Regarding weekly bacteriological monitoring in the San Juan Bay Estuary
Estuary staff, with the participation of citizen scientists, collect water samples weekly to determine the presence of the group of fecal bacteria known as enterococci (scientific name, Enterococcus). Based on the results, public notifications are generated to promote the healthy recreational use of the ecosystem and public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends the use of Enterococcus sp. as an indicator of water quality in marine ecosystems. This group of bacteria is naturally found in the human intestine. However, its presence in bodies of water indicates untreated wastewater, which may contain pathogens that could pose a risk to human health. The following link, https://estuario.org/calidad-de-agua/#calidad_agua_semanal, leads to the updated database.
Synthesis and Analysis of Bacteriological Counts from 2019 to 2024
This document is part of the ongoing report entitled "State of the Estuary 2024" and is a draft under the section on Pollutant Parameters in Water, Sediments, and Aquatic Life. It presents the results from monitoring stations in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Reserve and selected beaches along the estuarine watershed coastline between 2019 and 2024. The following link, https://estuario.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Informe-del-Programa-de-Monitoreo-Bacteriologico-ESTUARIO-2025.pdf, leads to the document.
Forensic study on water quality at the discharge point towards County Beach from the De Diego pumping station
On June 12, 2020, the Estuary collected water samples from the discharge point to the shoreline (Condado Beach) of the flood control pump operated by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, known as the De Diego Pump Station. The samples were sent to EQ Lab (a private chemical analysis laboratory) for forensic contaminant analysis known as a Total Compound List (TCL).
The TCL is used when the chemical composition or presence of contaminants in a water sample is unknown. It should be noted that this study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, when commerce, among other activities, was suspended. Attached are the results of the tests performed for a total of 148 chemical parameters.
In summary, the detected organic compounds (acetone, butylbenzyl, phthalates, and pyrenes), as well as the metals (aluminum, chromium, iron, copper, and lead), are associated with products used in motor vehicle maintenance (cleaning, lubrication, incomplete combustion, etc.) and additives used in plastics and other materials. These observations are consistent with densely populated areas and high vehicular traffic. The following link, https://estuario.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Pruebas-Quimicas-Descarga-Estacion-Bomba-De-Diego-Discharge_DRNA_1F-289295-compressed.pdf, leads to the results of the study.
Report on water quality at the De Diego pumping station
On May 3, 2024, the Estuary filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the results of laboratory analyses of samples collected at the inlet and outlet points of the FCPS Diego Stormwater Facility – PREC13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico from 2015 to 2024. This facility is located at the intersection of Julián Blanco and Estrella Marginal streets, State Road PR-26, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On June 18, the USEPA provided the results of the analysis (in PDF format) of the samples collected from the facility's inspection well. There were no reports of samples collected from the discharge outlet into the receiving water body (Condado Beach). The shared reports included the results of biological and chemical sampling. The following link, https://estuario.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/UPR-De-Diego-pump-report-9-6-24-compressed.pdf, leads to the report on the analysis of the data prepared in 2024 by Dr. Gustavo Martínez of the UPR-Mayagüez Agricultural Experiment Station.
