Weekly Estuary Update
Estuarine greetings! In this festive season, we thank you for being part of our mission to restore, conserve, and manage the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. This year has brought progress, changes, and new initiatives. We have achieved our goals thanks to the collaborators, volunteers, neighbors, and friends who have supported us. We wish you joy and a new year filled with health, love, and success. Happy Holidays!
New Estuary Map
On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, we unveiled the second edition of the San Juan Bay Estuary license plate, in partnership with the automotive company Gómez Hermanos Paulson (GHP), at the San Juan Chevrolet GMC dealership. During the license plate presentation, GHP signed a commitment agreement to purchase approximately 5,000 plates in 2025, contributing over $100,000 to the San Juan Bay Estuary Special Fund.
The Estuary applauds the social and environmental commitment of GHP and its president and co-owner, Víctor Gómez III. We invite all sectors to follow the example of these new collaborators; joining forces to achieve a metropolitan region with clean water and a healthy estuary.
The license plate costs $30, of which $20 goes to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary, created by Law No. 48 of 2009. Ask about the Estuary license plate at your CESCO office.
We are looking for collaborators for Water Quality Day
Puerto Rico's largest citizen science event is back!
Since 2009, Water Quality Day has united citizen scientists across the island to assess bodies of water and raise awareness about the importance of conserving our rivers, lakes, lagoons, and beaches.
In preparation for the next Water Quality Day, the Estuary is recruiting volunteers to facilitate training workshops, distribute materials to participants, and conduct monitoring in public spaces. Join us as a volunteer! We will be holding a volunteer orientation meeting on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
The seventeenth Water Quality Day will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. General registration will open in March 2025.
Activities of the Coastal Resilience module
On Saturday, December 7, 2024, 21 volunteers planted coastal vegetation in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary's Citizen Scientist certification program. The participants, professors in the University of Puerto Rico's SEPA program, planted approximately 671 red mangrove and button mangrove seedlings. We thank Professor Michelle Borrero, who led the group.
The Estuary, in collaboration with Surfrider Puerto Rico, participated in a coastal vegetation planting on the Guajataca River in Quebradillas on Saturday, December 14, 2024. In this event, 14 participants planted some 658 specimens of red mangrove, white mangrove and button mangrove, among other species.
Learn more about the Estuary Coastal Resilience module at estuary.org/ccc.
Certification of scientific citizens
The following are the upcoming scheduled events. See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module:
Job opportunities
Media coverage
Roberto Ortiz. December 17, 2024. Boost for the San Juan Bay Estuary. Lifestyle. Metro PR. Web. https://www.metro.pr/estilo-vida/2024/12/17/impulso-a-programa-del-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan/
December 17, 2024. Automotive company announces commitment to the San Juan Bay Estuary. Economy. NotiCel. Web. https://www.noticel.com/economia/20241217/empresa-automotriz-anuncia-compromiso-con-el-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan/
December 17, 2024. Environmental alliance between automotive company and the San Juan Bay Estuary. Health and Environment. WIPR. Web. https://wipr.pr/alianza-ambiental-entre-empresa-automotriz-y-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan/
December 18, 2024. Gómez Hermanos Paulson allocates $100 to the San Juan Bay Estuary. Environment. News is my Business. Web. https://newsismybusiness.com/gomez-hermanos-paulson-allocates-100k-to-san-juan-bay-estuary/?mc_cid=2bf0bc7f03
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. We have a RED flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding all areas that exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
