Weekly Estuary Update
Thank you for being part of one of the most important citizen science initiatives in the Puerto Rican archipelago! This week, the focus continues: it's time to close this cycle of Puerto Rico Water Quality Day by registering your data and returning your kit, so that each sample collected becomes useful knowledge for protecting our waters.
Meanwhile, Estuario continues to be active with events for the entire community, from family gatherings to educational and conservation initiatives. Keep reading to find your next way to connect and contribute.
Record your results and return the Puerto Rico Water Quality Day kit
Thank you for being part of the eighteenth Puerto Rico Water Quality Day!
Your participation is essential to continue generating information about the health of our water bodies and to strengthen conservation efforts throughout the archipelago.
As a next step, we encourage you to complete the monitoring process:
• Record the data collected during your sampling, through our website
• Return the water quality kit to the indicated drop-off point
Your data will provide valuable information that can be analyzed to better understand the quality of our water resources on the island. Returning the kits is key to refurbishing and reusing them in the coming years.
Access the data registration form at: estuary.org/waterqualityday
We thank you again for your commitment and the time you have dedicated to this collective effort. With your support, we continue to promote greater awareness and action for a Puerto Rico with clean and safe water.
Family day out
Don't miss the next Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Jaime Benítez Park. This month we celebrate Mother's Day and Puerto Rico's endemic birds. We will have the following activities:
Sports activity: Pilates for mom with instructor Laura Magruder [2:00 pm]
Talk about the San Juan Bay Estuary (Green Contact/community service) [3:00 pm]
Art activity for mom: natural dye with jagua fruits (Green Contact/community service) [3:30 pm]
Talk: Endemic birds of Puerto Rico in the estuary wetlands (Green Contact/community service) [4:30 pm]
Birdwatching tour in the Reserve (Green Contact/community service) [5:30 pm]
Some activities count toward Green Touch/community service hours, as applicable. See more information at: estuary.org/events
Estuary Cinema
Estuary Cinema presents: Zootopia 2; Saturday, May 2, 2026, at 7:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. This screening is free. Bring your blanket or chair. We hope to see you there!
Workshop for interpreters
If you are a tour guide, interpreter, or non-formal educator, Estuario invites you to the workshop. Birds of estuarine ecosystems: Techniques for creating meaningful experiences; Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. This workshop counts toward continuing education contact hours for tour guides. Register today. HERE.
Earth Day with the UPR Botanical Garden
Estuary will be celebrating Earth Day with the UPR Botanical Garden, starting at 7:00 am on Saturday, April 25.
We will have a bird census (registration required), an informative talk, an interpretive tour, and information tables where you will have the opportunity to register for the second edition of the Estuary 5K in the Botanical Garden at a special price of early bird ($ 30).
Join us! See our schedule of activities at: estuary.org/events
5K Estuary in the Botanical Garden
Join a race like no other, held entirely within the grounds of the Río Piedras Botanical Garden!
We're sharing the updated route with you, where you'll walk along trails, appreciating nature and listening to birdsong under the shade of centuries-old native trees. The route is perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. There will be a 1K segment for children.
The second edition of the Estuary 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 am at the Rio Piedras Botanical Garden in San Juan.
The Estuary 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuary 5K.
There are still some spaces available for volunteers. adults (18 years and older) to support the Estuary 5K race at the Botanical Garden, from 6:00 am to 10:00 am on May 17, 2026. Event volunteers will receive a t-shirt and have reserved parking at the DRNA building, steps from the event. They will be required to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce later.
Sign up as a volunteer for the Estuary 5K, en estuary.org/events.
Actions for the reduction of aquatic waste
Through the San Juan Bay estuary watershed.
La Goyco Community Fair
This Saturday, April 25th, Estuario will be present at the La Goyco Community Workshop Fair, from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm
There will be workshops, story readings, music, a discussion about composting, and a screening and discussion of the documentary: The Rights of Nature.
Look for our information table!
Barrio Obrero Foundation Festival
Last Friday, April 17, the Estuary participated in the Barrio Obrero Foundation Festival with an educational booth. We shared information with attendees about the importance of the San Juan Bay estuary and the impact of vegetable oil on water quality, in support of the community beautification campaign in Barrio Obrero Oeste and Barrio Obrero Marina. To beautify is to belong.
We thank the event coordinators for the invitation and congratulate them on their efforts and activities during the fourth edition of this festival. We also send our warmest regards to the students from the various schools who participated and benefited from the educational component of the event.
Pop-up Recycling in Loíza
Last Saturday, April 18th, Estuario participated in the monthly Recycling Pop-up event in Loíza. Our educational booth featured a water quality monitoring station. We also shared information about the "Leave a Clean Footprint" campaign in Piñones and other educational initiatives, highlighting the importance of conserving our water resources and infrastructure, as well as the Municipality of Loíza's efforts to divert used cooking oil.
The Loíza Recycling Pop-up takes place on the third Saturday of each month at Miguel Fuentes Pinet Park. The following materials are accepted: #1, #2, and #5 plastics, aluminum, brass, and corrugated cardboard. This event is organized by LimPiaR, Tais, and the Municipality of Loíza.
Opportunities for professional services contracts
Sow with L'Oréal in County
As part of its Earth Day celebration, L'Oréal Caribe joined the Estuary to plant red mangroves in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. This planting event is part of a strategic alliance between L'Oréal and the Estuary that seeks to increase biodiversity in the Reserve across three key ecosystems: mangroves, seagrass, and corals; to reverse decades of environmental damage and ensure the Reserve's sustainability.
Thanks to the L'Oréal Caribe team for their support and commitment to these restoration projects in the Condado Lagoon.
Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Remember that all workshops and field experiences count toward Green Contact hours or community service. See more information at [website address]. estuary.org/ccc.
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; on Tuesday, May 5th, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field experience; on Saturday, May 9, at 7:00 am in the Piñones State Forest
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Workshop; on Thursday, May 7th, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Field experience: Seed propagation; on Sunday, April 26, at 8:00 am at Vivero Estuario in Centro TAU, Loíza
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; on Wednesday, May 6th, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field experience: Ecological assessment of coral reefs; on Saturday, May 9st, at 8:00 am at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Ecological assessment of seagrasses; on Saturday, May 9th, at 12:00 pm at the County Lagoon
Media coverage
April 16, 2026. The San Juan Bay Estuary: How Healthy Is Our Water? TeleOnce. Web: https://teleonce.com/programas/uncategorized/el-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan-que-tan-saludable-esta-nuestra-agua/
Paola Sierra Gelpí. April 23, 2026. Pollutant discharges persist in the San Juan estuary despite years of public investment. News. MetroPR. p.4. Web: https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/04/23/persisten-descargas-contaminantes-en-el-estuario-de-san-juan-pese-a-anos-de-inversion-publica/
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, April 23, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification. The results are below.
Assessment conducted on Thursday, April 23, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the area that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events. Have a good weekend.
