Protectores de Cuencas,

Rio Fajardo Watershed Pollution Threat Analysis

2018

NOAA, National Ocean Service, Office for Coastal Management

"This Watershed Pollution Threat Analysis has been conducted with the intent to build upon the work of Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Enviromental Resources (DNER) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other organizations like the Centro para la Conservacin del Paisaje (CCP) efforts in the Ro Fajardo Watershed (RFW) in order to identify potential watershed restoration projects and cost estimates through a scientific and participatory stakeholder approach for the area. The completed project provides a prioritized list of potential projects and restoration concepts with cost estimates to address Land Based Sources of Pollution (LBSP) at this priority location to complement ongoing management efforts. This initiative will provide direct abatement of LBSP threats, which will benefit coastal and coral reef habitats of the RFW. As part of this effort Protectores de Cuencas, Inc. (PDC) included the implementation of a small scale demonstrative Best Management Practices (BMPs) project selected from the provided potential project list. In March 2015, the CCP, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the DNER and NOAA developed the Ro Fajardo Watershed Management Plan (RFWMP) for the RFW under a contractual agreement with the DNER. The main purpose of this Watershed Pollution Threat Analysis and the recommended Integrated Watershed Management Actions is to serve as a complement of the exiting RFWMP. This work also represents a follow up effort on initial screening efforts of LBSP recently completed in December 2015 entitled: Strategies for the Identification of Sources of Pollution and the Establishment of Erosion and Sedimentation Control Practices in the Municipalities of the Northeastern Ecological Corridor, Puerto Rico) conducted by PDC and funded by the (DNER) through the Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP). The RFW is a conservation priority area for the DNER and NOAA. This region is renowned for its natural beauty and ecological importance that attracts millions of tourists every year. Hence, Puerto Ricos northeastern coastal habitats are some of the most impacted ecosystems throughout the Caribbean. This area has experienced one of the largest development pressures in coastal infrastructure in the past decades having a direct impact in the impairment of water quality. "

FY2018; CRCP Project ID: 30034; Project Title: Expanding erosion and sediment control capacity throughout Guanica and Cabo Rojo watersheds, PR; Principal Investigator: Lisa Vandiver