land and water cleanup will be carried out in the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
This effort will have an educational component that will culminate in an educational talk on Law 51-2022: Law to prohibit the sale and use of single-use plastics.
Join us to enjoy this Sunset in a conscious way, connecting with nature and preserving it.
Sign up for the event, HERE.
LimPiaR Recycling Pop-up
On Saturday, July 19, the Estuary will be present at LimPiaR's monthly Pop-up Recycling event in Miguel Fuentes Pinet Park in the municipality of Loíza. At our information table, we will be promoting the protection of waterways by preventing vegetable oil from reaching gray water infrastructure, highlighting the municipal vegetable oil diversion program and the importance of diverting this material from water infrastructure and natural resources. We will also be raising awareness of the joint campaign with LimPiaR entitled: Leave a clean footprint in Piñones.
We acknowledge the Loíza municipality's vegetable oil diversion program for maintaining this effort and the infrastructure to divert oil from residents' waste. We thank LimPiaR for the invitation and follow-up on this event.
Visit of the Intermunicipal Network for Resource and Waste Management to the Ecological Preservation Center of the Municipality of Bayamón
A total of 16 people, including representatives from municipalities, organizations, and businesses, participated in a visit to the Bayamón Ecological Preservation Center on Thursday, July 3, 2024. As part of the efforts of the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management of the Estuary Basin, the visit to the Ecological Preservation Center was coordinated with the Municipality of Bayamón. The center operates a program for diverting municipal plant material. This initiative promotes the recycling of organic matter and significantly contributes to reducing the volume of waste sent to the island's landfills.
This visit aimed to foster the exchange of experiences and knowledge among the member municipalities of the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management of the Estuary, in order to strengthen existing initiatives and promote new alliances and collaborative opportunities. We thank the municipality of Bayamón for hosting this initiative, as well as the municipalities of San Juan, Guaynabo, and Toa Baja, whose representatives were present. We also appreciate the participation of representatives from Circular Generation.
Oil workshop at the Cucharillas Community Center Summer Camp
On Tuesday, July 2, 2025, the Estuary held a workshop focused on the importance of properly diverting vegetable oil, led by the Estuary's aquatic waste project coordinators, Camila Rodríguez and Paul Lanctin, for children and young people from the Cucharillas Community Center's Recreational Summer program.
This workshop aimed to integrate the importance of conserving estuarine ecosystems with actions that can be taken at home, such as properly managing the vegetable oil we generate in our households. A total of 36 students participated in the workshop.
Planting of coastal vegetation
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, we conducted the latest field experience of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification, focusing on the dune ecosystem.
Some 17 participants planted and maintained previous plantings with up to 591 specimens of red mangrove, cocoplum, sea grape, broad bean, and palm trees in Piñones, Loíza, led by coordinators Andreína Alexatos and Agnes Pagán. Thanks to all the citizen scientists who joined us.
Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information at estuary.org/cccThese activities count towards community service hours and Green Contact hours.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Physical-Chemical Parameters; Monday, July 14, at 8:00 am at Lake Las Curías and Río Piedras
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Physical-Chemical Parameters; Tuesday, July 15, at 9:00 am in San Juan Bay
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Physical-Chemical Parameters; Wednesday, July 16, at Laguna San José
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, July 17, at 9:30 am at County Lagoon
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Workshop; on Thursday, July 17, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; on Thursday, July 24, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Saturday, July 26, at 8:00 am in Piñones, Loíza
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, July 26, at 8:00 am at County Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Saturday, July 26, at 12:00 pm at County Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Sunday, July 27, at 8:00 am in Piñones, Loíza
Media coverage
July 6, 2025. Olivia Carmen Maule. Protection of the estuarine ecosystem. Science. El Nuevo Día. p. 42.
July 6, 2025. Olivia Carmen Maule. New “No Fishing” signs in County Lagoon aim to protect the estuary ecosystem. Science and Environment. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/otros/notas/instalan-rotulos-de-no-pesca-en-la-laguna-del-condado-para-preservar-la-biodiversidad-de-la-reserva-estuarina/
Prepare yourself this hurricane season
Get ready for this hurricane season. Download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide of the Estuary and follow its recommendations. The strength and resilience of your community begins in your home.
Also visit the Virtual Estuary Community Centerwhere you will find vital information, such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don't panic! Get ready.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
We thank the citizen scientists who supported this week's bacteriological monitoring assessment, as part of the Estuary Water Quality Monitoring module. The results are below.
Assessment conducted on Thursday, July 10, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
