The Department of Environment continues to monitor the conditions of the New River.
Last month they installed aeretors and were conducting tests twice daily to improve and keep track of the water quality.
But have conditions continued to improve?
Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment Omar Figueroa is optimistic. We caught up with him today at the Caribbean Regional Fisheries mechanism meeting and he spoke to us about the stagnation the new river experienced during the drought and how the arrival of the rains might make the rivers condition seem worse before actually improving it.
Omar Figueroa, Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture
"The rains have started and so, what was advanced eutrophication happening at a specific area was not moving because of the stagnation of the river is now starting to flow, and so it's starting to dilute with the onset of the rains up there."
Reporter:
"Are you aware of any fish kill in libertad? Those were the reports we were getting this morning."
Omar Figueroa
"I'm not aware of any. I would have to look into it and try to find, to get an update. I'm not aware of any fish kill up there. But what we need to understand is that a lot of times fish kills happen when the rains start. Because those rains actually stir up sediments and then it triggers the eutrophication. In the past when the rain was the trigger it didn't become much of a problem because it started with the rain and we didn't have that drought that created stagnation in the waters. But now that it is flowing. I wouldn't be surprised that there might be a few fish kills given the onset of the rains but I haven't received those reports I need to look at it."
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