Inventory

OASTAL

PUERTO RICO

OF
STUDY QUESTIONS

What are the coastal conditions found along the coast of Puerto Rico?

METHODS

ABOUT STUDY

Various different methods were used diring this study, including:

What coastal conditions does the coast have that help protect the island
from Hurricanes?

Puerto Rico has a unique coastline which varies in topography, material, and condition. If you were to travel
around the coast, you would find a change in ground material (rock to sand to vegetation), variation in elevation,
and even the color of the sand. There are also manmade structures that can be found along the coast, such as
the Wall in Old San Juan.

Photography:

Photographs will be taken at intervals around the site, with a minimum

of one photographic site for each municipality in Puerto Rico which
touches the coastline.

GOALS

The purpose of this study is to create an inventory and to analyze the various conditions found along the coast
of Puerto Rico. This was done using mapping, photography, and sections as a means of helping document
the conditions. While in Puerto Rico, I saw a variance in conditions not only from the different regions (North,
South, East, West), but within those regions as well. This includes differences in elevation, amount of vegetation,
materials, structures, and more.

Measuring:

The sites were placed every taken every 5-10 miles around the coast, using La Guancha in Ponce, Puerto Rico
(our home base) as the starting point. With that, I tried to get each municipality within that. At each location I
took several pictures of the site conditions, while noting the materials, structures and vegetation in that location.
Additionally, I noted what features each of these sites had in a means of protecting the coast from Hurricanes.

By drawing sectional drawings, I will be able to document distance and

elevation changes. In the section you will see how close manmade
structures are to the coast and get a feel for the spatial quality on
the site.

To document the coastal conditions of Puerto Rico.

To maintain an understanding of the coastal conditions of Puerto Rico and how those conditions may
or may not help protect it from Hurricanes.

Research:

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Look up the different manmade and natural features which help the
coast from humans and storm surges.

Create a photographic inventory of the Puerto Rican Coast.

MAPPED POINTS

Total sites pinpointed: 70

Total sites documented: 59
Total sites unaccessible: 15

Analyze the photographed areas along the coast of Puerto Rico to get a general idea of what the
coastal condition is on that coastal region (north, south, east, or west).
Research about the different strategies involved with protecting the coast from hurricanes to help
identify and analyze individual sites for protective elements.

Mapping helps locate structures and site features. Activities found

on the site will also be marked on the map. Another map will help
locate. Map out the natural and manmade features of which help
protect the coast.

There are many elements that help protect the coast from Hurricanes. The elements below are the ones I focused on for this study:

These Elements negatively impact the coast:

Location:
- 1,790 miles from Syracuse, NY
- 1,600 miles from New York City
- In the Caribbean

The study sites are organized by coast, going around clockwise, starting with the west coast and ending with the
south coast. The points on the map locate the pictures in the analysis as to where they were taken and whether
they were in the North, South, East or Western area of the island. The first site will be Playa Sucio out in Cabo
Rojo, Puerto Rico.

Mapping:

PROTECTIVE ELEMENTS

MAP OF PUERTO RICO

MAPPED POINTS
11

Natural

10

12

13

14

17

16

15

18

19

20

21

22

23

28

24 25
26

9
Rock

Vegetation

Erosion

Sand Dunes

29

30

31
32

27

8
Slope/Elevation

Size:
- 100 miles x 33 miles
- 3 times the size of Rhode Island

33

34

35
36

Manmade

37
6

38
39
5

Walls

Riprap

Cement Structures

Lack of Maintenance

Building Distance to
the Coast

42

Lack of Care

43

44

These elements were NOT included in this study for various reasons, such as time constraints, access to information, or argumentive data of effectiveness.

45
63

1
Coral Reefs

http://yourdailynewsfix.com/wp-content/
uploads/2011/01/Coral-Reefs-300x199.jpg

Wetlands

Marshes/Grassland

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/
images/2012/01/24/science/wetland/wetlandblog480.jpg

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/
photos/medium/3468274.jpg

WEST COAST

Levees, Seawalls, &

Revetments

Signage

69

70

68
67

64 62

65

61

59

60

46

56

58

52

54

55
57

47
48

49

50

53 51

ring around the site marker means I was unable to access the site.

EAST COAST

The North Coast area of Puerto Rico stretches from Aguadilla (10) in the northwest Luquillo (33) in the northeast.
10

66

Note: Sites with a

http://blackpoolsixthasgeography.pbworks.
com/f/revetment.jpg

NORTH COAST

The West Coast area of Puerto Rico stretches from Cabo Rojo (1) in the southwest to Aguadilla (9) in the northwest.

41 40

SOUTH COAST

The East Coast area of Puerto Rico stretches from Luquillo (34) in the northeast to Maunabo (47) in the southeast.

The South Coast area of Puerto Rico stretches from Pantillas (48) in the southeast to Cabo Rojo (70) in the
southwest.

11
12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24 25
26

28

29

30

31
32

27

33

35

34

36

37

38
39
5

41 40

42
43

44
3

45
63

46

66

47
69

70

Good Example

9 - Aguadilla

Bad Example

44.4% Rocks
22.2%

Wall

0%

Sand Dunes

11.1%

Riprap

Playa Sucia in Cabo Rojo (site 1) is one of

the best examples in protecting the coast from
Hurricanes. The site not only has elevation
and is highly vegetation but also has a rocky
coastline and a distance between buildings and
the coast. There is one cement lighthouse built
elevated up on the rock that is still considered
protected. Being elevated protects it from the
storm surge, and having been built on rock,
the building is more stable.
Site 9 in Aguadilla is one of the worst examples
on this coast. Not only is it the only documented
site with signs of erosion, but the site also
showed a lack of maintenance and care. Yes,
there were protective elements on this site
such as elevation, cement structures, rocks
and a wall, but without proper maintenance
this will not last. Additionally there is next to
vegetation, with only one tree within 200 feet.

Protective Elements:
Elevation
Vegetation
Rocky coast
Distance to buildings

Cons:
Erosion
Lack of maintenance/
care
No Vegetation
Protective elements:
Elevation

SUMMARY

West Coast
The West Coast had several different techniques in means of protecting itself and according to the
data it the best coast in terms of hurricane protection. If you look at the two bar graphs, you will
see the west coast had high percentages of protective elements compared to the other coasts.
Due to this, the west coast has the best coastal protection from hurricanes in both manmade
and natural elements. From the sites visited, the west coast had the least amount of erosion. All
sites were able to be visited and documented.
In terms of natural protective elements, the west coast has a higher percentages in overall
protection; having high percentages in both vegetation and elevation compared to the rest of the
coast. Mass vegetation covers this coast, which adds nicely to the rocks and elevation changes
you would also find here. These help protect from several hurricane elements, including storm
surge, which is considered to be the cause of most hurricane related deaths. In terms of manmade
protective elements, the west coast had the first or second highest percentages in all categories:
riprap, wall, cement structures, and distance to buildings.

North Coast
The North coast was the second best protected coast in this category, having the most rocks and
sand dunes. Although less than 10% of the sites documented on the north coast had sand dunes,
the north coast was the only coast to have any sand dunes at all. More than fifty percent of the
documented sites had rocks, which is the highest percentage of all the coasts.
Vegetation on the north coast was low, which was somewhat expected as there is more
industrialization and rocks on that coast. Two-thirds of the unaccessible sites were due to the
lack of access due to industry (site 22 and 27). The other third was due to lack of access to resort
premises (site 21). In all the other protective elements categories this coast was about average in
comparison to the other coasts.

Key:
10 - Aguadilla
11 - Isabella
12 - Quebradillas
13 - Camuy
14 - Hatillo
15 - Arecibo
16 - Arecibo
17 - Arecibo
18 - Barcelonetta
19 - Manati

20 - Vega Baja
21 - Vege Alta
22 - Dorado
23 - Dorado
24 - Toa Baja
25 - Catana

12 - Quebradillas

Good Example

16 - Arecibo

Bad Example

47.6% Elevation
28.6%

Vegetation

9.5%
9.5%

Riprap
Sand Dunes

23.8%

Wall

Although a close call, I selected site 12 in

Quebradillas as one of the better sites in terms
of coastal protection. In one site it contained
many protective elements including vegetation,
elevation, rock, cement structures and distance
to buildings. Since San Juan is on the North
coast I was expecting more negatives than
positives in terms of protection, especially with
erosion and distance to buildings.

Site 16 in Arecibo is one of the worst sites on

this coast in terms of protection. Combined
with erosion, this site also has garbage and a
lack of protective features.

Protective elements:
Vegetation
Elevation
Rock
Cement structures
Distance to buildings

Cons:
Erosion
Garbage
Little Vegetation
Protective Elements:
Elevation
Rocks

Key:
34 - Luquillo
35 - Fajardo
36 - Fajardo
37 - Fajardo
38 - Ceiba
39 - Ceiba
40 - Ceiba
41 - Naguabo
42 - Naguabo
43 - Humacao

44 - Humacao
45 - Yabucoa
46 - Yabucoa
47 - Maunabo

90% Cement Structures

40%
40%
30%
30%
10%
10%
0%

67

65

64 62

61

59

60

56

58

55

Total sites: 23
Documented sites: 17
Erosion: 4
Unaccessible sites: 6

Elevation
Vegetation

Rocks
Distance to Buildings

Key:
48 - Pantillas
49 - Arroyo
50 - Guayama
51 - Guayama
52 - Guayama
53 - Salinas
54 - Salinas
55 - Salinas
56 - Santa Isabel
57 - Santa Isabel

Riprap
Wall

Sand Dunes

58 - Juana Diaz
59 - Ponce
60 - Ponce
61 - Ponce
62 - Penuelas
63 - Guayanilla
64 - Guayanilla
65 - Yauco
66 - Guanica
67 - Guanica

68 - Lajas
69 - Lajas
70 - Cabo Rojo

52

54

57

53 51

50

48

49

58.8% Distance to Buildings

47.1% Vegetation
41.2%

Cement Structures

11.8%
11.8%

Riprap
Elevation

17.6%
17.6%
0%

Rocks
Wall

Sand Dunes

44 - Humacao

Good Example

Protective Elements:
Vegetation
Elevation
Cement buildings
Building distance to
coast

55 - Salinas

Good Example

Protective elements:
Vegetation
Slope/elevation
Building distance to the
coast
Rocks
Riprap

36 - Fajardo

Bad Example

Cons:
Erosion
Buildings on coast
Lack of care

49 - Arroyo

Bad Example

Cons:
No apparant signs
protection
Erosion
Little vegetation

Palmas del Mar, in Humacao (site 44) in

comparison not only has a lot of Vegetation,
but also has an elevation change upwards
from the coast, cement buildings, and a
distance between buildings and the coast.

Site 36 in Fajardo is slightly elevated from

the water level and has cement buildings.
However, buildings are built on the coastline
and there are signs of erosion of the coast
and its materials. It also seems as there is a
lack of care as the asphalt road has no clearly
defined edge, with the asphalt running down
over the edge of the road in some places as
you can see in the image.

Out in Salinas, site number 55, there are

many protective elements which why I
believe this is one of the best examples
on this coast. There is a lot of vegetation,
slope/elevation changes, distance to
buildings from the coast, rocks and riprap.
All of these help protect the coast and
additionally help protect it from erosion.

Site number 49 in Arroyo is one of the

worst examples in coastal protection on
this coast. There were no apparent signs
of protection here at this site. There is
a lot of erosion on the coast and little
vegetation around here.

Protective Element:
Slightly elevated
Cement buildings

MANMADE ELEMENTS

East Coast
The East Coast is about average in terms of protection, although the coastal sites seem to not see
as much foot traffic compared to some of the other coasts. In terms of the protective elements on
this coast, the results were rather low, with every category being less than fifty percent of the ten
accessible sites. The only exception to this is where ninety percent of the documented sites had
cement structures.
Almost half of the east coast sites were unaccessible, having a total of six sites that were unaccessible.
A third of these sites was due to no roads near the site location (sites 34 and 46), one sixth due
to the lack of permission to access the marinas coast (site 36), and half of them due to the lack of
access to the sites due to security/blocked off roads in Ceiba which is said to be an abandoned
military post (sites 38, 39 and 40).
South Coast
The South Coast is the worst coast in terms of coastal protection from hurricanes. As seen in
the graphs, it was the worst in both natural and manmade protective elements; having the lowest
percentage in amount of rock, elevation change, and cement structures. The south coast made up
for it in vegetation, riprap and distance to buildings, where the coast claimed first or second highest
percentages in each of those categories.
Six sites on this coast were deemed unaccessible. Although that is just as many as the east coast,
there are more sites along the south coast as it is longer, thus making a less percentage of the sites
deemed unaccessible. One-sixth of these unaccessible sites was due to lack of access to residential
properties (site 50), one-third was due to lack of access/permission due to industry/plant (sites 53
and 62), one-sixth was due to lack of access to area due to blocked off bridges/roads (site 64) and
the last sixth was because of the lack of access due to there being no roads or trails to the forested
or wetland area (69 and 70).

Discussion
Puerto Rico has many protective elements in terms
of protecting it from hurricanes and I found that the
elements found the most are the use of cement
structures, having buildings distance from the
coast, vegetation, elevation, and rocks. The West
coast had the highest level of protection while the
south coast seemed to have the least according to
the data collected. Having so much unaccessible
sites affects the data in a negative way resulting in
the exclusion of those sites.

100
90

9
8

NATURAL ELEMENTS

7
6
5
4
3
2

11

10

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24 25

28

26

29

30

31
32

27

33

70

70

60

60

50
40

34

35
36
37
38
39

42
43

41 40

50
40

30

30

20

20

10

10

Some things to note is the fact that the elevation

and rocky shoreline as seen more in the north and
west coasts are very helpful in terms of protection.
The other coasts are not as prominent with these
elements. Some things Puerto Rico can do to help
improve its level of protection are implementing
sand dunes, building farther from the coast, and to
better maintain the coastal sites and structures as
these categories were especially low.

80
Percentage

1 - Cabo Rojo

55.6% Elevation
55.6% Distance to Buildings

57.1% Cement Structures

57.1% Distance to Buildings
52.4% Rocks

Total sites: 16
Total documented: 10
Erosion: 3
Unaccessible sites: 6

Percentage

Key:
1 - Cabo Rojo
2 - Cabo Rojo
3 - Cabo Rojo
4 - Cabo Rojo
5 - Mayaguez
6 - Anasco
7 - Rincon
8 - Aguada
9 - Aguadilla

66.7% Vegetation
66.7% Cement Structures

Total sites: 24
Documented Sites: 21
Erosion: 3
Unaccessible Sites: 3

Amount of Element

Amount of Element

Total SItes: 9
Documented SItes: 9
Erosion: 1
Unaccessible Sites: 0

Amount of Element

68

Amount of Element

Vegetation

Sand Dunes

Elevation

Rocks

In terms of Natural Protective Elements, the west

coast has a higher percentages in overall protection
with the south coast having the least. The Northcoast
had the second highest percentage in this category,
with having the only documented sites containing
sand dunes.

Riprap

Wall

Cement
Structures

Distance to
Buildings

In terms of Manmade Protective Elements, the

west coast once again had the highest in overall
protection, with the south coast as the worst. The
order from better to worst is the same order as
with the natural elements. Use of cement building
material was mainly high as I had expected.

44
45
46
47

EROSION
14%

30%

63
66
70

69

68
67

65

64 62

61

60

59

56

58

55
57

54

52
53 51

50

49

48

18%
38%

The West Coast had the least percentage of erosion found on its sites, while the
East Coast had the highest amount of erosion. The higher percentage in erosion in
East and South coast could be due to the difference in elevation and use of rocks
on the coast. Rocks especially are less erodible than sand, thus helping protect
the shoreline.

of