ANAMAR was contracted by USACE Jacksonville District to evaluate the sediments found in the footprint of the Caño Martín Peña (CMP) project.
Project Statute
- CWA Section 404
The Caño Martín Peña (CMP) is a 3.75-mile-long tidal channel in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is part of the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE), the only tropical estuary included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program. The SJBE’s watershed is heavily urbanized and covers 97 square miles. Due to years of encroachment and fill of the mangrove swamps along the CMP, it no longer served as a functional connection between San Juan Bay and San José Lagoon.
The CMP Ecosystem Restoration Project (ERP) aimed to restore the tidal function between San Juan Bay and the San José Lagoon by re‑establishing the tidal connection and restoring the ecological habitat lost to decades of fill material being disposed of at the in the channel. The fill material is preventing adequate flow in the waterway and causes widespread flooding in neighboring communities. The CMP ERP aims to restore tidal connectivity between the lagoon and the bay by removing sediments, debris, and trash; reducing water residence time; improving water quality; improving essential fish habitat conditions and mobility of fish throughout the SJBE; and boosting biodiversity.
The evaluation undertaken by ANAMAR is part of the Section 404 USACE permit coordinated with EPA concurrence for the planned dredge and fill operations. The dredging plan calls for the bulk of the suitable dredged material to be placed in the existing pits in the San José Lagoon. The objective of the sampling and testing program is to determine if the proposed dredged material is suitable for in‑water placement in the San José Lagoon.
