Loíza mayor releases updated coastal erosion analysis

Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes

By THE STAR STAFF

Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario Fuentes on Wednesday released the most recent analysis of the coastal erosion situation in the northeastern municipality, for the benefit of the communities, the media, and government entities, both state and federal.

“The municipality of Loíza faces one of the most urgent environmental crises in Puerto Rico: coastal erosion.

With 23 kilometers of coastline, Loíza is not only a cultural and historical enclave, but also a territory highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and the intensification of atmospheric phenomena,” Nazario Fuentes said in a written statement. “The combination of storm surges, rising sea levels, and coastline migration have accelerated beach loss and jeopardized critical infrastructure, the safety of the population, and the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism and fishing.”

According to the 2020 Census, Loíza has a population of 23,693, of which 10.6% are over 65 years of age, a group especially vulnerable to displacement and impacts from natural disasters. Furthermore, the per capita income in Loiza is $9,335, well below the Puerto Rican average of $12,914, and 48.2% of the population lives below the poverty line, which limits its capacity to recover from extreme events.

The analysis presents a comprehensive mitigation approach based on resilient infrastructure, natural ecosystem protection, and strategic planning, in collaboration with government agencies, academic institutions and community organizations. The Puerto Rico Coastal Research and Planning Institute (CoRePI-PR), led by Dr. Maritza Barreto Orta, has identified significant changes to the Loíza coastline following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Key findings include:

• 42% erosion and 58% accretion on the municipality’s beaches

• 2.77 kilometers (km) of coastline with migration of the water line inland, affecting areas such as Punta Maldonado, La Posita, Playa Aviones, Playa Monte Grande and Parcelas

• 1.47 km of coastline with beach migration inland, altering the limits of the maritime-terrestrial zone (MTZ).

• Significant reduction in beach width in sectors such as Playa Aviones (-28.37 m) and Playa Las Tres Palmitas (-21.55 m) in 2018

• Increased vulnerability to tsunamis and coastal flooding events, requiring urgent mitigation measures.

“These data demonstrate the need for structured intervention to curb erosion and protect coastal communities,” the mayor added. “We now present the ongoing projects, studies in progress, and planning efforts we have undertaken to address this challenge in Loíza.”

Completed and ongoing projects:

• Parcelas Suárez (USACE -- CAP 14, 2020): Stone revetment of a 1,050-linear-foot stretch of Parcelas Suárez. The project was executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to protect the coastal zone from erosion and minimize storm surge impacts

•Suárez (10th Street) and Colobó plots: Installation of a “RipRap” process on stone and planting of coastal vegetation for a hybrid approach to erosion protection.