Federal Funds to clean up Martín peña channel

In fact,

The cost to restore the area is estimated at $250 million, with $163 million coming from the federal government and the remaining $88 million to be provided by “Proyecto ENLACE.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), visited the site past November. >Archive

G-8 Communities Get Environmental Justice

The severely polluted Martin Peña Channel received $163 million in federal funding

By Zoe Landi Fontana, The Weekly Journal

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) has chosen the Martin Peña Channel, connecting the San Juan Bay and Laguna San Jose, as one of the projects to receive funding from President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act after vigorous advocacy by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The cost to restore the area is estimated at $250 million, with $163 million coming from the federal government and the remaining $88 million to be provided by the “Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martin Peña” (known as ENLACE for short).

A History Of Unfulfilled Promises

For years, the Martín Peña Channel has been filled with debris and human waste, flooding often and causing problems to the communities around it and to the nearby Luis Muñoz Marín Airport. It sits severely polluted after years of accumulated debris, mismanaged residential and commercial development, and the emptying of raw sewage directly into the water. The channel’s polluted condition affects the health of the entire estuary system, including the San Juan Bay and the San

The project is vital for us because it revives, it gives life back to the channel, but also to all of us who live around the body of water.”

Lucy M. Cruz Rivera President, G-8 group

José Lagoon which it connects.

In the 1950s, impoverished rural migrants set up communities along the Martin Peña Channel’s mangrove swamps, as they transitioned to urban living. Now, approximately 26,000 residents live in eight communities (Las Monjas, Israel-Bitumul, San Ciprian, Buena Vista-Santurce, Marina, Buena Vista-Hato Rey, Parada 27 and Cantera), composing what is now known as the G-8 Group.

“The project is vital for us because it revives, it gives life back to the channel, but also to all of us who live around the body of water. It will help mitigate flooding, and people will be able to live in peace, with better health,” G-8 group president Lucy M. Cruz Rivera said to THE WEEKLY JOURNAL.

The Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project will clear debris and dredge the channel to 10 ft. deep and 100 ft. wide, restoring stormwater flow, stabilizing the waterway and alleviating the ongoing public health risks and environmental problems caused by decades of neglect and mismanagement. The entire process may take about seven to eight years if efficiently managed.

Dredging the channel will also give back to the community the ability to use it for recreational activities like kayaking and sport fishing.

“This is a great achievement for the communities. They had to overcome a lot of hurdles to get here… The key is perseverance,” Rivera said.

The ecosystem restoration project is only one of many that need to happen. For instance, the IsraelBitumul and Buena Vista-Santurce communities completely lack sanitary infrastructure - raw sewage is released directly into the channel. A proposal by ENLACE is currently under review by FEMA to address this, but multiple stages are required in the process of completely restoring the area.

To fully revive the channel and the communities around it, the G-8 and ENLACE have compiled a comprehensive development plan that includes sanitary infrastructure, systems for stormwater and potable water, transportation infrastructure and community-based housing for those displaced by these projects. Under the Trump administration, calls to finance the restoration of the channel went ignored, but U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have been fighting for funding to restore the area for years.

“The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act is a clear opportunity to right the great social and environmental injustices that those living along this polluted canal in Puerto Rico have suffered for decades. I thank the Biden Administration for showing up for the island, and it has been an honor fighting for these funds alongside ENLACE and the G-8,” said Rep. Velázquez.