An Assessment of Agricultural Activities in the...

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University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Campus College of Agricultural Sciences

Crops and Environmental Sciences Department 8 June 2011

An Assessment of Agricultural Activities in the Eastern Portion of the Lajas

Valley Agricultural Reserve, within Lajas and Guánica Municipalities Authors: David Sotomayor-Ramírez, Ph.D. Professor Department of Crops and Agroenvironmental Sciences College of Agricultural Sciences University of Puerto Rico [email protected] Luis R. Pérez-Alegría, Ph.D., P.E. Professor Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department College of Agricultural Sciences University of Puerto Rico [email protected] This work does not explicitly represent the position of the University of Puerto Rico, College of Agricultural Sciences, but rather that of the main authors. It can be used and reproduced in whole or in part by citing as: Sotomayor-Ramírez, D. and L. Pérez-Alegría. 2011. An assessment of agricultural activities in

the eastern portion of the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, within Lajas and Guánica municipalities. University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Agricultural Experiment Station, Unpublished Manuscript. 16 pp, with appendices.

Acknowledgements: We acknowledge the support of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Agricultural Experiment Station, and the collaboration of various state agencies: PR Land Authority (Luis Conty, Miguel García), PR Department of Agriculture (Shyara Alvelo). Dr. A. Vivoni and Prof. L. Mejía have collaborated in discussions, outreach with farmers, and strategic planning. Undergraduate students, Pedro Rivera Serrano and María Rosario were of prime importance for the completion of the project and benefitted from the educational-academic experience gained. Mr. Cruz Crisanto-Toro has provided with interesting anecdotal as well as historical evidence of the Lajas Valley.

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Table of Contents 1. Summary .................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Historical background.............................................................................................................. 3 3. Summary of meetings and information exchange with farmers. ............................................. 6 4. Update of Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve; GIS of the area ............................................... 7 5. Land use and cropping patterns ............................................................................................... 8 6. Economic value of the area ................................................................................................... 12 7. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 14 8. References: ............................................................................................................................ 15 9. Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 16

Figure A1. GIS-based delineation of the farms in the Lajas Valley watershed and Rio Loco watershed lower basin. The land area was divided into seven major land-area designations identified as LV-1A, LV-1B, LV-2, LV-3, RL-1, RL-2, and other (defined in the text). ................................................................................................. 17 Figure A2. Individual delineation of farms in the Lajas Valley watershed and Rio Loco watershed lower basin. 18 Figure A3. Individual delineation of farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin. The numbers in each farm correspond to a GIS generated ID numbers detailed in Table A1. .......................................................................... 19 Figure A4. Individual delineation of farms in El Anegado area of the Lajas Valley watershed. The numbers in each farm correspond to a GIS generated ID numbers detailed in Table A1. ......................................................... 20 Figure A5. Soil series designation within farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin. ...................................... 21 Figure A6. Soil series designation within farms in El Anegado area of the Lajas Valley watershed. .................... 22 Figure A7. Soils hydrologic grouping within farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin. ............................... 23 Figure A8. Spatial variation in normal (N), saline (S), sodic (A), and saline-sodic (SA) soils within the Lajas Valley watershed in 1958. Each pixel represents an area of 16 acres, based on Bonnet and Brennes, (1958). ..... 24 Table A1. Description of farms, operators, and location according to Figured A3 and A4. In this report the names of private owners and operators have been omitted. ............................................................................................... 25

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1. Summary

The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) is directing efforts to restore the former Guánica Lagoon based on the Guánica Bay Watershed Management Plan (CWP, 2008). The hypothesis set forth by CWP is that flooding the area of what was once the Guánica Lagoon will reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Guánica Bay and will improve coastal bay water-quality conditions and the conditions of the adjacent coral reefs. Further claim, is that such restoration will not affect agricultural activities in the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve in farms within Lajas and Guánica municipalities. Other aspects that have synergistically intermixed with CWP restoration efforts are: (i) plans by Puerto Rico Land Authority to create a wetland mitigation bank, (ii) plans by Guánica municipality to create a tourist-recreation site, and (iii) plans by Federal and local Agencies to create a natural reserve for wildlife preservation. In this aspect, the coastal bay water-quality preservation issue appears to have become a minor and secondary component in all efforts to flood a potentially agriculturally productive area.

In this report, a brief historical review of the economic, cultural and social importance of

agricultural activities within the Lajas Valley has been performed. The University of Puerto Rico, Agricultural Experiment Station (UPRM-AES) through its scientists, Sotomayor-Ramírez and Pérez-Alegría, has carried out a detailed farmer and agricultural activity assessment. All information gathered and communications that have been carried out have been documented in meeting minutes. Based on published information (of which most has been peer-reviewed), the scientists have disseminated a clear and objective message regarding the potential positive and negative aspects of lagoon restoration, and its relation to Guánica Bay water quality.

A detailed spatial assessment of farms, farming activities, and land use was performed. The

area assessed encompasses an area of 18,679 acres, subdivided in seven major land-area designations identified as LV-1A, LV-1B, LV-2, LV-3, RL-1, RL-2, and other (defined in the text) based on subbasin boundaries. This has been performed via 2007 digital orthoquad photographs, personal interviews, field visits, ground truthing and best professional judgment of the researchers. The areas that could be potentially be contributing nutrient and sediments through the former Guánica lagoon are those in LV-1A, LV-1B, LV-3. Parts of these areas (including parts of RL-1 during extreme precipitation events) could potentially be impacted by flooding and/or restoration of the former Guánica Lagoon. Flooding of the area will directly impact near 1,200 acres, and will potentially impact 13,573 acres of current agricultural land in the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve, primarily in El Anegado region.

In the area assessed (18,679 acres), about 1,684 acres (9% of the area) is under horticultural

crop production. Extensive pasture production for haylage or grazing occupies about 7,739 acres (41.6% of the area); shrubland occupies about 8,481 acres (about 46% of the area), and urban land occupies 4% of the area. The potential for agricultural intensification lies in converting the 8,481 acres under shrubland and part of the land used for extensive pasture production to horticultural and agronomic crops that can be grown in a sustainable manner. The spatial variation in which the above mentioned land uses are distributed, varies among the designated areas in the Lajas Valley watershed and lower basin of Guánica. The potential crop nutrient consumption in 18,679 acres is estimated at 788 tons of fertilizer (primarily limited to RL-1 and RL-2). This amount represents an area-wide estimate of 84 lb fertilizer/acre, which is well below

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the Puerto Rico island-wide estimate of 258 lb fertilizer/acre and seven times lower than world average.

About 50% of the land area (2,511 acres) in contact or within the former Guánica Lagoon

(LV-1A) is probably not being actively utilized for intensive agricultural activity. The remaining 45% of the land area in contact with the former Guánica Lagoon is under some form of agricultural activity, primarily extensive agriculture, in which external inputs of pesticides, fertilizers, or irrigation are not utilized. An area corresponding to 5% of LV-1A is used for rice production. The majority of the land area in El Anegado (LV-3) is under private ownership, and crops grown are pasture used for grazing or haylage (78%) followed by shrubland (19%). The most intensive agricultural activities in the area assessed are those in farms east of the lagoon and those that drain into lower portion of the Rio Loco or drain elsewhere into Guánica Bay (RL-1 and RL-2). Although these farms (those in RL-1 and RL-2) may not necessarily be directly affected by lagoon flooding, the economic and social activities are inter-mixed, thus an assessment of agricultural activities in this area cannot be disregarded. The majority of the land area in RL-1 and RL-2 is either horticultural crops or shrubland. The area designated as LV-1B is the most heterogeneous and complex land area in terms of usage. About 200 acres are used intensively for agricultural production, while 1,851 acres are used for pasture production for haylage, grazing or the combination of the two. About 40% of the land area is under shrubland or shrubland in which small animals graze.

Contrary to public claims, the economic value of agricultural activities in public lands in

Guánica are important and significant, resulting in an on-farm income of $4.3 million, and when the off-farm income is included of $12.9 million. At least 800 acres of public land in the Guánica area could be more productive in agricultural and economic terms. The information gathered in this report can be used to assess the impact of lagoon restoration on the present-day and future agricultural activities of the area, specifically areas designated as LV-1A, LV-1B, LV-3, and parts of RL-1 during extreme precipitation events. The above mentioned information has not been published elsewhere and is not available in its entirety anywhere except in this report.

The climate, the geomorphology, and the availability of irrigation water favor the development of an intensive and mechanized agriculture in the area, and suggest that the lands of the Valley should be conserved exclusively for agricultural activities. Puerto Rico has one of the highest rates of agricultural land losses estimated at 11,500 ha/yr. This aspect, combined with the high land-use carrying capacity make the country extremely vulnerable from a food-security issue. We believe that an agricultural-centered formal planning process should be implemented with due respect to the concept of private property but with strict land-use limitations, including the implementation of agricultural best management practices, to reduce the environmental impact. That plan should be practical realistic and guarantee sustained agricultural, economic, and environmental development.

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2. Historical background

The Lajas Valley is a large plain in southwestern Puerto Rico that extends from Guánica in the east to the Bahía de Boquerón in the west. It includes parts of the municipalities of Yauco, Guánica, Sábana Grande, Cabo Rojo, and Lajas. The width of the Valley ranges from 1.6 to 4.8 km and is a uniform plain that extends east to west for more than 32 km. The watershed divide to the west is is located 9.5 km east of Bahía de Boquerón near Rd. 116. All of the land area east of Rd. 116 has a drainage area of 15,028 ha (37,120 acres) and drains towards Guánica Bay; to the north is a chain of hills of maximum altitude of 300 m; to the south it is separated from the Caribbean Sea by a secondary ridge of hills of maximum altitude of 285 m (Bock, 1948). The Valley ranges from about 13 m above mean sea level along the east-west drainage divide, and then descends eastward to the level of high-tide at Guánica Lagoon. Longitudinal slopes vary from 0 to 15 ft/mile, with average transverse slopes of approximately 2 percent (Willardson, 1958). Some portions of the Valley known as “El Anegado” tend to accumulate water if it not were for the construction of the drainage infrastructure in the 1950s.

Surface water bodies within the Lajas Valley include Laguna Cartagena, a mangrove swamp

near Bahía de Boquerón, and Laguna de Guánica which was drained in 1955, but receives excess floodwater from drainage channels to the north and from surface runoff. Average annual mean 20-yr rainfall at Lajas AES from 1966 to 1986 was 1092 mm and average annual pan evaporation from 1982 to 1986 was 1524 mm (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1986). Precipitation is bi-modal with precipitation during August to November and April to June (Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona, 1950; U.S. Department of Commerce, 1986). In general, the soils are considered of high fertility, clayey, with medium to low drainage capacity (Lugo-López and Pérez-Escolar, 1959; Lugo López et al., 1959). As observed from the above observations, and the socioeconomic study by Hernandez-Ramírez (1947), it appears that a major portion of the reduced agricultural productivity and in-efficient use of agricultural lands in the Valley up to 1956, was due to inadequate water availability and adequate drainage.

The planning, design and construction of an irrigation-drainage infrastructure in the Lajas

Valley of the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico was part of an effort during the 1950’s and 60’s to strengthen the economic development of the country. A multipurpose project involving dams, water transfer systems, hydroelectric plants, and irrigation-drainage channels was initiated in 1952. The multipurpose project was built to intensify agricultural production by providing irrigation to 26,000 acres1; (ii) generate electricity to developing urban areas; (iii) protect urban and rural lands from flooding with the construction of Luchetti and Loco reservoirs, (iv) provide drinking water for residents of the area (Lucchetti, 1948; González-Chapel, 1964). The irrigation/drainage project was visualized, planned and conceived considering the best available intellectual and technical resources with experts in the fields of engineering, irrigation, drainage, soils, economics, and agronomy from local and international areas. Luchetti (1948) estimated that the cost of the project was $23.4 million, but commented in his report that an investment of at least four-times said amount would result in benefits. The overall project cost was $34.6 million. The first irrigation lines were opened to farmers in 1955, and completed in 1961 and the irrigation drainage cost was estimated at $9.5 million. As of 1964, the project was considered a showcase for success from economic, agronomic and social standpoints (Rivera-Santos, 1964); 1 For practical purposes in this report 1 will be equal to 1 cuerda, although in real terms 1acre = 1.02 cuerda

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as there were 15,000 cuerdas under irrigated sugarcane, 2,000 cuerdas under irrigated pasture, 300 cuerdas under minor crops, and 3,000 cuerdas under other agricultural development. The climate, the geomorphology, and the availability of irrigation water favor the development of an intensive and mechanized agriculture in the area. Sustainable soil, water, and nutrient management were then and more so now, of prime importance for the achievement of high agricultural production and environmental quality maintenance in surrounding coastal areas.

Historically the Valley had two major fresh water lagoons and one low depression in the

Valley. The Guánica Lagoon covered approximately 1,123 acres and the Cartagena Lagoon covered approximately 251 acres. A low-land area known as “El Anegado” covered approximately 1,193 acres (Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona, 1950). The mean surface elevation of the Guánica lagoon in records (n=102) between 1912 to 1947 was 4 ft (as measured at Esperanza Gauge) (Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona, 1950). The lagoon was reported dry 22% of the time that measurements were made, and 50% of the time, had water less than 4 ft in depth. A review of the literature does not reveal details regarding water quality, hydraulic residence time nor flow patterns within the lagoon. Yet, the principal designer of the Southwest project, Antonio Lucchetti, stated that drainage of the lagoon was necessary in order to reduce the soil capillary rise in surrounding field areas (Lucchetti, 1948). In 1955, the lagoon was drained by the enlargement of Caño de los Negros, to provide about 1,123 more acres of land within the irrigation project and to provide adequate drainage for the irrigated lands (Bonnet and Brennes, 1958). The Southwest project was to provide 26,000 acres for irrigation, drainage for 15,500 acres, and soil remediation in about 5,000 acres.

Prior to the irrigation-drainage infrastructure development, about 25% of the total land area

of the valley was considered to have some degree of salinity, sodicity or salinity/sodicity limitation (to a depth of 36 inches) prior to the irrigation/drainage project (Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona , 1950). Most of the soil areas that had an upward hydraulic gradient corresponded with areas of greatest salinity damage. Thus according to Lucchetti (1948) and Mitchell (1957), the total elimination of superficial water was of utmost importance to assure reduction in salt and sodium accumulation in soils. The three main reasons for the accumulation of salts and sodium in the soil profile were: (i) use of irrigation water from groundwater (ii) the upward movement of salts from the subsoil in areas characterized by high artesian pressures, and (iii) capillary movement of high conductivity groundwater from the subsoil of the Valley due to evapotranspiration (Gardner, 1954). It was foreseen and proven that uncontrolled irrigation without adequate drainage would cause soil salinization of some land areas (Bonnet and Brennes, 1957; Van der Molen 1957; Willardson, 1958). By 1964, the success of the irrigation/drainage infrastructure was demonstrated, in that only 400 acres were estimated to be affected by saline, sodium, or saline-sodium conditions (González-Chapel, 1964).

By 1956, Reeves (1956) reported that surface runoff was moving adequately from the Lajas

Valley through the Guánica lagoon. Between 1956 and 1958 a group of soil scientists and engineers from Holland (NEDECO, 1958) came to study the project and to provide recommendations for improvement. At the time, the main drainage channel passed through the southern portion of the lagoon so that the NEDECO scientists noted that the presence of water in the lagoon reduced the hydraulic gradient and reduced water discharge out of the Valley and into Guánica Bay. Due to the semi-arid climate of the Lajas Valley, precipitation in the area is bi-

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modal with much of the precipitation occurring in two months during spring and four months in late summer and fall. After rainstorms ephemeral streams discharged water into the eastern portion of the Valley, where it would accumulate in the lowest parts such as Guánica Lagoon and El Anegado. During such periods, the Guánica Lagoon was filled with water and receded within a few days, through the narrow channel in the Caño de los Negros to the bay. A discharge of 7000 cfs at the outlet of Caño de los Negros was estimated as that needed to reduce flooding of the low-lying areas (NEDECO, 1958). Luchetti (1948) reported that with a 6-inch 48-hr precipitation event and a 50% runoff ratio, a drainage of 6,250 cfs (12,500 ac-ft/day) was that needed to eliminate water accumulation in the lower-lying land areas.

The PRDRNA and USEPA commissioned a study to evaluate the potential for lagoon

restoration. Morris (1999b) reported that there was sufficient runoff water to maintain a 3.4 m water level, and that lagoon flooding would affect only land areas that regularly flooded, and that it would not have a significant impact on flooding levels caused by 100-yr floods. In his 1999 report, Morris apparently ignored water-level measurements reported by Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona (1950) (see above for explanation). Morris further reported that approximately 1,300 acres would be directly impacted by flooding and an additional 1,500 acres in El Anegado would be indirectly impacted (Morris, 1999a). Perez-Alegría (2011, unpublished), based on existing topographic information in the area, has performed a preliminary estimate of the extent of the water footprint based on 3.4 m flooding level scenario. The estimated land-area that could be flooded is 13,573 acres.

In 1998, Executive Order 13089 created the US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) to deal

with the global coral reef health crisis. A local strategic action plan was established in 2003 in Puerto Rico, and later the Guánica watershed was selected as a model watershed. At the local level the USCRT formed a working group that included federal (NOAA, EPA, DOI, USDA-NRCS, USFWS) and state agencies (PR Department of Agriculture, PR Land Authority, PR Natural Resources and Environment Department), and other non-governmental organizations. On October 2008, the Center of Watershed Protection (CWP) produced the Guánica Bay Watershed Management Plan; which identified potential sources of contamination and established restoration priorities for the Watershed. The plan established 12 management recommendations. In 2009, USDA-NRCS produced Río Loco Watershed Program (RLWP) to support the USCRT- Local Strategic Plan. In 2010, USDA-NRCS produced the Río Loco Watershed Plan of Work, Feb 2010 (19 p.); and assigned conservation projects based on the US Farm bill at an approximate cost of $2 million.

The CWP Guánica Bay Watershed Management Plan established four priorities: (i) improve

sediment and nutrient control in the highlands of Guánica bay watershed; (ii) stabilize the Río Loco Channel; (iii) create an artificial wetland between the Guánica sewage treatment plant and Guánica Bay; (iv) restoration of Guánica Lagoon. The first two priorities were financially supported by USDA-NRCS Caribbean Area in its fiscal program through 2013. During 2010-2011, CWP funded positions (one full-time and another part-time) to implement part of the restoration initiatives. A series of meetings were held between scientists (D. Sotomayor and Pérez-Alegría) from UPRM, CWP and other agencies during 2009 and 2010, regarding potential studies that needed to be done on the potential effects of flooding the former Guánica Lagoon. Since May 2009, when CWP approached these scientists about the watershed management

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initiative, we were supporters of the overall concept of carrying out programs and activities to restore the watershed and eventually the neighboring areas coral reefs. It was our understanding that although flooding of the former Guánica Lagoon was included in the plan it was of minor importance to the overall success of the watershed management program.

The primary goal of the USCRTF initiative is to restore the health and condition of coral

reefs. In the document published by CWP, restoration of the former Guánica Lagoon is one of four primary projects, which implemented, will lead to improvement in the health and condition of the coral reefs. The hypothesis set forth by CWP is that flooding of the area of what was once the Guánica Lagoon will reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Guánica Bay. The arguments set forth by CWP in its report (CWP, 2008), specifically those dealing with coastal water quality improvement) as to why the former Guánica Lagoon must be flooded deserve further scrutiny as they lack scientific objectivity. Although there is ample evidence in the scientific literature to support that wetlands improve water quality, there is no scientific evidence in the CWP publication to support that flooding the area of the former Guánica Lagoon will improve the state of coral reefs in Guánica area. To date there is no study to document the amount and type of nutrients entering the bay from each source, the spatial location of the sources, and if these concentrations are different from other areas in Puerto Rico. This information could serve to justify flooding the former Guánica Lagoon area, which is an important potential agricultural area.

3. Summary of meetings and information exchange with farmers. An informal working group has been created within the College of Agricultural Sciences that includes Dr. Alfredo Vivoni, Prof. Luis Mejía, Dr. Pérez, and Dr. Sotomayor. The goal of the internal group is to create a dialogue with farmers about the Guánica watershed management plan to improve Guánica Bay conditions, communicate with farmers about their preoccupations on the lagoon restoration, and identify knowledge gaps. We believe that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, College of Agricultural Sciences has the best resources, with the academic training and professional background to attend the agricultural community concerns. We believe that this working group will help to bring a more focused, coherent and directed voice to the CWP lagoon restoration meetings.

From November to June 2011, meetings were held with farmers at the University of Puerto

Rico, Agricultural Experiment Station in Lajas and elsewhere. The objectives of the meetings were to create awareness of the importance of the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and to provide technical information about the potential effects of the possible restoration of Guánica Lagoon. In the meetings, participating farmers expressed their opinions regarding the overall functioning of the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and about restoration of Guánica Lagoon. In general, farmers are poorly informed regarding the specific plan to restore Guánica Lagoon. Specific minutes of the meetings were kept and are on record. The most relevant comments and concerns by the farmers are summarized below (not in order of importance).

PRLA has high contract leases. Some farmers have been taxed on on-farm infrastructure. PR-AEE is not fully supporting the maintenance of irrigation/drainage channels. Irrigation water has a high cost.

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Low price of farm commodities. High price of on-farm labor. Substandard work ethic some farm laborers. High cost of fuel; there is no agricultural subsidy for fuel. Government agencies are not promoting agricultural activities as was done in the past. Farmers recognize that their agricultural operations can be more efficient. Crop damage by monkeys, when present. Agricultural land area should not be reduced at the expense of lagoon restoration. The lands of the former Guánica lagoon are flooding now because the poor functioning of

the lateral drainage channels and the main drainage of Caño de Los Negros. Economic loss due to cattle theft, and disease spread from other ranchers whom mix their

cattle with those of farmers. There is poor communication as to what land areas are potentially available for future

farming development. The flooding of the lagoon will be positive because the aquifer will be recharged more

effectively as occurs for the Southern Coast Aquifer. Concern that decisions will be made without proper ponderation and analysis. Farmers are not receiving adequate orientation as to the Guánica Lagoon restoration

plans. There are general farmers concerns regarding the effect of Guánica Lagoon restoration on

aquifer level, increase in soil moisture retention in fields, increase in salinity levels, and loss of agricultural land.

Policy options dealing with land tenure need to be reformulated because large land areas are under private ownership.

4. Update of Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve; GIS of the area A delineation of all private and public owned land was completed for all farms located within

the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve in the Municipality of Guánica, and in the El Anegado area of Lajas Valley. This coverage was generated from data obtained from print maps provided by the Puerto Rico Land Authority (PRLA), by the Centro de Recaudación de Impuestos Municipales (CRIM) and by private owners that provided maps of information that allowed us to delineate the farms (Figure 1 in Appendix). Specific information for each mapping unit was gathered via personal interviews with owners, operators, and neighbors. Further, an Instrument/Questionnaire was generated that permitted more detailed analysis of the information verbally provided by the farmers. This latter information is currently being analyzed.

The GIS-based map includes political boundaries, infrastructure (irrigation and drainage channels, roads). Each mapping unit (farm area) was assigned an identification number to ease in the parcel identification and to link other information to the area. Other layers such as soil series, soil hydrologic grouping were created as separate shapefiles and are part of the GIS of the project. Additional information was generated regarding the distribution of land operators in farms owned by the PRLA (ATPR), whom is the predominant owner in the footprint of former Guánica Lagoon. This layer is a snap-shot of the current land renters-owners. Table 1 in Appendix shows the polygon attribute table of parcels delineated in the GIS (Figure 1, Appendix).

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Six land areas were defined within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and surrounding areas (Table 1). Table 1. Land area designation in which farms within the Lajas Valley Reserve were assessed. Land-area designation Land-area description LV-1A Area corresponding to lands within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and

within the Lajas Valley watershed. This area has lands in contact with the former Guánica Lagoon footprint.

LV-1B Area within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve within the Lajas Valley watershed draining into the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros. These lands are north and north-east of the former Guánica Lagoon.

LV-2 Area within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve but draining elsewhere than through the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros.

LV-3 Area in El Anegado within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve within the Lajas Valley watershed and drains into the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros.

RL-1 Area within the Rio Loco watershed lower basin, draining into Rio Loco primarily just above the confluence with Caño de los Negros, though an area may drain south of said intersection.

RL-2 Area within the Río Loco watershed lower basin, draining elsewhere than Río Loco. Most of the land area is west of Rd #116.

Other Other lands draining elsewhere than described above, but are near the impacted area and are within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve.

The delineation of the former Guánica lagoon and El Anegado was done using as base

reference the studies of Bonnet and Brenes (1957, 1958). They conducted a detailed study of the soils and salinity levels using a 254m grid that extended from Guánica in the east and Cabo Rojo in the west. We also used detailed topographic maps in the study of NEDECO (1958) that contained a plan for the reclamation of saline soils in the former location of the lagoon. The lagoon and Anegado land-areas delineated in this project are consistent with areas reported elsewhere.

The restoration of the lagoon by flooding the area will challenge the entire hypothesis behind

the establishment of the irrigation-drainage project constructed in the Lajas Valley in 1955 as described by Luchetti (1948) and NEDECO (1958). A new water level as a result of the lagoon restoration would create a backwater elevation over the existing high water level in the entire drainage network that is adjacent to the Guánica and El Anegado. Using the existing USGS topographic map of the area, we estimated that the possible impacted area as a result of the lagoon restoration could result in over 13,573 acres of current agricultural land. El Anegado is a low-land that flooded as a result of high water table created by both direct runoff into the area and hydraulic connection between the lagoon and the low-land. Looking at the drainage network at El Anegado area it is obvious that the area required a special drainage network to lower the elevated water table, and drain excess water.

5. Land use and cropping patterns

A total 18,679 acres of land were assessed. In this report the name and operators of farmers have been omitted (Table A1). About 1,684 acres (9% of the area) is under horticultural crop

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production. Extensive pasture production for haylage or grazing occupies about 7,739 acres (41.6% of the area); shrubland occupies about 8,481 acres (about 46% of the area), and urban land occupies 4% of the area. Excluding mapping units designated as urban and shrubland/urban, the farm or mapping units were distributed among 223 owners or operators. There were 153 operators or owners in private lands occupying 12,088 acres and 104 owners or operators in public lands in 5,973 acres. Thus, the majority (67%) of the farm land area is under private ownership. The potential for agricultural intensification in the area assessed lies in converting the 8,481 acres under shrubland and part of the land used for extensive pasture production to horticultural and agronomic crops that can be grown in a sustainable manner. The spatial variation in which the above mentioned land uses are distributed, varies among the designated areas in the Lajas Valley watershed and lower basin of Guánica. The area within each land-area designation is described in Table 2. The spatial location of each land area designation can be viewed in Figure 1 of the appendix. Table 2. Land-area designation areal extent and number of owners or operators within each land-area. The total area and number of operators is greater than that mentioned in the text, because owner occupying shrubland/urban and urban land are included in this estimate.

Area (area) Owners or operators LV-1A 2511 18 LV-1B 3734 89 LV-2 1921 11 LV-3 5393 34 RL-1 2349 57 RL-2 1053 31 Other 1719 26 Total 18679 266

The area corresponding to lands within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and within the

Lajas Valley watershed was designated as LV-1A. This area has lands in contact with the former Guánica Lagoon footprint. It is larger than the estimated land-area of the Guánica Lagoon (approximately 1,300 acres) because it includes all lands that somehow connect with the lagoon footprint. About 1,229 acres (or 49% of the area) belong to Puerto Rico Land Authority (ATPR) and 620 acres (25%) belong to Land Administration (AT). Thus 74% of the land area is under public ownership. The land-area distribution shows that the majority of the land area is under shrubland (50.5%) or shrubland grazing (17%). Grazing is usually carried out by small ruminants which as goats, sheep, cattle and horses. Pasture used for grazing or a combination of grazing and haylage occupies 23% of the land area. Rice is produced in 129 acres of land. Fertilizer application practices to rice in the area are 120-60-85 lbs/acre (N-P2O5-K2O). Thus, potential fertilizer- N, P2O5, and K2O application in lands of LV-1A are 15,480, 7,720, and 11,000 lbs, respectively. Said amount represents about 6.5% of the total amount applied in the 18,679 acres of land that were assessed in this report. It can be concluded that the majority of the land area (67%) in the vicinity of the Guánica Lagoon footprint is not used for agricultural production.

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Table 3. Land-area distribution in LV-1A. Area (acres) Owners or operators

Pasture grazing 269 6 Pasture grazing, pasture haylage 311 1 Pasture haylage 110 1 Rice 129 1 Shrubland 1269 5 Shrubland / grazing 423 4

The area designated as LV-1B is that within the within the Lajas Valley watershed draining

into the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros. These lands are north and north-east of the former Guánica Lagoon. About 2,215 acres of the area (59%) is under private ownership. The majority of the land area (1,861 acres or 49.6%) usage is under pasture production for grazing, haylage or a combination of the two (Table 4). These areas are not fertilized. When cut for haylage, these areas are harvested twice annually with estimated yields of 4 to 5 tons dry hay/acre. When grazed, weight gain to slaughter may be delayed two and sometimes three years. About 200 acres (5.4% of the area) is under horticultural crop production. Horticultural crop fertilization varies widely among crops, with some farmers applying only fertilizer-N as urea. Nevertheless we can make an estimate of the potential fertilizer consumption based on recommended fertilizer practices by the College of Agricultural Sciences. Fertilizer rates for crops such as tomato, peppers, cucumbers, squash, papaya, cilantrillo are estimated at 150-100-100 lbs/acre (N-P2O5-K2O). Fertilizer rates for bananas and plantains are fairly similar and can be estimated at 320-160-640 lbs/acre (N-P2O5-K2O). Fertilizer consumption for soybean (25%) and cotton (75%) are estimated at 0-80-100 and 80-80-100 (N-P2O5-K2O), respectively. Thus, potential fertilizer- N, P2O5, and K2O application in lands of LV-1B are 29,700, 20,500, and 70,500 lbs, respectively. About 1,362 acres is under shrubland representing 36.5% of the area, and about 2.1% of the area is shrubland used for grazing. The potential for agricultural intensification lies in about 1,440 acres of land which is now used for shrubland or shrubland/grazing. About 238 acres are in urban or a combination or urban/shrubland land use. Ground truthing of the area reveals that there exists multiple house-hold waste spillage in roadways, and open PVC pipe conduits discharging household waste into open conduits. These areas could be contributing substantial nutrients to the land area within the former Guánica Lagoon. Table 4. Land-area distribution in LV-1B.

Area (acres) Owners or operators Horticultural crops 44 2 Horticultural crops / bananas 17 1 Soy/Cotton 99 2 Plantains 40 1 Pasture grazing 586 8 Pasture grazing, pasture haylage 294 3 Pasture haylage 971 11 Shrubland 1362 31

11

Area (acres) Owners or operators Shrubland / grazing 77 5 Shrubland / urban 68 9 Unknown 5 2 Urban 170 14

The area designated as LV-2 is that within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve but draining

elsewhere than through the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros. These lands are primarily under private ownership. The majority of the land area (763 acres) is dedicated to extensive pasture production, and 929 acres is under unmanaged shrubland. A large part if not all of this land area lacks an irrigation system based on surface water. The soils in this area are as fertile as other surrounding areas, thus the potential for agricultural intensification lies in the totality of the land area under pasture and shrubland only if, external irrigation were provided. This area possibly contributes negligible amounts of nutrient and sediment in runoff.

The area designated as LV-3 is that in El Anegado within the Lajas Valley watershed and drains into the former Guánica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros. It is a low-lying depression that receives substantial water accumulation during the rainy season and especially when the former Guánica Lagoon floods. This area has been described by Morris (1999) as encompassing an area of 1,300 acres. Perez-Alegría (2011, unpublished), used the area described by Bonnet and Tirado-Sulsona (1950) and estimated an aerial extent of 4,229 acres. Our land-area estimate for the area (Table 2) is greater because we used farms that intersected with the defined area.

All of the area in El Anegado is under private ownership except for a 229 acre farm. The

majority of the land area (82%) is used for extensive pasture production for haylage or grazing. We have no reports of fertilizer usage in these crops. About 17% of the land area is under shrubland or under shrubland that is grazed (Table 5). About 56 acres could be being used for horticultural crop production. Thus, potential fertilizer- N, P2O5, and K2O application in lands of LV-3 are 8,400, 5,600, and 5,600 lbs, respectively. Visual observation by the PIs demonstrates that many of these lands are well leveled, and have a good irrigation infrastructure. The potential for agricultural intensification lies by increasing productivity in pasture lands and possibly turning parts of these lands in to horticultural crop production. Horticultural crops could be grown during the winter dry-season) in rotation with leguminous or graminea cover crops during the rainy season. Table 5. Land-area distribution in LV-3.

Area (acres) Owners or operators Horticultural crops 58 2 Pasture grazing 1345 6 Pasture haylage 2909 14 Shrubland 849 10 Shrubland / grazing 77 1

Operators within Guánica area east of the former Guánica Lagoon are distributed in RL-1

and RL-2. Although we initially divided the land area into two zones, we have found that very

12

similar land use exists and that the land area can be combined into one. Thus our description will be based on the combination of land area designations RL-1 and RL-2. The proportion of public land predominates (71% versus 29%) over private land with 2,401 acres 1,001 acres, respectively. Table 6. Land-area distribution in RL-1 and RL-2.

Area (acres) Owners or operators Horticultural crops 1273 41 Pasture 82 4 Shrubland 907 23 Shrubland / grazing 918 6 Urban 216 11

Horticultural crops predominate in the area distributed among 41 operators. The majority of

the land under horticultural crops is under public ownership (1026 acres). Based on estimated fertilizer rate application to horticultural crops as previously stated, the potential fertilizer- N, P2O5, and K2O consumption in lands of LV-3 are 183,000, 122,400, and 122,400 lbs, respectively. Land under shrubland and shrubland used for grazing occurs in 54% of the land area, and that under urban land in 6.3% of the area. Land area in designations RL-1 and RL-2 are primarily under intensive agricultural production.

The total potential fertilizer consumption in the 18,679 acres of land evaluated occurs primarily in land under horticultural crops. The potential fertilizer consumption is estimated at 788 tons, and represent 2.1% of the total fertilizer consumed in Puerto Rico during 2006-2007 (DAPR, 2007). This amount represents an area-wide estimate of 84 lb fertilizer/acre, which is well below the Puerto Rico island-wide estimate of 258 lb fertilizer/acre and seven times lower than world average. Fertilizer consumption rates in Puerto Rico are decreasing at a rate of 3,170 ton/yr. The main reason in fertilizer consumption is due to primarily to a decrease in the agricultural land area and to a minor extent to decreasing fertilization rates (estimated at 0.2 tonne/ha/yr) (Sotomayor-Ramírez et al. 2011).

The majority of the remaining land area (classified as other) of 1,719 acres is primarily south of the confluence of Río Loco and and Caño de los Negros. This area drains primarily into Guánica Bay as surface runoff. The majority of the land area is pasture with small portion of land in pasture.

6. Economic value of the area The economic value (at the farm level) of agricultural production within the Lajas Valley prior to the establishment of the southwest project was estimated at $2.34 million. Rehabilitation of the lands through irrigation and drainage infrastructure was performed at an estimated cost of $10.5 million (circa 1955) (González-Chapel, 1965). The activities further included agricultural diversification through the introduction of new commodities, capital investment to farmers, technology improvement, and integration of state and federal support resources. By 1963-64, the economic value was estimated $8 million and was projected to reach $11 million by 1966 (Rivera-Santos, 1964). Thus in ten years, agricultural production in the Lajas Valley increased 5-fold as a result of the irrigation-drainage infrastructure that was created.

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Estimate of agricultural economic value of the Guánica area. An assessment of the

economic value of the agricultural activity in public lands within the designated areas studied was performed using the time period of June 2009 to June 2010 (Conty, 2011). Horticultural crop production was performed in 1,191.85 cuerdas with on-farm sales of $4,054,370 (Table 7). As a comparison, the economic value of horticultural crop production in Puerto Rico (2008) was $14.47 million. Thus, horticultural crop production of the Guánica area was 35% of that generated in all of Puerto Rico in only 16% of the total land area dedicated to horticultural crops. A sizable portion of vegetables and other commodities grown in the Guánica farms are sold locally in municipalities within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve. Thus the Guánica area is an important contributor to the local economy from both an income generating and labor perspectives. Table 7. Land area under varying crop commodities, and on-farm income in farms within public lands of the Puerto Rico Land Authority from June 2009 to June 2010. Commodity Cuerdas Employment Income ($) Horticulture 1,191 156 4,054,370.10 Meat 1,112 16 32,400 Pasture 460 7 213,387 TOTAL 2,763 179 4,300,158

The multiplying effect horticultural crop production in Guánica on the local economy is estimated at $12.1 million. The horticulture industry employed approximately 156 full-time and an additional 468 part-time employees (Table 8). Meat production was performed on 1,112 cuerdas with about 319 animal units. The animals are exclusively grass-fed with minimum fertilizer input. In 2009 – 2010, 66 animal units were sold for on-farm sales of de $32,400. The off-farm multiplying effect is estimated at $78,350. It is important to note that the on-farm meat price has remained steady at about $1.39/lb since 2003. This factor has been identified as the main factor limiting the meat industry of the island (Cortez, 2010). Table 8. Economic effect of agricultural production in farms within public lands of the Puerto Rico Land Authority from June 2009 to June 2010. Area

Direct employment

Indirect employment

On-farm income Off-farm income *

Horticulture 156 468 4,054,370 12,163,110 Meat 16 48 32,400 97,200 Pasture 7 21 213,387 640,163 TOTAL 179 537 $4,300,158 $12,900,474 * Multiplying effect, estimated on average at 3.15x of the on-farm income.

The agricultural activity in Guánica is of importance for many reasons namely employment creation and maintenance, income generated, cultural aspects, health aspects, personal esteem, among others. We estimate that if a greater proportion of land is shifted from extensive pasture production to horticultural crops, this will benefit the local and island economy on a short- and long-term basis from an employment and income generating perspectives. A conservative estimate is that annual on-farm sales can reach $6,914,170 in 1,982 cuerdas (Table 9). We

14

estimate that 413 direct and indirect jobs could be created in the process (Table 10). For this to occur it is necessary to improve on-farm infrastructure. Table 9. Estimated land area of specific commodities that could be shifted to horticultural crops in farms within public lands of the Puerto Rico Land Authority. Present agricultural activity Cuerdas Pasture cutting 330 Pasture grazing 130 Unused 130 Cattle meat 200 TOTAL 790 Table 10. Estimated economic impact as a result of changing from present land use (Table 7) to horticultural crops in farms within public lands of the Puerto Rico Land Authority. Direct employment Indirect employment On-farm sales Multiplying effect 103 310 $2,859,800 $8,579,400 The immediate estimated demand for public land by the Puerto Rico Land Authority is estimated at 800 cuerdas distributed among maize (300 cuerdas), rice (200), vegetables (300) (Conty, 2011). Additional land area may be needed as the projected land area is brought into production.

Preliminary estimate of agricultural economic value of the Overall Lajas Valley with

emphasis on pasture production. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 cuerdas in conserved forage production. An additional 5,000 to 8,000 are grazed (Alvelo, 2011). Yields are estimated at between 12,000 to 15,000 lbs/cuerda/yr. These yields are typical of extensive forage management and well below those considered optimum for improved forage under intensive management. About 5 to 10% irrigate their lands. Most of the farmers point to the high cost of operating the water pumps (they run on diesel fuel) as being the main reason for not irrigating. There are about 25 to 30 farmers that produce conserved forage and about the same amount that are involved in cattle grazing. There are two dairy facilities in the Lajas Valley.

Most of the farmers are not fertilizing presumably due to the high fertilizer costs. For example, 10 years ago, between 300 to 300 lbs/acre/yr of complete formulation 15-5-10 was applied to pasture. Most farmers now apply between 0 and 300 lbs/acre/yr of the said formulation. There are reports that some farmers apply poultry litter to the land, but this needs to be corroborated.

7. Conclusions Stakeholder meetings led by CWP have been held. Various government agencies have been present. Although, a large part of the information that has been verbalized and shared at the meetings, these appear to be self-expression forums regarding each of the participants view or opinion of the lagoon restoration process. This aspect points to the lack of site-specific technical and scientific information available supporting the lagoon restoration. We adhere to UPRM College of Agricultural Sciences Mission to “Contribute through education, research and outreach to the sustainable and competitive development of agro-industrial activities and the natural resource conservation” (http://agricultura.uprm.edu/documentos/estrategiascca.pdf). As such we believe that knowledge gaps need to be identified and addressed first prior to initiating

15

plans to restore the Guánica Lagoon. All of the published information should be clear, legible, and be able to pass through some degree of peer-review process by competent professionals.

Although the Guánica Bay management plan has been created, we recognize that this is a general blueprint for action and in no-way constitutes a detailed study that establishes cause-effect relationships between stressor and response variables. Further, it does not provide a critical analysis of the effects that the planned projects will have on overall ecosystem (and its subcomponents) functioning.

In general terms, we suggest a three-tier approach. The experiment should not start prior to assembling all of the data.

1. Provide a database of available resources 2. Stipulate what are the concerns, and what is not known 3. What are the risks associated with the agricultural land area and associated activities, and

what degree we are willing to take (run) the risks. The climate, the geomorphology, and the availability of irrigation water favor the development of an intensive and mechanized agriculture in the area, and suggest that the lands of the Valley should be conserved exclusively for agricultural activities. Puerto Rico has one of the highest rates of agricultural land losses estimated at 11,500 ha/yr. This aspect, combined with the high land-use carrying capacity make the country extremely vulnerable from an food-security issue. The Valley should be considered as a patrimony of the Puerto Rican people within a conceptual legal framework, and should not follow the same fate as other agricultural lands that are being transformed to irreversible uses. We believe that a formal planning process should be implemented with due respect to the concept of private property but with strict land-use limitations, including the implementation of agricultural best management practices, to reduce the environmental impact. That plan should be practical realistic and guarantee sustained agricultural, economic, and environmental development.

8. References:

Alvelo, S. 2011. Agricultural statistics from pasture farms in the Lajas Valley. Unpublished data. PR Department of Agriculture.

Bock, C.A. 1948. Informe sobre el Proyecto del Suroeste de Puerto Rico, Autoridad de las Fuentes Fluviales, marzo 1948.

Bonnet, J.A. and E.J. Brenes, E.J. 1958. Detailed salinity survey of Lajas Valley. Univ. P.R. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 141.

Bonnet, J.A. and E.J. Brenes. 1957. Salinity status of Lajas Valley soils. J. Agr. Univ. P.R. 41(1): 25-34.

Bonnet, J.A. and P. Tirado-Sulsona. 1950. Soils studies in Lajas Valley. Univ. P.R. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul 86.

Center for Watershed Protection (CWP). 2008. Guanica Bay Watershed Management Plan. Conty, L. 2011. Agricultural statistics and on-farm income within farms of Guánica owned by

Autoridad de Tierras, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Land Authority, PR Department of Agriculture. Unpublished Memorandum. 4 pp.

Cortes, M. 2010. Empresas Agrícolas de Puerto Rico, 2005-2008. Situación y Perspectivas. Agricultural Experiment Station, Special Publication. 98 pp.

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DAPR. 2007. Anuario Estadístico. Departamento de Agricultura de Puerto Rico. Santurce, PR. González-Chapel, A. 1965. Planificación e implementación de un programa de desarrollo

agrícola en el Valle de Lajas. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Estación Experimental Agrícola, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Boletín 192, 38 pp.

Hernández-Ramírez, M. 1947. A socio-economic study of Southwestern Puerto Rico. J. Agric. Univ. P.R. 31: 1-165.

Lucchetti, A., 1948. Proyecto del Suroeste de Puerto Rico. Autoridad de Fuentes Fluviales de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marzo, 1948. 96 p., con apéndices.

Lugo-López, M. and R. Pérez Escolar. 1959. Hydraulic conductivity of subsoils of Lajas Valley. J. Agr. Univ. P.R. 43(4):273-7.

Lugo-López, M. R. Pérez Escolar, G. Acevedo, and J. Juárez Jr. 1959. Nature and properties of major soils of Lajas Valley. Univ. P.R. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 149.

Morris, G.L. 1999. Estudio hidrológico hidráulico de la Laguna Guánica. p. S7. DRNA, Suplemento, El Nuevo Día, 1999).

Morris, G.L. 1999. Laguna de Guánica. Hidrología y alternativas de restauración. 24 February, 1999.

NEDECO. 1958. Reclamation of the Guánica Lagoon, Puerto Rico. NEDECO, The Hauge, Netherlands. 20 pp. with appendices.

Reeves, R.C. 1956. Review of the experimental drainage and reclamation program for the Lajas Valley, Puerto Rico. Special Report. Agr. Exp. Sta. Univ. of P.R. Rio Piedras, PR, June 17-Jul 2, 1956.

Rivera-Santos, L. 1964. Breve historia de un gran proyecto: El Valle de Lajas. Revista Café. Julio 1964.

Sotomayor-Ramírez, D., M.J. Barrgán, G. Lozada, J. Caraballo. 2011. Tendencias en el consumo de fertilizantes en Puerto Rico. Presentación en el Primer Simposio de Agricultura Sustentable. Asociación de Estudiantes Agricultores, Recinto Universitario de Mayaguez.

U.S. Department of Commerce. 1986. Climatological data annual summary – Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 32: (13), 23 pp.

Van der Molen, W.N. 1957. Report on Salinity, Irrigation and drainage conditions in the Lajas Valley Development Project, Puerto Rico, Special Report, P.R. Department of Agriculture, January.

Willardson, L.S. 1958. Lajas Valley drainage problems. Univ. P.R., Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 143.

9. Appendices

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Figure A1. GIS-based delineation of the farms in the Lajas Valley watershed and Rio Loco watershed lower basin. The land area was divided into seven major land-area designations identified as LV-1A, LV-1B, LV-2, LV-3, RL-1, RL-2, and other (defined in the text).

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Figure A2. Individual delineation of farms in the Lajas Valley watershed and Rio Loco watershed lower basin.

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Figure A3. Individual delineation of farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin. The numbers in each farm correspond to a GIS generated ID numbers detailed in Table A1.

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Figure A4. Individual delineation of farms in El Anegado area of the Lajas Valley watershed. The numbers in each farm correspond to a GIS generated ID numbers detailed in Table A1.

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Figure A5. Soil series designation within farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin.

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Figure A6. Soil series designation within farms in El Anegado area of the Lajas Valley watershed.

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Figure A7. Soils hydrologic grouping within farms in the Rio Loco watershed lower basin.

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Figure A8. Spatial variation in normal (N), saline (S), sodic (A), and saline-sodic (SA) soils within the Lajas Valley watershed in 1958. Each pixel represents an area of 16 acres, based on Bonnet and Brennes, (1958).

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Table A1. Description of farms, operators, and location according to Figured A3 and A4. In this report the names of private owners and operators have been omitted.

GIS number1 Field number 2

Watershed id 3 Land owner 4 Operator 5

Crops grown or Landuse6

Area (acres)

76 LV‐1A ATPR Pasture grazing 2

182 GU006403 LV‐1A ATPR Pasture grazing 68





180 GU006201 LV‐1A Pasture grazing, pasture haylage 311

187 GU001401 LV‐1A Pasture haylage 110

203 GU003702 LV‐1A Rice 129

187 GU001401 LV‐1A Shrubland 111

192 GU013003 LV‐1A ATPR Shrubland 119


190 GU002901 LV‐1A AT Shrubland 620


68 GU007002 LV‐1A ATPR Shrubland / grazing 52




75 GU005303 LV‐1B Horticultural crops 3

31 GU000202 LV‐1B ATPR Horticultural crops 40

207 GU009901 LV‐1B Horticultural crops / bananas 17

199 GU001701 LV‐1B Pasture grazing 89






179 LV‐1B Pasture grazing 88


188 GU001501 LV‐1B Pasture grazing, pasture haylage 121



26




Area (acres)

4 GU000210 LV‐1B ATPR Pasture haylage 132

197 GU001801 LV‐1B Pasture haylage 49




195 GU000801 LV‐1B AT Pasture haylage 16

201 GU002301 LV‐1B AT Pasture haylage 39





218 GU003701 LV‐1B Plantains 40

189 LV‐1B Shrubland 34

196 GU000901 LV‐1B AT Shrubland 48

200 GU001601 LV‐1B Shrubland 55


















222 GU013001 LV‐1B ATPR Shrubland 62











27




Area (acres)

198 GU003001 LV‐1B Shrubland / grazing 28




54 GU000206 LV‐1B ATPR Shrubland / grazing 22

14 GU008501 LV‐1B Shrubland / urban 6








58 GU000301 LV‐1B ATPR Shrubland / urban 40

215 GU003705 LV‐1B Soy/Cotton 59

214 LV‐1B ATPR Soy/Cotton 40

12 GU008601 LV‐1B Unknown 5

21 GU008301 LV‐1B Unknown 0

6 GU013801 LV‐1B Urban 6











67 GU013101 LV‐1B Urban 58

70 GU005201 LV‐1B Urban 77


162 GU011301 LV‐2 Pasture grazing 598



171 GU010401 LV‐2 Shrubland 66




28




Area (acres)

174 GU011501 LV‐2 Shrubland / urban 175

176 GU011601 LV‐2 Shrubland / urban 20

177 GU011701 LV‐2 Urban 24

178 GU012801 LV‐2 Urban 8

247 LV‐3 Horticultural crops 27

248 LV‐3 Horticultural crops 31

242 LV‐3 Pasture grazing 630






230 LV‐3 Pasture haylage 60














245 LV‐3 Shrubland 155










224 LV‐3 ATPR Shrubland 229

241 LV‐3 Shrubland / grazing 77

147 GU000405 Other ATPR Horticultural crops 84

130 GU000403 Other ATPR Pasture grazing / 15

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Area (acres)

hogs, goats

168 GU011101 Other Pasture grazing 41

169 GU011001 Other Pasture grazing 43

155 Other Shrubland 40

156 GU011201 Other Shrubland 355










145 GU006801 Other ATPR Shrubland 11




148 GU006905 Other ATPR Shrubland / grazing 9

0 GU009801 Other Unknown 0

0 Other Unknown 0

144 GU012601 Other Urban 14

163 GU012201 Other Urban 1

150 GU006902 Other ATPR Urban 4

151 GU006903 Other ATPR Urban 3

90 GU000001 RL‐1 Horticultural crops 45










30




Area (acres)












139 GU003108 RL‐1 ATPR Pasture 19

127 GU000503 RL‐1 ATPR Pasture / grapes 13

37 RL‐1 Shrubland 5

38 RL‐1 Shrubland 5

77 GU005501 RL‐1 Shrubland 17




33 GU008006 RL‐1 ATPR Shrubland 293












138 RL‐1 ATPR Shrubland 37

154 RL‐1 Shrubland / grazing 269

99 GU006601 RL‐1 ATPR Shrubland / grazing 601

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Area (acres)


35 GU009601 RL‐1 Shrubland / urban 87

107 RL‐1 Sod 7

108 RL‐1 Sod 5

101 RL‐1 Unknown 3

122 GU003104 RL‐1 ATPR Unkown 4

80 GU007201 RL‐1 Urban 3

105 GU003103 RL‐1 Urban 5

152 GU012501 RL‐1 Urban 25

102 GU003111 RL‐1 ATPR Urban 4



134 RL‐1 ATPR Urban 58

40 GU008002 RL‐2 ATPR Horticultural crops 52

















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Area (acres)


89 GU007707 RL‐2 ATPR Pasture 31

131 GU000402 RL‐2 ATPR Pasture grazing / hogs, goats 19

118 GU000408 RL‐2 ATPR Plantains 41








63 GU007801 RL‐2 Urban 23

115 GU005901 RL‐2 Urban 1

116 GU005801 RL‐2 Urban 5

1 Field number is according to Figure 1, and is a GIS-based generated number. 2 Field number is the government identification parcel number, according to Centro de Recaudación

de Impuestos Municipales (CRIM). 3 LV-1A Lajas Valley watershed draining into the former Guanica Lagoon or through Caño de los

Negros; LV-2 Lajas Valley watershed draining elsewhere than LV-1; LV-3 Lajas Valley watershed RL-1 Rio Loco watershed lower basin, draining into Rio Loco; RL-2 Río Loco watershed lower basin, draining elsewhere than Río Loco

4 Land owner is ATPR, Autoridad de Tierras de Puerto Rico; AT- Administración de terrenos, other public land, prívate

5 Operator can be public, prívate, or none 6 The landuse assessment was performed via written survey, personal interviews with farmers,

residents, aerial photographs. LV-1A is the area corresponding to lands within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and within the Lajas

Valley watershed. This area has lands in contact with the former Guanica Lagoon footprint. LV-1B is the area within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve within the Lajas Valley watershed draining

into the former Guanica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros LV-2 is the area within the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve but draining elsewhere than through the

former Guanica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros LV-3 is the area in El Anegado and drains into the former Guanica Lagoon or through Caño de los Negros RL-1 is the Rio Loco watershed lower basin, draining into Rio Loco just above the confluence with Caño

de los Negros RL-2 is the Río Loco watershed lower basin, draining elsewhere than Río Loco

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