Natural Reserve Caño Boquilla is located in the Mayagüez and Añasco

towns in the west zone of Puerto Rico and is considered the first Natural

Reserve of the town of Mayagüez. The Reserve consists of some 173 acres of

land from Punta Algarrobo in Mayagüez to Caño La Puente in Añasco. The

Reserve includes nine nautical miles of sea and is composed of three

estuaries named: Caño Maní, Caño Boquilla, both in Mayagüez, and Caño La

Puente in Añasco. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems, because of

their interaction characteristics of salt water and fresh water; they are habitats

of a great diversity of aquatic species, and are an important economic,

commercial, recreational, and educational source. They protect the coasts

from the onslaught of storm surges caused by extreme climate events such as

hurricanes, tidal waves and tsunamis. The “caños” are small estuaries that

open and close because of the height of sandbars at their mouths to the sea.

This is the first water quality and study of the variability in the chemical and

bacteriological composition of Natural Reserve Caño Boquilla. Physical-

chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, phosphate, nitrate, turbidity,

salinity and temperature) and bacteriological (total coliforms and pathogenic

coliforms) determinations at this Reserve were recorded for three months.

Levels of dissolved oxygen, dissolved oxygen saturation, salinity, turbidity,

total and pathogenic coliforms in the three estuaries are presented, and its

relationship with its geomorphology and rain are evaluated.

Abstract

Introduction

Caño Maní Results

References

• Compañía de Turismo de PR. (2014). Informe de Hallazgos y recomendaciones

Reserva Natural Caño Boquilla, Mayagüez.

• DRNA PR. (2013). Proyecto Reserva Natural Caño Boquilla (PRNCB).

• Jung, H., Zamora, F., & Duzgoren-Aydin, N. S. (2017). Water Quality Monitoring

of an Urban Estuary and a Coastal Aquifer Using Field Kits and Meters: A

Community-Based Environmental Research Project. Journal of Chemical

Education, 94, 1512-1516. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00334

• Navarro Rodríguez, A. J. (2017). ECS: Calidad de Agua. UPRM-Sea Grant PR

• Olsen , S. B., Richter, B. D., & Padma, T. V. (2006). Guía para el manejo del flujo

de agua dulce a los estuarios. Coastal Resources Center, USAID USA,

Pennsylvania/Washington DC, USA. From

http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadi095.pdf

• UPRM Sea Grant PR. (Noviembre de 2017). Gran Reserva Boquilla. From

Reserva Natural Caño Boquilla, UPRM Sea Grant PR:

https://granreservaboquilla.wordpress.com

Acknowledgment This work was supported by iCATCH: Innovative Curriculum for Agricultural

Training and Career for Hispanics, Grant no#. 2016-3842225549 from the

USDA-NIFA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Estuaries are bodies of water located in the coastal zone, generally semi-

enclosed, where water from the river basin and salt water from the sea mix.

Estuaries represent an essential aquatic source for fish and certain species

that live only in this kind of “saline” environment. Caño Boquilla Natural

Reserve is located in the towns of Mayagüez and Añasco in Puerto Rico.

Caño Boquilla Natural Reserve consists of three estuaries or named Caños:

Caño Maní, Caño Boquilla and Caño La Puente. The Reserve contributes to

flood and erosion control, and it is considered an important filtration zone.

Water quality monitoring in a estuary gives an indication of the health of this

ecosystem. Among the parameters measured are dissolved oxygen, turbidity,

salinity, temperature along with concentration of nutrients such as

phosphates.

Dissolved oxygen is sensitive to temperature, turbidity, organic matter in the

water, and is also essential in the health of aquatic ecosystems. Low dissolve

oxygen concentration have been associated with massive fish death.

Turbidity is associated with presence of solids and particles suspended in

water. High turbidity in the estuaries increases the probability of

eutrophication and contamination in the water. Salinity has been associated

as a limiting factor in the normal distribution of the organisms and the

estuarine ecosystem. Phosphates are essential nutrients for the reproduction

and growth of plants and animals. High levels of phosphates in the estuaries

can cause an increase in bacteria, a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the water,

causing the possible death of organisms and changes in the aquatic-marine

ecosystem. Bacterial indicators are used to assess water quality such as total

coliforms, fecal coliforms, E. coli, streptococci and vibrios are very common

in tropical climates. They are potential pathogens being of concern for public

health, environmental and marine ecosystem.

Edlyn Jusino-Jusino1, Ángela González1, Ana Navarro2 1. Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán Campus

2. Sea Grant College Program, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus

ejus0615@intersg.edu

Water quality evaluation of Caño Maní, Caño Boquilla and Caño La Puente estuaries

of the Natural Reserve Caño Boquilla in Mayagüez-Añasco, Puerto Rico

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 Tu

rbid

ity

(JT

U)

Sampling Dates

Turbidity

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Sal

init

y (p

pt)

Sampling Dates

Salinity

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Dis

solv

ed O

xyg

en (

pp

m)

Sampling Dates

Natural Reserve Caño Boquilla

Dissolved Oxygen Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Pat

ho

gen

ic C

olif

orm

s (T

CC

)

Sampling Dates

Natural Reserve Caño Boquilla

Pathogenic Coliforms

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

Earth Force® Low Cost Estuary &

Marine Monitoring Kit, Code 5911

(LaMotte Company)

Salinity Refractometer, Code

5-0020

(LaMotte Company)

BioPaddles® - Nutrient-TTC Agar (NUT-TTC) & MacConkey Agar

(MAC), Code 5553 (LaMotte Company)

https://www.google.com.pr/maps/@18.1831927,-

67.1670985,12500a,35y,321.52h,32.31t/data=!3m1!1e3

Caño La Puente

Caño Boquilla

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

Water Monitoring Tests

6.5

7

7.5

8

8.5

9

9.5

pH

Sampling Dates

pH

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Ph

osp

hat

e (p

pm

)

Sampling Dates

Phosphate concentration

Caño Maní

Caño Boquilla

Caño La Puente

Results

Water quality in the three Caños has been monitored for three consecutive

months, after Hurricane Maria. Results so far show:

• During sampling Caño Boquilla has been open to the sea during January

and February and it has been closed during March and April sampling.

Caño Maní and Caño La Puente have been closed to the sea during

sampling.

• Temperature has been decreasing steady in similar pattern in the three

Caños.

• It has rained at the three Caños for each sampling except for Caño Maní

no rain: January, 23, February, 20 and March 13. Caño Boquilla no rain:

January 23 and March 13. Caño La Puente no rain: January 16 and March

13.

• Dissolved Oxygen has shown an increase during month of March in Caño

Boquilla and La Puente, while remained within 2 and 4 ppm in Caño

Mani. Results show that all Caños had less than 5 ppm dissolved oxygen

during January and February.

• pH has ranged between 7 to 9. The highest pH has been found in Caño La

Puente. Caño Boquilla had higher pH during the first two months, but

decreased the last six weeks.

• Phosphate has ranged from 0 to 3 ppm. Caño Maní has been the one with

largest concentration of phosphate of the three Caños.

• Turbidity in Caño Boquilla increased after it closed to the sea.

• Salinity has ranged from 0 to 35 ppt. Caño Boquilla has the highest

Salinity of the three Caños. Salinity may have a direct relation to

geomorphologic change: open/closed the estuary mouth.

• Total Coliforms presence have ranged 0-100 TCC in the three Caños.

Similar behavior was found for Pathogenic Coliforms. This have ranged

from 0 to 100 TCC from January to March. An increase in Caño La

Puente and Caño Maní was found at the end of March.