The dredging of the Caño Martín Peña [Martín Peña Estuary] will rehabilitate approximately 730 acres of the San José Lagoon, according to findings obtained by PBS & J Caribe agency, which conducted scientific studies as part of a feasibility study carried out the ENLACE Project.

Dr. David Tomasko, senior environmental scientist of the Division of Water Resources of PBS & L explains “This is a much higher than the expected environmental benefit. Improving the flow of water will help manage the salinity conditions that prevent the oxygen from getting to the bottom of the lagoon. The dredging will improve oxygenation, significantly increasing biodiversity and will ultimately benefit the fishing industry and ecotourism.

The Estuary of the Bay of San Juan program reported that the San José Lagoon had a classification of D in the 2009 Water Quality Index. This means that water quality is poor and that the lagoon is frequently threatened and contaminated. The expert says that “dredging is a key player” for the rehabilitation of the San José and Los Corozos lagoon waters, adding that “improvements will be significant about a year after the dredging.”

The dredging will improve conditions to increase biodiversity of local species, such as the native sea bass, crab, and others. The initiative is crucial for the Integral Development Plan used by ENLACE, the G-8 (leaders of the eight neighboring communities), and the Land Trust, whose main objective is to improve the health, safety and the quality of life for 27,000 residents and to restore the Estuary of the San Juan Bay, located within walking distance of the financial center of Hato Rey. Along with the dredging, there will be improvements on the electrical and aqueduct infrastructure, serving hundreds of thousands of residents, merchants, and government agencies in the metropolitan area.

For full article (in Spanish), see http://www.dialogodigital.com/index.php/Restauracion-de-730-cuerdas-de-la-laguna-San-Jose.html

For more on Project ENLACE, see http://www.martinpena.org/

For more on PBS & J Caribe, see http://www.pbsj.com/Press_Room/Press_Releases/PR_Archive_2008/Pages/PBSJCaribeWinsProjectoftheYearAward.aspx and http://www.pbsj.com/Our_Corporation/Pages/Our_Purpose.aspx