DRNA Authorizes Loíza Rock Barrier for Parcelas Suárez, but Mayor Asks Agency to Correct Errors
Oct 14, 2026, reported by Primera Hora
- The DRNA authorized the Loíza municipality to create a rock barrier to protect an area from high surf
- The project will only partially protect the community, according to community leader Alexis Correa
- Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes requested that DRNA correct and clarify the authorization due to errors
The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) authorized the town of Loíza, Puerto Rico, to build a rock barrier to protect part of the Parcelas Suárez community from the "marejada de los muertos" swells expected in early November. The work, called "rock revetment," will be done at Calle 10, at the intersection with Calle 3.
The "Emergency Actions Authorization," a copy of which community leader Alexis Correa gave to the outlet, allows the petitioner to build the revetment outside the maritime-terrestrial public domain. Correa said the project would allow a street to be opened for community use but would not fully protect residents. "They are simply protecting a corner so a street can be opened. They would be leaving the rest of the community exposed," he said.
He added he was surprised, since DRNA is advancing a proposal for sandbags using CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds, and called the town’s work provisional. Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes asked DRNA to correct the authorization, which she said cites Law 170 of 1988, repealed eight years ago and replaced by Law 38-2017. It sets a six-month validity but an expiration of March 14, 2027, five months after issuance; places the work in the "Caribbean Sea" rather than the Atlantic Ocean; and requires notifying the Salinas Rangers Corps and Tortugueros del Sur, though the project is in Loíza.
She also flagged a contradiction: the work is placed outside the public domain, yet described as below the high-tide line. She asked for written corrections immediately.