Why would a project to save a seawall begin by studying storm drains?
That is the question behind the boats and scientists now working on the south shore of the Laguna del Condado. On October 1, 2026, El Nuevo Día reported that the Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan had received a $6.7 million grant to study, design and seek permits for an erosion-mitigation project along the wall beside Parque Nacional Jaime Benítez. The study covers more than the wall. It also takes in the stormwater system that drains into the lagoon. Stormwater is also central to the most practical line in the Estuario's weekly water report, which tells people to stay out of the water when it rains. The Estuario's bacteriological monitoring page lists runoff carrying pollutants and illegal discharges into storm sewers among the most common causes of high enterococci, and it notes that levels rise during heavy rain as runoff reaches beaches and lagoons.
This project studies the shoreline and the drainage that feeds the lagoon together. For anyone who walks the Paseo Lineal or puts a board in at the park, that link explains what you will see on the lagoon this fall and what you won't see yet.
The collapse by the Baldorioty marginal
The damage is easy to find. Wave action opened a sinkhole near the marginal road of Avenida Baldorioty de Castro, across from Parque Nacional Jaime Benítez, and part of the wall fell in. As a temporary fix, the Municipio de San Juan filled the collapsed ground with rocks to protect pedestrians. The Estuario and its citizen scientists planted red mangroves in the area to help absorb wave energy.
A second problem sits a few steps away. According to the same report, the first segment of the park's Paseo Lineal has drainage problems that cause minor flooding on the marginal next to the Baldorioty de Castro expressway.
None of this began recently. The project formally started on May 28, 2026, with a meeting where Condado residents described the problems the shoreline has faced since Hurricane María in 2017. The rocks and mangroves are stopgaps. Nearly nine years after the storm, the $6.7 million is the first money set aside to design a lasting fix.
Why a seawall project is also a water project
The grant pays for studies, not construction. The Estuario is evaluating the shoreline and five sites it has identified so far, along with the stormwater system. That system is split among the Municipio, the Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas and the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados. Executive director Brenda Torres Barreto told El Nuevo Día that the team will study the shoreline, sediment movement, sea level and habitats such as the mangroves.
The link between the two problems shows in how she described the design approach. She said it would be a hybrid of nature-based and built solutions. The idea is to let the landscape absorb and filter the water that pools along the shore, so that by the time it reaches the lagoon it arrives cleaner. Under that plan, a fix for the flooding on the marginal also improves what drains into the water.
The bigger water-quality story points the same way. In September 2026, El Nuevo Día reported that the Estuario's latest environmental report used monitoring data to trace contamination back to its sources with a high degree of precision, giving the agencies responsible a guide for fixing their infrastructure. The paper described sanitary discharges as the long-standing main threat to water bodies in the San Juan metro area. The same coverage named the Condado Lagoon as a water body that improved markedly once corrective measures were put in place. Earlier in the year, Metro Puerto Rico reported that a state senator had asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate persistent wastewater discharges affecting Condado and other communities. The article did not report any outcome.
Here is what is settled and what is not. The design phase is funded. FEMA has identified another $5.2 million for a second phase, but that money is subject to approval, and the first phase includes no construction. Torres Barreto said the designs will be presented to the community once they are ready. For now, the visible change is people on the water. She asked residents who see the research boats and scientists to greet them, because they are collecting the data the design depends on.
Reading Thursday's flag
Until a design is built, the best tool for deciding whether to get in the water is the Estuario's weekly bacteriological monitoring. Volunteers from the organization's citizen-scientist certification program help collect the samples, and the results are and published in its weekly update. The most recent result, from Thursday, October 8, 2026, gave the Condado Lagoon a green flag.
The green flag comes with two conditions, and both matter more than the color:
- Some shoreline spots can still fail. The Estuario recommends avoiding coastal areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" for enterococci, which is 70 CFU per 100 mL, even in a green-flag week. A good lagoon-wide reading does not cover every launch point.
- Rain resets the picture. The standing advice is to stay out of the water during rain. The Estuario's monitoring page goes further and recommends waiting 24 hours after a rain event ends before getting back in the water. A green flag from Thursday says little about a Saturday morning after a downpour.
- The data is improving. In September 2026, the Estuario reported installing a new remote water-monitoring station at the Laguna del Condado, one of four new stations across its estuary network.
The flag is a snapshot that changes every week, not a guarantee. The lagoon is also a protected reserve. In July 2025 the Estuario, working with volunteers and partner agencies, installed 13 "No Pesca" signs to protect its biodiversity.
Where the boards launch
The most convenient launch point sits right on the stretch under study. Discover Puerto Rico lists San Juan Paddleboarding on Avenida Baldorioty at Parque Nacional Laguna del Condado Jaime Benítez. The operator's own site lists daily hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with paddleboards and single kayaks from $25, double kayaks from $50 and classes from $40. An older directory listing shows lower rates, so confirm the price before you go.
SUP Action Paddleboard Co. works from San Juan Bay Marina on Avenida Fernández Juncos, west of the lagoon. Its contact page lists Friday through Sunday hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its booking page lists two-hour paddleboard and kayak rentals from $25 to $50, plus a paddle-and-snorkel tour with no price listed.
For an evening on the water, Night Kayak's City Lights tour leaves from Condado Ocean Club at $69 per person and includes 45 minutes of paddling.
All three operators were named by the Estuario as rental options for its September 20 community paddle during National Estuaries Week.
The volunteer calendar through October 24
The shoreline already has residents helping out. At the International Coastal Cleanup on September 19, 2026, 63 volunteers removed 31 bags, or 327 pounds, of waste from the reserve. The same day, CEDIN students planted about 593 red mangroves. On September 26, Boy Scouts Troop 82 added about 356 coastal plants. The Estuario's participation calendar lists these upcoming dates:
- Thursday, October 15, 9:30 a.m. Bacteriological monitoring at the Condado Lagoon
- Saturday, October 17, 8:00 a.m. Coastal vegetation planting
- Thursday, October 22, 9:30 a.m. Bacteriological monitoring at the Condado Lagoon
- Saturday, October 24, 8:00 a.m. Coral reef assessment
- Saturday, October 24, noon Seagrass assessment
The Thursday sessions are the same sampling that produces the weekly flag. Volunteering for one shows you exactly where the green or red result comes from. The calendar lists field and conservation work rather than races or organized swims, and it changes often, so check the listings before you plan around a date.
At Coldwell Banker Puerto Rico, we follow the projects that shape daily life along the Laguna del Condado, from the Jaime Benítez seawall study to the drainage plans that will reach the community once the designs are ready. If you would like to talk through how this shoreline work could affect your part of Condado, request a private consultation.
