This year’s edition of Water quality It will be held on Saturday, April 5, and the San Juan Bay Estuary (Estuary) is inviting the public to join the one that is considered the largest citizen science event in Puerto Rico.
Brenda Torres Barretoexecutive director of the estuary, explained that the event is held with the purpose of motivating people to approach the water to evaluate their quality with simple tests.
The localities, he added, include more than 200 evaluation points through the island, specifically on beaches, lakes, lagoons, channels, streams, ponds and bays. In turn, these points join 8,000 monitoring stations of Water qualityon all continents, as part of the “World Water Quality Monitoring Day”
“Estario ensures clean water through its close collaboration with those responsible for handling the infrastructure of the sanitary, rainwater and in natural spaces. The effort to develop awareness is not only for citizens to recognize their importance and take responsible actions, but so that the government and private sector feel empowered in investing in infrastructure improvements ”Said Torres Barreto, in a press release.
“There is a direct relationship between the detriment in water quality and excessive urban development. This year, I want to emphasize the importance of natural and green areas to support the water conservation effort in Puerto Rico,” he added.
People interested in joining the event must identify a body of water close to them; They will receive a water quality “kit” – cost of cost – and then must provide the information collected, that the estuary will collect in a database. According to Torres Barreto, these tests will offer a general idea of the status of quality of water bodies at the island level.
To participate, people must take a training workshop, which the estuary will offer throughout March. Registration information and workshops are available in This page or on social networks (Facebook and Instagram) of the estuary.