Estuario Weekly Update
Citizen Science month continues at the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP). With just days to go until the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico, we’re sharing multiple opportunities to take action, from turning your refund into direct support for conservation, to joining participatory science experiences, family activities, and educational community events. Every action counts! Read on and find your space to contribute.
Support SJBEP with your Refund
This filing season, consider donating your income to conservation and management actions of the waters and ecosystems connected to the SJBE.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary”, which you will find in the “Refund” box on page 1 of your form.
This method is possible thanks to Act 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: estuario.org/donar.
Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
Eight days to go! On Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., you will evaluate and collect data on the water quality of rivers, streams, lagoons, reservoirs, and beaches near you, as part of the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico.
If you haven’t signed up, now is the time. Create your group, choose your body of water and register today, at estuario.org/diadecalidaddeagua.
Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
Celebrate the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico with SJBEP! Join the next Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, April 18, 2026, starting at 9:00 a.m. on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park. See the agenda of activities, in estuario.org/eventos.
Various activities will count toward accumulating Contacto Verde or community service hours, as applicable. No registration is required. If you have any questions or comments, please email us at: [email protected].
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: A Minecraft Movie; on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. This feature is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair!
Estuario 5K at Jardín Botánico
Join a race like no other, carried out entirely within the grounds of the botanical garden, Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras. We have an updated route, perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. You will travel along trails, appreciating streams and lakes, listening to the singing of birds and under the shade of centuries-old native trees. There will be a 1K segment for kids. Little ones will have fun at their own pace!
The second edition of the Estuario 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. at Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras, in San Juan.
The Estuario 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuario 5K
There are still spaces for adult volunteers (ages 18 and older) to support during the Estuario 5K race at Jardín Botánico, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on May 17, 2026. Volunteers of the event will receive a T-shirt and will have reserved parking steps from the event. They will need to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce at a later date.
Sign up to volunteer at the Estuario 5K, in estuario.org/eventos.
Actions for the reduction of aquatic waste
In the watershed of the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) watershed.
This Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at Taller Comunidad La Goyco, Cinema Paradiso and LimPiaR present the documentary Microplastic Madness: Brooklyn kids take on plastic pollution. This initiative of Cafeteria Cultura, a non-profit organization based in New York, presents the plastic pollution crisis locally and globally from the message of middle school students in Brooklyn. The documentary will be in English with Spanish subtitles. Estuario will participate in the Cine Foro (conversation) after the screening.
Join us and learn about the efforts of the community campaign, Que no toque el piso ni llegue al agua, and the environmental efforts carried out through Taller Comunidad La Goyco.
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
Strengthening our coasts
Through the end of March, we carried out several actions to strengthen the coastal ecosystems connected to the SJBE, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the SJBEP’s Certification for Citizen Scientists.
Planting in Condado (March 22)
Despite the rains, three university students participated in a planting day in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, where they established 10 red mangrove, white mangrove and black mangrove seedlings. The experience included an educational talk about restoration efforts in the area and the key role of mangroves in erosion mitigation.
Maintenance and propagation in Vivero Estuario (March 27)
Four volunteers joined essential tasks at the Vivero Estuario nursery in Centro TAU, Loíza, including the transplantation of white mangrove seedlings and the propagation of red mangroves. They also carried out cleaning and maintenance tasks, strengthening the processes that sustain coastal restoration projects.
Mass planting in Condado (March 28)
To close this series of efforts, 15 volunteers from the SEPA-UPR group carried out a large-scale planting in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, establishing around 206 red mangrove and black mangrove seedlings in areas affected by erosion. This intervention aims to strengthen coastal vegetation cover in the area and directly contributes to the resilience of this ecosystem.
Each of these experiences added to the same objectives: to restore, protect and learn from action. We thank the commitment of our citizen scientists!
See more SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists workshops and field experiences, below.
Media coverage
April 6, 2026. Día de Calidad de Agua. Hoy Día Puerto Rico. Telemundo Puerto Rico. Web: https://youtu.be/RgRaEGVfVBc
April 8, 2026. Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan invita a participar en el Día de Calidad de Agua. Ciencia y Ambiente. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/otros/notas/estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan-invita-a-participar-en-el-dia-de-calidad-de-agua/
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Remember that all workshops and field experiences count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. See more information in estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; Thursday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field Experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; Monday, April 20, at 8:30 a.m. at Las Curías Lake and Piedras River
Field Experience: Physical-Chemical Monitoring; Tuesday, April 21, at 9:00 a.m. at San Juan Bay
Field Experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; Wednesday, April 22, at 8:00 a.m. at Laguna San José/Torrecilla
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, April 23, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; on Saturday, April 25, at 7:00 a.m. at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; Tuesday, April 21, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; Tuesday, April 14, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field Experience: Seed Collection; Friday, April 17, at 8:00 a.m. in Hato Rey
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 18, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Saturday, April 18, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; Thursday, April 23, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Seed Propagation; on Sunday, April 26, at 8:00 a.m. at Vivero Estuario at Centro TAU, Loíza
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, April 9, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. Several stations exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. We recommend avoiding these areas. Remember to avoid water during rain events. Have a good weekend.
