Weekly Estuary Update
This April, Earth Month, presents an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with our environment and the actions we can take for its well-being. Through the Estuary's ecological restoration, citizen science, and environmental education initiatives, we continue to strengthen a network of collaborators, residents, and friends who defend our waterways and natural spaces. Below, we share the events and activities scheduled to benefit the waters of the San Juan Bay Estuary. Join us!
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
The time has come! Puerto Rico's seventeenth Water Quality Day will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at a body of water near you.
If you didn't get your water quality assessment kit, no problem. Join one of the stations open to the general public, where you can join other citizen scientists and be part of this initiative. Choose the location most convenient for you on the event portal: estuary.org/waterqualityday.
Thanks to the collaborators of the 17th Annual Water Quality Day for making this event more accessible. We appreciate the continued support of Ford Environmental Donations and their commitment to the environment of Puerto Rico.
Earth Month
April is Earth Month, and the Estuary has a calendar full of activities for you to be part of the conservation and restoration of our ecosystems.
April 22, Earth Day, is a key day to reflect on our impact on the environment and the actions we can take. Throughout the month, we invite you to join our events, volunteer opportunities, and educational activities designed to protect the waters and ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary.
See more information and sign up at estuary.org/events.
Family day out
The next family outing to the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve will be on Saturday, April 5, at Jaime Benítez Park. As part of Water Quality Day, we will be conducting monitoring activities at 9:00 am and 10:00 am. We will also have a sports activity, educational games related to water quality, an interpretive walk through the Reserve, a trivia game, and an Estuary Movie. Certain activities may be eligible for Green Contact time or community service, as applicable. See more information at: estuary.org/events.
Estuary Cinema
Estuary Cinema presents: The Wild Robot; Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 7:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. This screening is free. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. No registration is required. Bring your blanket or chair!
Planting in the County Lagoon
As part of the certification process as citizen scientists in the Estuary Coastal Resilience module, ten students from Robinson School, along with their teacher, carried out a planting of coastal vegetation and feedback on past plantings, in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Reserve.
Focusing on mangrove ecosystems, the students planted about 400 mangrove specimens, mostly red mangrove, also including white mangrove and black mangrove.
We thank the teacher, Maryam Vázquez, who led the group of students along with the Coastal Resilience coordinators, Andreína Alexatos and Agnes Pagán.
Media coverage
April 3, 2025. Water Quality Day. On the Morning Show. TeleOnce (WLII-DT). Puerto Rico. https://youtu.be/ZAgNVPgUW5w
Assessment conducted on Thursday, April 3, 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.
