The Paseo Lineal runs along the south edge of the Condado Lagoon, next to the Baldorioty de Castro expressway and in front of Parque Nacional Jaime Benítez. The ground has collapsed at several points where the water meets the wall, and loose rock now fills them. In the shallows nearby are small red mangrove plants. This fall the lagoon also has boats carrying scientists who aren't fishing or paddling.
All of this belongs to one project. For now the project's main product is information, and anyone who lives along the lagoon can read much of it.
What the $6.7 million pays for this year
On October 1, El Nuevo Día reported that the nonprofit Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan had received a $6.7 million grant for erosion mitigation on the lagoon's south shore. The money covers studies, design and permit applications. Nothing gets built in this first phase. FEMA has identified $5.2 million for a second phase, but that money still needs approval.
So the visible work right now is fieldwork. Brenda Torres Barreto, the Estuario's executive director, explained what the boats are for:
"We are going to be seeing boats and scientists working inside the lagoon and in the adjacent areas. These scientists will be doing a series of studies, so citizens who see them can say hello and wish them luck, because they are collecting very important data for us to be able to develop a design."
The team is studying the shoreline, sediment movement, sea level and habitats such as mangroves. It's assessing the coast and five sites identified so far. It's also reviewing the stormwater system, which is shared among the Municipality of San Juan, the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) and the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA). The Estuario's request to FEMA calls for "hybrid" mitigation, meaning designs that use the area's natural features to absorb and filter water before it reaches the lagoon.
Residents were part of it from the start
Torres Barreto dates the project's start to May 28. That day the Estuario met with Condado residents, who described the problems the shoreline has had since Hurricane María in 2017. She has said the community will see the designs too. Once the designs exist, the Estuario plans to present them to the community.
The rock and mangroves on the shore came before the grant. The Municipality filled the collapsed spots with rock as a temporary fix. Tamara González, who directs the city's Office of Planning and Territorial Ordering, said the purpose was to prevent accidents for people on foot. The Estuario and its citizen scientists planted the red mangroves to help absorb the waves. González said the city works with the Estuario under a memorandum of understanding, since several agencies share jurisdiction over the shoreline. She said Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo approved the effort after seeing the full presentation.
The lagoon's readings are public
The boats are new this fall, but some of the lagoon's monitoring has been running all year. On January 29, 2026, the Estuario announced a remote monitoring system made up of buoys in its bodies of water. The Condado Lagoon is one of them. The others are the Río Piedras, Caño Martín Peña, Laguna La Torrecilla, Laguna San José and Laguna San José Sur, and each has its own public dashboard on the Estuario's monitoring system page.
The buoys measure:
- dissolved oxygen
- turbidity
- pH
- water temperature
- microalgae
Readings go out every 15 minutes and are posted around the clock through Hydrosphere. With the dashboard, you can check the water's temperature and clarity before a morning paddle, the same way you'd check the weather.
Bacteria counts, and which shore you're on
The buoys don't track bacteria. A separate weekly program does. The Estuario tests for enterococci, which it uses as a sign of possible untreated sewage, and publishes the results on its water quality pages and in weekly public notices. The enterococci page sets the cutoff. At a site above 70 CFU per 100 mL, the Estuario considers the water unsuitable for swimming or other direct contact. It also recommends staying out of the water for 24 hours after rain stops.
Results change from week to week. In February, the Estuario flagged the Condado Lagoon after its February 5 sampling. When we checked, the most recent sample shown on the public results page was dated April 16, 2026. The latest weekly notice is the only reliable guide to the water on any given day.
Location matters as well. Asked whether the erosion project would help with the contaminated runoff Condado residents often report, Torres Barreto said the south part of the lagoon isn't where nutrients and sewage discharges concentrate. She said that is the north shore. She added that she hopes contamination control improves, at least along the south shore. The south-shore project is about the wall and the shoreline. The water quality concerns on the north side are a separate issue.
Taking part in October
Residents can also help collect the data. The Estuario certifies volunteer citizen scientists, and its live calendar has several October sessions centered on the lagoon. Each field session requires completing the related virtual workshop first.
| Date | Time | Activity | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Workshop: bacteriological monitoring | Zoom |
| Saturday, October 10 | 7:00 a.m. | Field session: participatory bird census | Bosque Estatal de Piñones |
| Tuesday, October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Workshop: physical and chemical water parameters | Zoom |
| Thursday, October 15 | 9:30 a.m. | Field session: bacteriological monitoring | Laguna del Condado |
| Saturday, October 17 | 8:00 a.m. | Field session: coastal vegetation planting | Reserva Natural Estuarina de la Laguna del Condado |
For a newcomer, the most direct route to lagoon fieldwork is the Zoom workshop on the evening of October 8, followed by the sampling session at the lagoon the next Thursday. When we checked, the October 15 field session had 8 spots left and the October 17 planting had 19. The planting is part of the Coastal Resilience module, which has its own workshops, so it's best to confirm eligibility with the Estuario first. If a session is full, the Estuario keeps a waitlist, and questions go to [email protected].
The shoreline the studies cover
The fieldwork area matches the parts of the lagoon residents already use. The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources' management plan for the reserve lists the public access points:
- Paseo Lineal Román Baldorioty de Castro, along the south edge, parallel to the expressway
- Parque Jaime Benítez, to the east, which drivers can reach from PR-26 via Calle Vieques
- The southwest playita, one of the lagoon's three sandy swimming spots
- Playita del Condado by the Conrad, on the north side
- Lomita del Condado, at the east end of Puente Dos Hermanos
The same plan names a floating dock at Parque Jaime Benítez as the launch point for kayaks and paddleboards. The plan described the dock as being in poor condition, so it's worth looking at the dock before planning a launch there. Motorized boats are prohibited in the reserve. According to the plan, Antillean manatees are commonly seen in the lagoon and feed in its seagrass beds, and fast boats are a collision threat to them. The plan also notes that the lagoon's beaches and seagrass provide sea turtle habitat.
For anyone without their own board, two outfitters advertise on the lagoon. Aqua Experiences PR offers clear-kayak tours, paddleboards, classic kayaks, aqua bikes and a floating picnic deck. VIP Adventures PR rents paddleboards and single and double kayaks, and runs sunset paddles. Their schedules change, so confirm before you go. While you're out this fall, you'll share the water with the Estuario's boats.
At Amadeus Luxury Properties, we follow what happens around the Condado Lagoon closely, from the south-shore studies to the public water data. If you're thinking about a home near the lagoon and want to understand how this shoreline is changing, Gloria would be glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
