Water Pollution
Background: Wild and Scenic Rivers Designation
The United States Department of Agriculture designated three of El Yunque's rivers (Rio Mameyes, Rio de la Mina, and Rio Icacos) as "wild and scenic" in the Caribbean National Forest Wild and Scenic River Act of 2002, adding them to The National WIld and Scenic River System. This classification was intended to ensure that these river and their ecosystems will be protected. The rivers in El Yunque Forest will continue to be monitored to ensure that they meet the standards required by the Act. This designation as "wild and scenic" has resulted in even more visitors coming to the Forest to enjoy it.
The United States Department of Agriculture designated three of El Yunque's rivers (Rio Mameyes, Rio de la Mina, and Rio Icacos) as "wild and scenic" in the Caribbean National Forest Wild and Scenic River Act of 2002, adding them to The National WIld and Scenic River System. This classification was intended to ensure that these river and their ecosystems will be protected. The rivers in El Yunque Forest will continue to be monitored to ensure that they meet the standards required by the Act. This designation as "wild and scenic" has resulted in even more visitors coming to the Forest to enjoy it.
Sections of Caribbean National Forest Rivers: Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Designation.
(Cruz, Wild and Scenic Rivers 12)
Issue: High number of visitors and water pollution
Although El Yunque Forest has a wide range of conservation and research programs, there are several factors causing water pollution. While the overall chemical quality of the water in the Forest passes required quality tests, the increasing numbers of visitors, attracted to the Forest by the Wild and Scenic River designation, contribute to water pollution. Water pollution impacts the Forest's ecosystem and the health of the water system outside the Forest, since 20% of the water used in Puerto Rico comes from the Forest's rivers. VIsitors have increased from approximately 469,000 in 2001 to 1.2 million in 2006. Monitoring studies in 2006 reported that 37% of the Forest's visitors were from Puerto Rico and 57% were from the contintental United States. The increasing trend is expected to continue as more foreigners are expected to visit the island and as Puerto Rico's urban population grows and people look for a place to spend a relaxing afternoon with their families, away from the daily events in their urban lives. Both groups of tourists enjoy birdwatching, hiking, swimming, relaxing and identifying rare species, and therefore they move throughout the Forest and its waters for these activities. When surveyed, tourists generally had positive feedback, but they had negative comments about insufficient parking and issues of cleanliness related to litter and restrooms (Billmire 5).
As more visitors visit the Forest each year, water pollution will be inevitable, unless the visitors change their behaviors. That is not likely to happen without changes at El Yunque Forest which make it easier to avoid doing the things that cause the major problems related to water pollution: litter, human waste and vehicles.
Issue: Insufficient visitor facilities
Parking, restrooms, garbage cans and garbage facilities:
Visitors drive on PR - 191 to reach most of the Forest's key tourist locations. Parking is at El Portal Tropical Forest Center, Palo Colorado, and Sierra Palm picnic area. However, visitors turn onto side roads, such as PR - 988 or PR - 9966 to reach popular swimming destinations such as Puento Roco or to hike on many trails. Along those roads, there are no formal parking areas, and the visitors pull over, often onto the soils.
Restroom facilities are not dispersed throughout the Forest, but are located only at El Portal Tropical Forest Center, Sierra Palm Picnic area, Palo Colorado Information Center and Caimitillo.
Four picnic areas are spread out along PR - 191. Garbage cans can only be found at those eating areas.
(Krupp; Recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service)
Problem: Litter
Visitors participate in activities which take them off main trails and the main road, PR - 191, and away from picnic areas where garbage cans are found. For example, the Rio de la Mina, one of the "designated scenic" rivers, has the most visitors in the Forest due to its unique views of the Palo Colorado and Sierra Palm forests, but has no garbage cans nearby. La Mina Falls, the most visited waterfall also has no garbage cans. Visitors at these locations often leave litter behind. While the water chemical levels still test at good quality, litter from the tourists affects the animals and their water habitat (Bruton 13). Rain and wind wash litter into the water, damaging the natural habitats of the aquatic plants and animal species, while detracting from the Forest's beauty. Litter causes water blockages, re-routes the flow of water and the speed of the water flow, tangles animals trying to move through it or leaves chemicals which can be harmful to the health of the species. The ecosystem is changed forever when the "outside" litter is deposited into the waters.
Why do visitors litter?
Simple! Garbage cans are not where the visitors want leave their trash. Currently, there are only four picnic areas in the Forest, and only three at which you can buy food. Therefore, when people do not see a trash can and don't want to carry their waste, they litter either directly into the water, or on the soil, which washes or seeps into the water. SInce Forest picnic areas and concessions are so limited, most visitors carry food with them to eat when and where they want, which is when they are hiking on trails, or enjoying streams or waterfalls or swim areas, locations at which there are no garage cans. Litter typically seen in the Forest includes trash from concessions and picnic area sales that visitors carry around with them, leftovers from picnic food they bring to the Forest, bags, beverage containers, toys and clothing, litter from smoking, personal hygiene and medical debris such as diapers and needles, and other plastics. While visitors may think that smoking debris cannot harm the Forest and its inhabitants, not only does it risk fire, but the cigarette butts, cigar tips, lighters and wrappers containing chemicals that leech into the soil or directly into the water, poisoning animals (Litter and Debris in Our Waterways).
What should be done?
It would be easy to recommend placing garbage cans throughout the Forest. However, as cans could overflow before being emptied, they would cause other problems, attracting animals which would not otherwise congregate and potentially hurting them when they ingest dangerous substances. In addition, if the Forest Service had the funds to hire people to pick up more garbage, that would already have been done.
The Management of El Yunque Forest is evaluating a "trash free" zone, a policy that people cannot eat in certain areas or carry things with them. That will be especially difficult to enforce due to staffing shortfalls and human nature.
What can really be done? EDUCATION! Visitors need to be educated about the damage that littering has on the very place they have chosen to visit because of its beauty. Educating visitors in both a dramatic and continuous manner, would potentially make them reconsider what may be more "convenient" for them in terms of leaving their litter behind, versus the negative impact that their actions have. The educational material and messaging would need to be in two languages, Spanish and English.
Why do visitors litter?
Simple! Garbage cans are not where the visitors want leave their trash. Currently, there are only four picnic areas in the Forest, and only three at which you can buy food. Therefore, when people do not see a trash can and don't want to carry their waste, they litter either directly into the water, or on the soil, which washes or seeps into the water. SInce Forest picnic areas and concessions are so limited, most visitors carry food with them to eat when and where they want, which is when they are hiking on trails, or enjoying streams or waterfalls or swim areas, locations at which there are no garage cans. Litter typically seen in the Forest includes trash from concessions and picnic area sales that visitors carry around with them, leftovers from picnic food they bring to the Forest, bags, beverage containers, toys and clothing, litter from smoking, personal hygiene and medical debris such as diapers and needles, and other plastics. While visitors may think that smoking debris cannot harm the Forest and its inhabitants, not only does it risk fire, but the cigarette butts, cigar tips, lighters and wrappers containing chemicals that leech into the soil or directly into the water, poisoning animals (Litter and Debris in Our Waterways).
What should be done?
It would be easy to recommend placing garbage cans throughout the Forest. However, as cans could overflow before being emptied, they would cause other problems, attracting animals which would not otherwise congregate and potentially hurting them when they ingest dangerous substances. In addition, if the Forest Service had the funds to hire people to pick up more garbage, that would already have been done.
The Management of El Yunque Forest is evaluating a "trash free" zone, a policy that people cannot eat in certain areas or carry things with them. That will be especially difficult to enforce due to staffing shortfalls and human nature.
What can really be done? EDUCATION! Visitors need to be educated about the damage that littering has on the very place they have chosen to visit because of its beauty. Educating visitors in both a dramatic and continuous manner, would potentially make them reconsider what may be more "convenient" for them in terms of leaving their litter behind, versus the negative impact that their actions have. The educational material and messaging would need to be in two languages, Spanish and English.
Problem: Human Waste
Human Waste in the water is another problem resulting from the increased visitors and not enough restrooms.
A favorite swimming area in the Forest is Puento Roto, located on the Mameyes River off PR-988. This swimming site is a favorite because of its "remote an islolated location. In this region are masses of boulders, several small pools and waterfalls, and a narrow gorge about one mile long." The entire Mameyes watershed is important to the Forest's ecosystem, providing habitats for the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot and Puerto Rican Boa. Other sensitive animal and plant species are also found in the Mameyes watershed. Water testing at Puente Roto recreational swim area indicates above average fecal coliform levels. (Bruton 1,Carrasco).
The effect of human waste in the water is that that it can injur or kill animals, plants and microorganisms in the water. In addition, visitors can become ill after swimming, or potentially from drinking it. The problem also reaches Puerto Ricans outside the Forest, as the water from the Rio Mameyes is a natural resource for those in areas outside the Forest. And finally, the color and beauty of the water will be diminished, detracting from the major reason visitors come to the Forest in the first place.
Why does the problem exist?
Human behavior, not searching for a bathroom when one is needed, causes the water problem at Puente Roto. There is also an insufficient number of bathrooms throughout the Forest and they are not dispersed adequately, relative to the number of visitors and the places they visit. Restroom facilities are located only at El Portal Tropical Forest Center, Sierra Palm Picnic area, Palo Colorado Information Center and Caimitillo.
What can really be done? There is a need to build better and more biodegradable bathrooms where they are needed. If restroom facilities are located where visitors need them, and if they are clean and easy to use, then human nature would result in people using them. Biodegradable bathrooms need little maintenance from Forest staff, and instructions can be made simple, and yes, even fun, for young children. Educational material and artwork needs to be in Spanish and English.
A favorite swimming area in the Forest is Puento Roto, located on the Mameyes River off PR-988. This swimming site is a favorite because of its "remote an islolated location. In this region are masses of boulders, several small pools and waterfalls, and a narrow gorge about one mile long." The entire Mameyes watershed is important to the Forest's ecosystem, providing habitats for the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot and Puerto Rican Boa. Other sensitive animal and plant species are also found in the Mameyes watershed. Water testing at Puente Roto recreational swim area indicates above average fecal coliform levels. (Bruton 1,Carrasco).
The effect of human waste in the water is that that it can injur or kill animals, plants and microorganisms in the water. In addition, visitors can become ill after swimming, or potentially from drinking it. The problem also reaches Puerto Ricans outside the Forest, as the water from the Rio Mameyes is a natural resource for those in areas outside the Forest. And finally, the color and beauty of the water will be diminished, detracting from the major reason visitors come to the Forest in the first place.
Why does the problem exist?
Human behavior, not searching for a bathroom when one is needed, causes the water problem at Puente Roto. There is also an insufficient number of bathrooms throughout the Forest and they are not dispersed adequately, relative to the number of visitors and the places they visit. Restroom facilities are located only at El Portal Tropical Forest Center, Sierra Palm Picnic area, Palo Colorado Information Center and Caimitillo.
What can really be done? There is a need to build better and more biodegradable bathrooms where they are needed. If restroom facilities are located where visitors need them, and if they are clean and easy to use, then human nature would result in people using them. Biodegradable bathrooms need little maintenance from Forest staff, and instructions can be made simple, and yes, even fun, for young children. Educational material and artwork needs to be in Spanish and English.
Problem: Vehicle pollutants
Most visitors come to El Yunque Forest in individual cars, although some arrive in buses which have permits to bring visitors from cruises or other tours. All vehicles travel on Puerto RIco 191, which has access to most sites in the El Yunque Forest. Visitors turn off PR-191 to visit other destinations. On the busiest days of the year, approximately 1,400 vehicles enter El Yunque Forest. At mid-day, there are sometimes 400 cars trying to park in only 175 parking places, especially during peak vacation periods in March, July and August (Recommendations to the US Forest Service). Visitors park alongside the road pulling to the side of the pavement or onto the soil when they want to stop to view sights which do not have a formal parking lot. Occasionally, Forest management closes the entrance to the Forest temporarily when the number of visitors is more than the roads can handle. The result of vehicles is chemicals and emission dispersion onto soil and pavement, and then leeching into soils and being washed into the water sheds and rivers.
What effect does the vehicle volume have on the ecosystem?
Water pollution resulting from chemicals and oils changes the chemical composition of the habitats of plants and animals. In addition, these pollutants flow through the rivers and streams band become part of the water supply outside the Forest. While the contaminants have not resulted in poor water quality yet, as tourism in the Forest continues to climb, water pollution from this source ismore likely.
What can really be done?
In 2007 there was an Interagency Transportation Assistance Group site review examining alternative parking at El Yunque National Forest. The review studied parking and visitor volume and recommended use of a shuttle or tram, traffic control check points, eliminating any roadside parking, portable electronic message signs outside the park alerting potential visitors of volume delays. To date, due to funding challenges, no alternative transportation system or final parking plan has begun (Recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service).
There is no eco-service project to address this source of water pollution at this time.
What effect does the vehicle volume have on the ecosystem?
Water pollution resulting from chemicals and oils changes the chemical composition of the habitats of plants and animals. In addition, these pollutants flow through the rivers and streams band become part of the water supply outside the Forest. While the contaminants have not resulted in poor water quality yet, as tourism in the Forest continues to climb, water pollution from this source ismore likely.
What can really be done?
In 2007 there was an Interagency Transportation Assistance Group site review examining alternative parking at El Yunque National Forest. The review studied parking and visitor volume and recommended use of a shuttle or tram, traffic control check points, eliminating any roadside parking, portable electronic message signs outside the park alerting potential visitors of volume delays. To date, due to funding challenges, no alternative transportation system or final parking plan has begun (Recommendations to the U.S. Forest Service).
There is no eco-service project to address this source of water pollution at this time.