March 20, 2019 – San Juan, Puerto Rico – With the goal of raising awareness about the importance of waterways and promoting the responsible management of this vital resource, Brenda Torres, Executive Director of the San Juan Bay Estuary (Estuary), invites citizens to participate in the eleventh annual Puerto Rico Water Quality Monitoring Day on Saturday, March 30. Over the years, the Estuary has trained and empowered more than 10,000 citizens to monitor waterways near their homes, schools, and recreational areas. This event is the largest citizen science project in Puerto Rico.
“Water and its quality are always present in our lives, but not in a tangible way. It's not until we witness pollution in beaches, lagoons, and rivers that we ask ourselves who is responsible. Water Quality Monitoring Day aims to let citizens know that water quality is not only in the hands of the government, but in the hands of each and every one of us. By offering workshops on water sample collection and involving citizens in this process on March 30, we create a remarkable awareness and a sense of ownership over these bodies of water,” said Brenda Torres.
The Estuary offers all of Puerto Rico the opportunity to connect with water and participate in the care of this natural resource. It is an educational science activity for the whole family where participants have the opportunity to learn about and interact with their environment, collect water samples, evaluate them, and report their findings.
For this event, 200 monitoring stations will be activated, manned by leaders and volunteers from the Estuary, to receive approximately 1,000 people on Saturday morning. Additionally, academic institutions at key locations across the island are joining forces to collect samples following the USEPA-approved protocol, allowing us to accurately report on water conditions at specific points around the island.
For more information and registration, you can visit the Facebook page: EstuarioSanJuan or the website www.estuario.org. You can also write to us through [email protected]Additionally, they can call the Estuary Center at (787) 725-8165.
“Water and its quality are always present in our lives, but not in a tangible way. It's not until we witness pollution in beaches, lagoons, and rivers that we ask ourselves who is responsible. Water Quality Monitoring Day aims to let citizens know that water quality is not only in the hands of the government, but in the hands of each and every one of us. By offering workshops on water sample collection and involving citizens in this process on March 30, we create a remarkable awareness and a sense of ownership over these bodies of water,” said Brenda Torres.
The Estuary offers all of Puerto Rico the opportunity to connect with water and participate in the care of this natural resource. It is an educational science activity for the whole family where participants have the opportunity to learn about and interact with their environment, collect water samples, evaluate them, and report their findings.
For this event, 200 monitoring stations will be activated, manned by leaders and volunteers from the Estuary, to receive approximately 1,000 people on Saturday morning. Additionally, academic institutions at key locations across the island are joining forces to collect samples following the USEPA-approved protocol, allowing us to accurately report on water conditions at specific points around the island.
For more information and registration, you can visit the Facebook page: EstuarioSanJuan or the website www.estuario.org. You can also write to us through [email protected]Additionally, they can call the Estuary Center at (787) 725-8165.
