The San Juan Bay Estuary Program leads various initiatives to monitor the water quality of our ecosystem and to understand the success of the implementation of our Comprehensive Management and Conservation Plan through three actions:
- Water quality monitoring with volunteers
- Bacteriological monitoring and public notification
- Puerto Rico Water Quality Monitoring Day
Water quality monitoring with volunteers
This program, created in 2008, collects water samples and measures the concentration of 12 water quality parameters, including nutrients (nitrates, nitrites and total phosphorus), bacteria that indicate fecal contamination (fecal coliforms and enterococci), oils and fats, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity.
Monthly we take samples at 26 stations distributed across 13 water bodies representative of the diversity of aquatic systems present in the watershed and estuarine coast.
As part of this effort, we have trained approximately 400 citizen scientists through theoretical and practical workshops to conduct the sampling. In this section, you will find the observations made.
Water Quality Data
To access the monthly data collected, click on the following link.Get certified
We invite you to become a certified citizen scientist! One of the requirements is to participate as a volunteer in water quality monitoring. Access the following link. link To learn more about the certification offerings and requirements, contact us. We're counting on you!Bacteriological monitoring and public notification program
Weekly, PEBSJ staff collect samples from estuarine waters to determine the presence of the fecal bacteria group Enterococcus sp. The analysis is performed in our laboratory, without relying on external resources. The samples are prepared and processed using IDEXX's QuantiTray method. To determine water quality, we compare the results with the federal standard known as the "Beach Action Value," which sets a limit of no more than 70 CFU/100m³.
The innovative monitoring and public notification program began in 2014 in the Condado Lagoon Nature Reserve area. After Hurricane Maria, we extended monitoring to the entire northern shoreline of the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed.
Water Quality Data
Samples are collected and analyzed every Thursday, and the results are published on Fridays in the space below and on our social media:
Results of weekly bacteriological monitoring:
For weekly data, please access the following link.
Puerto Rico Water Quality Day
With the goal of raising awareness about the importance of keeping our waters in optimal condition, Puerto Rico's Water Quality Day has allowed thousands of volunteers to be trained to carry out simple water quality tests in rivers, lakes, lagoons, estuaries and the sea around the entire island.
Learn more about this great event through the following link.
