Raritan River

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Raritan River
Rariton
Raritan River at Duke Island.jpg
Raritan River as seen from Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Raritanrivermap.png
Raritan River watershed: empties near Staten Island in Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
Etymology Raritan Indian tribe
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
Counties Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset, Union
Municipalities Raritan, Clinton, Bridgewater Township, Somerville, Bound Brook, South Bound Brook, Piscataway, Franklin Township, New Brunswick, Highland Park, Edison, East Brunswick, Sayreville, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of South Branch Raritan River and North Branch Raritan River
 • coordinates 40°33′20″N74°41′14″W / 40.55556°N 74.68722°W / 40.55556; -74.68722 [1]
 • elevation47.7 ft (14.5 m)
Mouth  
 • location
 Raritan Bay
 • coordinates
 40°29′41″N74°16′17″W / 40.49472°N 74.27139°W / 40.49472; -74.27139 [1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length69.6 mi (112.0 km)
Basin size1,100 sq mi (700,000 acres; 2,800 km2)
Width 
 • average200 ft (61 m)
Depth 
 • minimum9 ft (2.7 m)
 • maximum25 ft (7.6 m)
Discharge 
 • location Bound Brook
 • average1,070 cu ft/s (30 m3/s)
 • minimum100 cu ft/s (2.8 m3/s)
 • maximum10,800 cu ft/s (310 m3/s)
Basin features
Population~1.2 million
Tributaries 
 • left Peters Brook, Cuckles Brook, Middle Brook, Green Brook, Mill Brook, Red Root Creek, Crows Mill Creek
 • right Dukes Brook, Millstone River, Fox Creek, Mile Run, Lawrence Brook, South River
Bridges Victory Bridge, Edison Bridge, Driscoll Bridge, New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. Highway No. 1 Bridge, highway bridge over South River at the town of South River

The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the central region of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near Staten Island on the Atlantic Ocean.

Contents

History

Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided the course of the mouth of the Hudson River [2] approximately 6,000 years ago. Following the end of the last ice age, the Narrows had not yet been formed and the Hudson flowed along the Watchung Mountains to present-day Bound Brook, then followed the course of the Raritan eastward into Lower New York Bay. [3] [ page needed ]

The name Raritan possibly derives from a branch of the Lenape people called the Nariticongs, the first people known to settle the Raritan Valley. [4] [5]

Following conflict with the arriving Dutch colonists, the native people of the region were forced to sell their territory near the Raritan Bay and move further inland along the river valley. [6] As English colonists took over the region, they took advantage of the river's location between New York and Philadelphia as well as a road network developed by the Lenape to turn the region into a transportation and commercial hub. [7] As a result, the Raritan River became an important waterway for colonial travel and trade, [8] allowing for the development of trade centers like Raritan Landing and New Brunswick, where agricultural and raw material goods could be sold. [7]

During the American Revolutionary War, the river was the site of guerilla warfare by American militiamen against British patrols, culminating in the Battle of Bound Brook where a large British force attacked an American outpost south of the river. [9] [ self-published source? ]

The success of the Erie Canal (completed in 1825) sparked a "canal fever" in the United States, catalyzing the construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R) between New Brunswick on the Raritan and Bordentown on the Delaware River. The D&R was completed in 1834 and provided a critical link between Philadelphia (and the rest of the greater Mid-Atlantic region, at large) and New York (and the rest of the greater New England region, at large), as these cities were situated along the crucial rivers of the Delaware and the Hudson, respectively. [10] The vast majority of traffic along the canal was Pennsylvania anthracite coal with the rest consisting mostly of agricultural and textile goods. At its peak in 1866 the D&R transported more cargo than the Erie Canal. [11] In 1932 the D&R canal shut down for commercial use. In 1974 the canal was developed as a state park for recreational use and remains in use as a water supply for central New Jersey. [12] Various mill towns were formed along the canal and the aforementioned river (and tributaries), most notably (from south to north / west to east) being Trenton, Kingston, Blackwells Mills, Griggstown, Hillsborough, Manville, Chester, Bernards, Clinton, Raritan, Milltown, and Woodbridge. [13] [14] [15]

Description

The river forms at the confluence of the North and South Branches just west of Somerville at the border of Bridgewater, Branchburg, and Hillsborough Townships. It flows for approximately 16 mi (26 km) before slowing in tidewater at New Brunswick, and its estuary extends 14 mi (23 km) more entering the western end of Raritan Bay at South Amboy. [16]

Comprehensive measures have been taken to reduce the pollution and increase the water quality. These actions have benefited the fish population which include (but are not limited to) largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, catfish, trout, chain pickerel, american eels, carp and yellow perch. Pike can be found in relative abundance in some portions of the river like Clinton and Califon. An occasional Musky has been taken out of the Raritan as well. The tidal portions of the river host migratory salt water species such as striped bass, fluke, winter flounder, weakfish and bluefish. Recently, efforts to restore anadromous fish populations have been made, done by removing many of the obsolete dams and the constructing dam bypass infrastructure. Hopefully this will result in restoring shad, striped bass, and sturgeon populations in the river. Many songbirds, wading birds, and waterfowl make their homes in and along the length of the river, such as mallards, canadian geese, great blue herons, double-crested cormorants, and common mergansers. Common songbirds include the american robin, song sparrow, northern mockingbird, common grackle, and the Red-winged blackbird. Crustaceans such as blue claw crab, fiddler crabs and green crabs are also found in the tidal sections of the river. Crayfish can be found farther upstream. [17]

The river is also used for recreational boating, including use by the rowing team of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The river is featured in the title of Rutgers' alma mater, On the Banks of the Old Raritan , and its flooding is mentioned in the song. [18]

Near its mouth, the river is spanned by the Raritan Bay Drawbridge, a New Jersey Transit railroad bridge which carries the North Jersey Coast Line; [19] the Victory Bridge which carries Route 35 (connecting Perth Amboy and Sayreville, New Jersey); [20] the Edison Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 9 (connecting Woodbridge Township and Sayreville); and the Driscoll Bridge, which carries the Garden State Parkway (connecting Woodbridge Township and Sayreville). [21]

Water supply

The Raritan River is an important source of drinking water for the central portion of New Jersey. A water filtration plant operated by New Jersey American Water is located in Somerset and draws its water at the confluence of the Raritan River and its largest tributary (the Millstone River), providing an average of 132,000,000 US gallons (500,000 m3) of water per day. [22]

The New Jersey Water Supply Authority operates two reservoirs off of the Raritan river, the Spruce Run Reservoir and Round Valley Reservoir, and controls releases of water to ensure the “minimum passing flow rates” enforced by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. [23] Additionally, the Delaware and Raritan Canal, managed by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, serves as a water supply that pumps over 100,000,000 US gallons (380,000 m3) of water per day from the Delaware to the Raritan river and serves over 1 million customers along the way [24]

Flooding

The Raritan River has persistent flooding problems when excessive rain from storms affects the river basin. The flooding problems mainly affect the town of Bound Brook, which is partially built on a natural floodplain at the junction of several tributaries, and Manville, which has a large neighborhood known as Lost Valley that lies on the floodplain between the Raritan River and its largest tributary river, which is known as the Millstone River. Other towns in the Raritan River basin also experience flooding to a lesser degree.[ citation needed ]

Record flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 (42.13 ft (12.84 m)) flood crest, 14 ft (4.3 m) above flood stage) caused renewed interest in a flood control project called the Green Brook Flood Control Project, which is designed to protect Bound Brook from a 150-year flood. In August 2011, record flooding occurred once again after Hurricane Irene swept through the area. This problem was exacerbated by well-above average rainfall that fell in the weeks before the storm hit, and spurred completion of the Army Corps of Engineers flood control project. [25] As of 2015, the current status of this project is:

  1. The R2 levee system is functionally complete – The R2 Levee System is designed to provide Bound Brook with protection from a 150-year flood level. The levee is built to the height of the raised Talmage Avenue Bridge.
  2. Closure gates along Raritan are functionally complete – The gate closures across the New Jersey Transit railroad tracks on the western side of Bound Brook and at the South Main Street railroad underpass that leads to Queens Bridge have been completed and are used to keep flood waters out of Bound Brook.
  3. The new Talmadge Avenue Bridge that connects Bound Brook and Bridgewater, New Jersey is functionally complete. The replacement bridge was built to the height of the R2 Levee to prevent Middle Brook and Raritan River waters from entering Bound Brook from the west.
  4. To improve water flow through Bound Brook, the former Conrail bridge over the Raritan River and its associated railroad embankment that were located east of Bound Brook were removed during 2007. The bridge and embankment, when they were in place, acted to block the river flow through the Bound Brook area. To build the main Bound Brook R2 levee, the bridge and embankment needed to be removed. [26]

Communities on the Raritan

(In alphabetical order with 2020 population)

Tributaries

The Raritan river is formed by the confluence of:

Its main tributaries are:

Others are:

Lakes

Westons Mill Pond, with East Brunswick on the left and Rutgers University on the right 2024-04-26 15 40 55 View southwest up Weston's Mill Pond from the spillway near the northeast end of the Mill Pond Trail within Frank G. Helyar Woods at the Rutgers Gardens in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey.jpg
Westons Mill Pond, with East Brunswick on the left and Rutgers University on the right

Lakes that are located within the Raritan Basin include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayreville, New Jersey</span> Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, US

Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 45,345, an increase of 2,641 (+6.2%) from the 2010 census count of 42,704, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,327 (+5.8%) from the 40,377 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Amboy, New Jersey</span> City in Middlesex County, New Jersey, US

South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,411, an increase of 780 (+9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 8,631, which in turn reflected an increase of 718 (+9.1%) from the 7,913 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware and Raritan Canal</span> United States historic place

The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that connects the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia and New York City, transporting anthracite coal from eastern Pennsylvania during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The canal allowed shippers to cut many miles off the existing route from the Pennsylvania Coal Region down the Delaware, around Cape May, and up the occasionally treacherous Atlantic Ocean coast to New York City.

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The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a United States–based railroad company established in 1872. It was formed by the consolidation of three existing companies: the Camden and Amboy Railroad, Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, and New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. The Camden and Amboy and New Jersey Rail Road were among the earliest North American railroads. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company in 1872.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South River (Raritan River tributary)</span> River in New Jersey, US

The South River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millstone River</span> Tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey, United States

The Millstone River is a 38.6-mile-long (62.1 km) tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Brook</span> River in the United States

Lawrence Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River in Middlesex County, New Jersey, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Brook Flood Control Project</span>

The Green Brook Flood Control Project is a flood control project in Somerset County in central New Jersey first proposed in the early 1970s in the wake of two major flooding events: a 1971 flood event and a major 1973 flood which ravaged the Green Brook and Raritan River basins, causing millions in property damage and several deaths in central New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Mile Run Reservoir Site</span>

The Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, part of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, is located in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal. It covers 3,037 acres (12.29 km2). The reservoir plan was to flood the Six Mile Run watershed. The Six Mile Run is a tributary of the Millstone River that, with its tributaries, drains a large area in central Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey and western portions of North Brunswick and South Brunswick Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It derives its name, along with other streams, from the distance early surveyors estimated it was from the point where the historic King's Highway left the Raritan River at New Brunswick to the point the roadway crossed the stream. The estimates were not very accurate but the stream names have remained in use ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Bayshore</span> Region of New Jersey

The Raritan Bayshore is a region in central sections in the state of New Jersey. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Middlesex and Monmouth counties, including the towns of Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Sayreville, Old Bridge, Matawan, Aberdeen, Keyport, Union Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, and Highlands. It is the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore, located just south of New York City. At Keansburg is a traditional amusement park while at Sandy Hook are found ocean beaches. The Sadowski Parkway beach area in Perth Amboy, which lies at the mouth of the Raritan River, was deemed the "Riviera of New Jersey" by local government. In recent years many of the beaches on the Bayshore area have been rediscovered and upgraded.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Raritan River". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ↑ Steinberg, Ted (2010). Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 4. ISBN   978-1-476-74124-6.
  3. ↑ Waldman, John R. (1999). Heartbeats in the muck: the history, sea life, and environment of New York Harbor. New York: Lyons Press. ISBN   1-55821-720-7. OCLC   41674270.
  4. ↑ "The Origin of New Jersey Place Names" (PDF). New Jersey State Library Commission. Federal Writers' Program. 1938. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  5. ↑ Schneider, Jennifer (2019). "History of the Raritan River". New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University; Department of History.
  6. ↑ Goodspeed, Marfy. "The Lenape of Central New Jersey". Goodspeed Histories. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  7. 1 2 DeAngelo, W. A. (2008). "The History of Middlesex County" (PDF). New Brunswick: Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. pp. 22–23.
  8. ↑ "The Raritan River Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Battle of Bound Brook". www.myrevolutionarywar.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. ↑ Chirco, Vicki. "A Historic Place". D & R Canal. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Barges, Bridges, and Mules: The Story of the Delaware & Raritan Canal". Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Delaware and Raritan Canal". Morristown, NJ: Canal Society of New Jersey. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Explore the Delaware and Raritan Canal". Morristown, NJ: Canal Society of New Jersey. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The History of Raritan". Borough of Raritan, NJ. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Water-Powered Economy, 1830-1920". New Jersey: Then and Now. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Raritan River Basin". Sierra Club. February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ Hartobey, Jim (September 2005). "Prime Time For Smallies". NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ A verse of the song goes: "For has she not stood since the time of the flood / On the banks of the old Raritan"
  19. ↑ "NJ Officials Break Ground on Raritan Bay Bridge Project". WBGO. September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Route 35 Victory Bridge Overview, Construction Updates, Commuter Information". www.state.nj.us. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  21. ↑ Casella, R. M., & Haas, J., The History & Technology of the Edison Bridge & Driscoll Bridge over the Raritan River, New Jersey pp. 1–8 (2003). Trenton, NJ.
  22. ↑ "New Jersey American Water Recognized for Excellence in Water Quality by Partnership for Safe Water". Camden, NJ: American Water. September 18, 2020. Press release.
  23. ↑ "Raritan Basin". NJWSA. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  24. ↑ Maintenance Along the Delaware & Raritan Canal Frequently Asked Questions [PDF]. (n.d.). New Jersey Water Supply Authority.
  25. ↑ "Summary of Flooding in New Jersey Caused by Hurricane Irene, August 27–30, 2011". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  26. ↑ Valinski, Robin Blackstone, "Green Brook Flood Control Project: Saving Bound Brook" (2012). Master of Environmental Studies Capstone Projects. 48. https://repository.upenn.edu/mes_capstones/48
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