Estuario Weekly Update
This April, month of Earth Day, brings an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with the environment and the actions we can take to protect it. Through the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP)’s ecological restoration, participatory science, and environmental education initiatives, we continue to strengthen a network of collaborators, residents, and friends who defend our interconnected bodies of water and natural spaces. Below, we share with you the events and activities scheduled to benefit the waters of the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). Join us!
Support the SJBEP with your Refund
This new filing season, consider donating your refund to the actions of eliminating sanitary discharges to bodies of water loved by all, such as the Condado Lagoon and beaches. You also support the restoration of the San Juan Bay, canals that connect the lagoons of the San Juan metropolitan region, and management projects for this important 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 line 1B of the “Refund” box on page 1 of your return.
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 in estuario.org/donar/.
Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
The moment has arrived! The seventeenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 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 that’s most convenient for you on the event portal: estuario.org/diadecalidaddeagua.
Thank you to the contributors to the seventeenth Water Quality Day for making this event more accessible. We appreciate the continued support of Ford Environmental Donations and their commitment to Puerto Rico’s environment.
Earth Day Month
April is Earth Day month, and the SJBEP 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 to reduce it. We invite you to join our events, volunteer opportunities, and educational activities scheduled throughout the month to protect the waters and ecosystems connected to the SJBE.
See more information and sign up, at estuario.org/eventos.
Family Day
The next Family Day in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve will be on Saturday, April 5, on the grounds of Parque Jaime Benítez. As part of Water Quality Day, we will be conducting monitoring activities at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We will also have a sports activity, educational games related to water quality, an interpretive walk through the Reserve, a trivia and Cine del Estuario. Certain activities may be validated for Contacto Verde time or community service, as applicable. See more information at: estuario.org/eventos.
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: The Wild Robot; on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Parque Jaime Benítez of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. This feature is free of charge. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. No registration is required. Bring your blanket or chair!
Planting in the Condado Lagoon
As part of the certification process as citizen scientists in the SJBEP’s Coastal Resilience module, ten students from the Robinson School, together with their teacher, carried out a planting of coastal vegetation and reinforcement for previous plantings, at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
Focusing on mangrove ecosystems, the students planted about 400 specimens of mostly red mangroves, including white mangroves and black mangroves.
We thank the teacher, Maryam Vázquez, who led the group of students together with the Coastal Resilience coordinators, Andreína Alexatos and Agnes Pagán.
Media coverage
April 3, 2025. Día de la Calidad del Agua. En La Mañana. TeleOnce (WLII-DT). Puerto Rico. https://youtu.be/ZAgNVPgUW5w
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, April 3, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
