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Today’s Briefing

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Beach Water Quality

Before you drive out with the towels: which beaches Puerto Rico has told swimmers to stay out of this week, and what the last water sample found at every one of the 49 beaches the island tests. Bacteria you cannot see, from a lab result nobody publishes in English — so we do.

As of Wednesday, September 9

Right now

Notice Aug 31

Puerto Rico has told swimmers to stay out of 4 beaches — the water there carried more Enterococcus bacteria than the 70 colonies per 100 mL at which the island posts a warning.

  • Balneario Punta Salinas

    Toa Baja

    Not suitable for swimming

    75colonies/100 mL · the limit is 70

    Sampled August 24–25, posted Aug 31

    Our guide to Punta Salinas

  • Balneario Punta Guilarte

    Arroyo

    Not suitable for swimming

    109colonies/100 mL · the limit is 70

    Sampled August 24–25, posted Aug 31

    Our guide to Balneario Punta Guilarte

  • Balneario Pico de Piedra

    Aguada

    Not suitable for swimming

    209colonies/100 mL · the limit is 70

    Sampled August 24–25, posted Aug 31

    Our guide to Balneario Pico de Piedra

  • Muelle de Arecibo

    Arecibo

    Not suitable for swimming

    9colonies/100 mL · the limit is 70

    Sampled August 24–25, posted Aug 31

    The last number published for this station is 9 CFU/100 mL, below the 70 threshold; DRNA's notice still lists the beach.

    Our guide to Poza del Obispo

The advisory stands until the next round of samples clears the beach. Nothing else on the island’s list was over the line in this round — but see the dates in the table below before you read that as an all-clear.

Every beach tested

Read yesterday

The last Enterococcus count at each of the island’s monitoring stations, and the day the water was collected. A beach only gets a reading here if it was sampled in the last 21 days — where it wasn’t, the date is the whole answer.

Beaches tested
49
Stations in the island’s monitoring programme
Under advisory
4
Over 70 colonies/100 mL, or named in the notice
Within limits
30
Sampled in the last 21 days and under the line
Not sampled recently
15
No result in 21 days — we can tell you nothing either way

Matches beach name, town or station code. Press Escape to clear the filter.

Show only

Showing 49 of 49 beaches

  • Within limits
  • Over 70 colonies/100 mL
  • Not sampled recently
  • Point at a bar — or tab to it — for the detail
BeachTownEnterococcus · limit 70SampledReading
Pico de PiedraRW-22Aguada209Aug 2416 days agoAdvisory — not suitable for swimming
Balneario Punta GuilarteRW-7Arroyo109Aug 2416 days agoAdvisory — not suitable for swimming
Balneario Punta SalinasRW-19Toa Baja75Aug 2515 days agoAdvisory — not suitable for swimming
Muelle de AreciboRW-38Arecibo9Aug 2515 days agoAdvisory — not suitable for swimmingThe last number published for this station is 9 CFU/100 mL, below the 70 threshold; DRNA's notice still lists the beach.
Playita RosadaRW-33Lajas60Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario El EscambronRW-20ASan Juan52Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario La MonserrateRW-1ALuquillo52Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa GuayanesRW-30Yabucoa41Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Tropical BeachRW-31Naguabo41Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Balneario Manuel Nolo Morales or SardineraRW-18Dorado31Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de PatillasRW-6Patillas30Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa El AlambiqueRW-28San Juan20Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de RinconRW-5Rincón10Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Cana GordaRW-9Guánica10Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Ocean ParkRW-27San Juan10Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Playa SantaRW-10Guánica10Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Playa Sixto EscobarRW-25ASan Juan10Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario Cerro GordoRW-17Vega Alta9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de Anasco or Balneario Tres HermanosRW-15Añasco9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de BoqueronRW-13Cabo Rojo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de CarolinaRW-21CCarolina9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de Puerto NuevoRW-23Vega Baja9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario de SalinasRW-36Salinas9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Balneario Punta SantiagoRW-4Humacao9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Balneario Seven SeasRW-2Fajardo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Mar ChiquitaRW-39Manatí9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Playa AzulRW-32Luquillo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa BuyeRW-8Cabo Rojo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa del HiltonRW-34Ponce9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Playa El CombateRW-12BCabo Rojo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa Moja CasabeRW-14ACabo Rojo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playita del CondadoRW-26San Juan9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Vacia TalegaRW-29Loíza9Aug 2515 days agoWithin limits
Villa LamelaRW-37Cabo Rojo9Aug 2416 days agoWithin limits
Playa EsperanzaV-3Vieques985Nov 201024 days agoNot sampled recently
Balneario de Carolina-OesteBF-CCarolina85Jul 172611 days agoNot sampled recently
Sun BayV-2Vieques41Nov 201024 days agoNot sampled recently
Vacia Talega9-VTLoíza31Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Balneario La Monserrate8-LMLuquillo10Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Balneario Seven Seas6-SSFajardo10Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Playa Azul7-PALuquillo10Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Balneario Crash BoatRW-16Aguadilla9Aug 1129 days agoNot sampled recently
Balneario de Carolina10-BCCarolina9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Flamenco5-FCulebra9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Melones3-MCulebra9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Playa El GallitoV-1Vieques9Nov 201024 days agoNot sampled recently
Punta Soldado1-PSCulebra9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Sardinera2-SCulebra9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently
Tamarindo4-TCulebra9Mar 15908 days agoNot sampled recently

Flagged again and again

Mar 4 – Aug 31

One bad week is weather. The same beach in notice after notice is something else. Across the last 60 notices, these are the beaches Puerto Rico has told swimmers to stay out of more than once.

  1. Tropical BeachNaguabo25 of 60
  2. Balneario de PatillasPatillas23 of 60
  3. Muelle de AreciboArecibo18 of 60
  4. Playa GuayanésYabucoa17 of 60
  5. Balneario Punta SalinasToa Baja16 of 60
  6. Playa BuyéCabo Rojo13 of 60
  7. Balneario Punta SantiagoHumacao12 of 60
  8. Balneario Manuel Nolo Morales, SardineraDorado10 of 60

Counted over the notices we hold, not over the whole season — a beach can only be flagged in a week its water was actually collected.

Community testing

Collected Sep 2

Volunteers test water the government programme does not reach, and they usually get there first. These are not official results and no beach is put under advisory on the strength of them — but a fresh number from a neighbour beats a fortnight-old one from anybody.

Matches site name or town. Press Escape to clear the filter.

Showing 30 of 30 samples

SiteEnterococcusCollectedTested by
Rio Grande10Sep 27 days agoKristen MuldoonRincon
Marias10Sep 27 days agoAmy GoodmanRincon
Pico Piedra417Sep 27 days agoKristen MuldoonRincon
Domes Beach10Sep 27 days agoAmy GoodmanRincon
Table Rock10Sep 27 days agoKristen MuldoonRincon
Balneario municipal de Rincon10Sep 27 days agoCeleste LindseyRincon
Parking Lots10Sep 27 days agoAmy GoodmanRincon
Playa Lala52Sep 27 days agoCeleste LindseyRincon
Corcega Beach10Sep 27 days agoCeleste LindseyRincon
Playa Almendros10Sep 27 days agoCeleste LindseyRincon
South RMTP20Sep 27 days agoSteve TamarRincon
Centro Vacacional10Sep 27 days agoMike ZoellickRincon
Steps Beach, Tres Palmas Marine Reserve10Sep 27 days agoSteve TamarRincon
Tres Hermanos10Sep 27 days agoMike ZoellickRincon
P01: Balneario de Carolina10Sep 27 days agoArrecifes Pro CiudadSan Juan
P02: Playa Pine Grove63Sep 27 days agoArrecifes Pro CiudadSan Juan
P03: Kiosko RMAIV20Sep 27 days agoArrecifes Pro CiudadSan Juan
P04: La Playita31Sep 27 days agoArrecifes Pro CiudadSan Juan
P05: Boca de Cangrejos51Sep 27 days agoArrecifes Pro CiudadSan Juan
Surfers10Aug 2614 days agoAlvin RemusRincon
Punta Borinquen10Aug 2614 days agoAlvin RemusRincon
Playa Montones10Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Playa Jobos20Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Middles132Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Teodoro598Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Villa Pesquera20Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Shacks Beach813Aug 2614 days agoSailyn CorderoRincon
Parque Colon20Aug 2614 days agoPaige CoppleRincon
Rompeolas52Aug 2614 days agoPaige CoppleRincon
Crashboat644Aug 2614 days agoPaige CoppleRincon

5 of these 30 samples came back above 70 colonies/100 mL. That is a volunteer lab's finding, not a government advisory.

Where these numbers come from

Puerto Rico’s Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales samples about 49 beaches for Enterococcus bacteria under the federal BEACH Act, and posts a Spanish-language notice naming any beach that came back over 70 colonies per 100 mL. We read each notice as it is published and keep it, so the record of which beaches keep failing is still here months later. The per-beach counts and the coordinates come from CARICOOS, which republishes the same programme’s laboratory results. The community section is the volunteer testing that rides in the same CARICOOS feed — Surfrider Foundation Rincón’s Blue Water Task Force and Arrecifes Pro Ciudad in San Juan and Carolina.

One thing worth knowing: Results are published days after the water was sampled, and water quality changes with rain and tide — a heavy shower can push a beach over the 70 colonies/100 mL action value hours after a clean sample was taken. A beach that is not on the advisory list was either within limits or was not sampled; the date beside it tells you which.

Town names are DRNA’s own wherever it has published one; for the rest we name the nearest municipio to the sampling point. These figures were last refreshed 9 hours ago.

Found a warning sign on a beach that reads clear here? Tell us and we will chase it. The same figures are open data at /api/beaches.json.