Puerto Rico partners with US to study, prevent coastal erosion

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico _ Puerto Rico’s government is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study erosion along the island’s northern and western coasts.

The secretary of Puerto Rico’s Natural Resources Department says officials are analyzing the movement of sand in the popular tourist town of Rincon as well as in the capital of San Juan and nearby areas. Carmen Guerrero said Saturday that the $120,000 project should be completed by year’s end.

She said the government also has requested $2.1 million in federal funds for coastal restoration projects, noting that Rincon is one of Puerto Rico’s worst-hit areas.

Officials across the tourism-dependent Caribbean are increasingly worried about erosion as a result of climate change.

The Associated Press