Vigilantes del Estuario share water monitoring results with EPA

May 13, 2009

Representatives from the water monitoring Vigilantes del Estuario, developed by the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) in alliance with Crowley Puerto Rico Services Inc., met today with the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Caribbean Division, Mr. Carl Soderberg, to share their findings throughout the school semester.

The students presented a summary of the data found in the Piñones Lagoon, and they shared their experiences in the field: “This has been a completely different experience, we’ve learned a lot from the state of our waters and the importance of keeping them clean,” said Joalisse Ortíz, student from Escuela del Deporte. “It’s super cool because we get to share the findings with our classmates and show them the results so that they can know too about the state of the Estuary’s water,” said Heriberto Cruz, also a classmate from Escuela del Deporte.

The Vigilantes del Estuario group is comprised of students and young members of ten communities who will be in charge of monitoring the water quality in different parts of the Estuary with the equipment provided by Crowley. These kits are able to measure indexes such as: dissolved oxygen, pH and nutrients, among many others. These indexes tell us the health status of the waters tested.

The students participating in the Vigilantes del Estuario program are members of the following schools and communities: Congregación Mita School in Río Piedras, Dr. Charles Mohler School in Guaynabo, Saint John’s School in San Juan, Sagrado Corazón Academy in Santurce, Manuel Elsaburo School in Cantera and Martin Garcia Giusti School in Toa Baja. Students from the communities Pa’ los Duros in Carolina, Corredor del Yaguazo in Cataño, Centro Sor Isolina Ferre in Caimito y Escuela del Deporte de San Juan will also participate.

The SJBE developed an Integrated Management and Conservation Plan, whose objective is the protection of the Estuary’s natural integrity. The most important goal of this Plan is to improve the water quality and sediments of the estuarine system. For this to happen, the implementation of a water-monitoring program is crucial.

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About the San Juan Bay Estuary
An estuary is a coastal area where fresh water from rivers and rain meet with salt water from the ocean. The San Juan Bay Estuary is composed of the San Juan Bay, the Condado Lagoon, San José Lagoon, Los Corozos Lagoon, La Torrecilla Lagoon and Piñones Lagoon. It also includes water systems such as the San Antonio Canal, Suárez Canal and Martín Peña Canal. El Consortium of the SJBE was created as an effort to identify and recommend those actions necessary to protect and better the Estuary’s natural integrity.

About Crowley Puerto Rico Services Inc.
Crowley Puerto Rico Services Inc. has served the local market for over 50 years. The company transports about one out of every three containers shipped between the United States and Puerto Rico, which has helped them become Puerto Rico’s number one ocean carrier. Crowley is always searching for new opportunities to help preserve our environment. Through the years the company has upgraded multiple engine components of their marine fleet making it more fuel-efficient and reducing the emissions it generates. The “Vigilantes del Estuario” program opens the door for the development of new initiatives with the community.