Estuario Weekly Update
This week, we invite you to be an active part of the care of our waters. We continue to create spaces to learn, move, and connect with nature and the community, from supporting the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP) with your reimbursement to the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico. Explore the opportunities, participate and be part of the actions that contribute to the restoration and management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE).
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.
Register for the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
Register today for the Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico, the largest participatory science event on the Island!
For the eighteenth year in a row, you’ll monitor the water quality of rivers, streams, lagoons, reservoirs, and beaches near you. You will learn how to use the monitoring kit provided by SJBEP and collect data that contributes to a better understanding of the health of water bodies.
Create your group, choose your body of water and sign up, in estuario.org/diadecalidaddeagua. Monitoring kits are limited, so we recommend signing up as soon as possible. The eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico will be on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. throughout the archipelago.
Take advantage of our virtual training workshops, where you will learn how to use the water quality monitoring kit (provided by SJBEP) and how to correctly record the data you collect that day.
See the dates at: https://estuario.org/eventos
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 walk 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. The kids 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. The volunteers of the event will receive a T-shirt and will have reserved parking, in the DNER building, steps from the event. They will need to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce later.
Sign up to volunteer for the Estuary 5K in estuario.org/eventos.
Save the Date: Earth Day Celebration
On Saturday, April 25, SJBEP will be present at the Earth Day celebration of Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras. There will be food kiosks, artisans, educational activities and more. Save the date!
We will provide several activities during the event:
Participatory Bird Census Field Experience [7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.] (this activity requires registration, at: estuario.org/eventos)
Informational Talk: San Juan Bay Estuary: Education and Citizen Science Opportunities [10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.]
Interpretive Tour: Discovering the Nature of Urban Forests [1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.]
We will also have several informative tables, where you will learn about the urban green spaces of the SJBE basin and their biodiversity, and where you will have the opportunity to sign up for the Estuario 5K at the “early bird” price of $30. Hope to see you there!
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
March Family Day a success
The SJBEP held its customary Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve on Saturday, March 7. The day began with the first training workshop for the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico, where the event coordinator, Aranxa Martínez, guided us on how to use the monitoring kit to perform analyses of various physical-chemical parameters of the water.
Later, we conducted a land cleanup in the Reserve, where we collected 192 pounds of waste from the south and northwest shores of the Lagoon. We appreciate the willingness and environmental commitment of the volunteers who joined! After the cleanup, we held a talk about the ecosystems of the Reserve, its biodiversity and its relationship with the waters of the SJBE.
The day closed with Cine del Estuario, with the outdoor screening of How to Train Your Dragon (2025). About 52 people enjoyed this function.
We thank our aquatic waste management team, Cristina Ramírez, Stacy Larancuent, and Paul Lanctin, and the Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico coordinator, Aranxa Martínez, for their collaboration during this event.
Thanks also to the Jaime Benítez Park administrator, Wilfredo Vázquez, and the San Juan Municipal Police, for their continuous support.
The next Family Day will be on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and will coincide with the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico. More details will be published soon.
City trail in Condado
This past Sunday, March 22nd, we celebrated World Water Day with an urban tour from Condado Lagoon to its surrounding beaches, exploring the connection between the city and the SJBE.
The heavy rain did not stop the experience. On the contrary, it allowed us to observe first-hand how water flows and connects different urban spaces with the coastal ecosystems to which they belong.
Participants discussed runoff, storm and sanitary sewer systems, water quality monitoring, and the vital role of coastal vegetation as a protector of marine biodiversity. We thank everyone who was part of this learning experience.
Actions for the reduction of aquatic waste
In the SJBE watershed.
The SJBEP was present with its educational table at the most recent Recycling Pop-up in Loíza, on Saturday, March 21. We educated those present about the Municipality’s actions for the correct management of used vegetable oil, in addition to the efforts of the community campaign with LimPiaR: Deja una huella limpia en Piñones, and other educational initiatives on the importance of conserving our waters and gray infrastructure.
During the event, 778 pounds of recyclable material were recovered, including plastic, aluminum, and cardboard. We thank the more than 100 people who deviated their recyclables. The Recycling Pop-up in Loíza takes place on the third Saturday of each month, at Parque Miguel Fuentes Pinet. Items accepted include plastics #1, #2 and #5, aluminum, brass and corrugated cardboard.
Learn more about the SJBEP’s used vegetable oil diversion efforts, here.
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
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological monitoring; Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m. through Zoom
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; Tuesday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. through Zoom
Field experience; on Friday, April 10, at 7:00 a.m. at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m. through Zoom
Field Experience: Seed collection and propagation; Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 a.m. at Piñones
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 11, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, April 11, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Media Coverage
March 22, 2026. Brenda Torres Barreto. La naturaleza como aliada clave. Opinión. El Nuevo Día. p.39.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, March 26, 2026. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter for 70 CFU/100 ML enterococci. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
