Estuario Weekly Update
Don’t miss the next Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, this Saturday, September 5th. Join the upcoming urban trails through the metropolitan region of Puerto Rico and join us for the Friends of the Lagoon meeting. Check out these and other activities scheduled to benefit the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE), below.
Family Day
Join us for the Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in celebration of West Indian Manatee Conservation Day. We will have workshops, a sports activity, art, an interpretive tour, and opportunities to accumulate Contacto Verde or community service hours.
All minors must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is not necessary. See the agenda of activities at: estuario.org/eventos
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: Michael (2026); on Saturday, September 5, 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 screening is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair.
Urban trails
Learn how your urban environment interacts with the waters that flow into the SJBE. Join us on the urban trails: Discovering the connections between the city’s water and the estuary:
Saturday, September 12, at 8:00 a.m. in the Jaime Benítez Park of the Laguna del Condado Estuarine Natural Reserve
Thursday, September 17, at 8:00 a.m. in Old San Juan
These tours count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately. Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos
Friends of the Lagoon meeting
Join the next Amigos de la Laguna meeting, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon. All neighbors, merchants, friends, and users of this natural space are invited. Registration is not required to attend in person.
To get your Zoom access link, register HERE.
Help us document restoration and conservation efforts in the SJBE watershed
Each year, we document habitat restoration and conservation efforts implemented throughout the SJBE watershed. Thus, we gather valuable information to support public investment in the region.
We urge all communities, organizations, or agencies carrying out restoration and conservation projects in the region to submit their projects for the period from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, including pending projects.
These projects are reported to EPA and Congress. The form must be completed by September 30, 2026. We thank all the entities that are part of this effort. Access the form: HERE.
International Coastal Cleanup
On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP) joins Scuba Dogs Society in the International Coastal Cleanup, as group captains of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
We will have a land cleanup along the Lagoon shoreline and an underwater cleanup. With this activity, we mark the preamble to National Estuaries Week, which will be from September 20 to 26. More information later.
National Estuaries Week
From Sunday, September 20 to Saturday, September 26, we will be celebrating National Estuaries Week, with an agenda full of educational activities and environmental action for the benefit of the ecosystems connected to the SJBE.
We will open the week with the event, Paddle with the Estuary; an activity to raise awareness about the beauty and importance of our Island’s bodies of water, on Sunday, September 20th. Join us in kayaking, paddle boarding or preferred water sports from the body of water of your choice, share your photo and tag us on social networks (@estuariosanjuan on Instagram and Facebook). The SJBEP will be paddling from the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, where we will have educational activities about the ecological importance and conservation of the Lagoon.
We will soon share the calendar of events for the whole week. Stay tuned to our newsletter and socials!
Seminar on the Juan Méndez Creek
We invite you to the seminar: Space-temporal dynamics of the contributions of the Juan Méndez Creek to the San José and Corozos lagoons through remote perception; on September 16, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in room C-206 of the Department of Environmental Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico.
5K La Tierra es Nuestra
Fideicomiso de la Tierra del Caño Martín Peña invites you to the fourth edition of the 5K La Tierra es Nuestra; on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 6:30 a.m. in San Juan, PR. See more information and register, HERE.
Bird censuses in the ecosystems connected to the SJBE
Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us on the most recent participatory bird census through the Blasina Linear Trail in Carolina, on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The census counted as a field experience for the Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Participatory Bird Census module. This data is used to assess the health of ecosystems connected to the SJBE. Congratulations to those who completed their certification!
Get ready for the next census. Join the Participatory Bird Census workshop on September 15th. See more information below.
Expansion of the SJBE Remote Monitoring System
We continue strengthening the SJBE remote monitoring system. This week, Dr. Jorge Bauzá, SJBEP Scientific Director, together with Edward Hernandez, Remote Monitoring Coordinator, installed four new remote monitoring stations, located in Caño Martín Peña, the Puerto Nuevo River area, the Condado Lagoon and the La Torrecilla Lagoon. These new stations expand the coverage of the network and strengthen the continuous collection of data on water quality conditions in the SJBE system.
On an ongoing basis, the stations measure water quality parameters, including temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. This data provides direction and sets priorities for an effective restoration effort of the SJBE system. In addition, it provides information on the impact of infrastructure works in the region and on those areas that deserve investment in capital improvements.
View live data from the SJBE Monitoring System, HERE.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities for the coming weeks. Remember that the workshops and field experiences count towards Contacto Verde or community service hours. Minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately. See all the activities at: estuario.org/eventos
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; on Tuesday, September 8, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, September 10, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experiences: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Monday, September 14, at 8:30 a.m. in Las Curías and Río Piedras
Field Experiences: Physical-Chemical Monitoring; Tuesday, September 15, at 9:00 a.m. in San Juan Bay
Field Experiences: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Wednesday, September 16, at 8:00 a.m. in Laguna San José/La Torrecilla
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, September 17, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; Tuesday, September 15, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field experience; on Sunday, September 20, at 7:00 a.m. at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Field experience; on Friday, September 11, at 9:00 a.m. at Balneario El Escambrón
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrass; Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Planting of coastal vegetation; Saturday, September 12, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, September 12, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Evaluation of Seagrasses; Saturday, September 12, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Seed Collection; Sunday, September 13, at 8:00 a.m. in Hato Rey
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Dunes and Mangroves; Thursday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field Experience: Seagrass Ecological Assessment; Saturday, September 19, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Propagation of coastal vegetation; on Sunday, September 20, at 8:00 a.m. in Loíza
Be Prepared this Hurricane Season
This 2026 hurricane season, SJBEP urges you to be prepared. Download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. Protecting your community starts at home.
Also visit the SJBEP’s Virtual Community Hub, where you’ll find vital information such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don’t be scared! Be prepared.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring in the Condado Lagoon on Thursday, September 3, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists. Up next, the results.
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, September 3, 2026. We have a GREEN 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.
