Raritan River watershed: empties near Staten Island in Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The river forms at the confluence of the North and South Branches just west of Somerville (technically, at the border of Bridgewater, Branchburg and Hillsborough Townships.) It flows for approximately 16 mi (25.7 km) before slowing in tidewater at New Brunswick, and its estuary extends 14 mi (22.5 km) more entering the western end of Raritan Bay at South Amboy.

Photo of a gauge inspector and the Manville, New Jersey gage house built into the North Main Street/CR-533 bridge abutment during the Raritan River flood of December 31, 1948.

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, chain pickerel, american eels, carp and yellow perch. An occasional Pike and Musky have 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. Many nesting birds and water fowl make their homes in and along the length of the river. 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 further upstream.

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. The musical 1776 mentions troops bathing in the Raritan River.

Despite its important recreational and drinking water significance, the Raritan has been ranked as the 16th most polluted river in the country, and is designated as unsafe for both fishing and swimming.^[1]

Geologists believe that approximately 6,000 years ago the lower Raritan provided the course of the mouth of the Hudson River. 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.

Near its mouth, the river is spanned by the Victory Bridge which carries Route 35 (connecting Perth Amboy and South Amboy, New Jersey), the Driscoll Bridge, which carries the Garden State Parkway (connecting Woodbridge Township and South Amboy), the Edison Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 9 (Connecting Woodbridge Township and Sayreville Township) and a New Jersey Transit railroad bridge.

Water supply

The Raritan River is an important source of drinking water for the central portion of New Jersey. Two water purification plants, operated by New Jersey American Water, are located where the Raritan River and its largest tributary (the Millstone River) meet just east of Manville, New Jersey.

At times of drought and low water flow rates, the flow rate in the Raritan River is enhanced by planned discharges from the Round Valley Reservoir and Spruce Run Reservoir, both of which are located close to the South Branch of the Raritan River in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and are connected to the river via outflow pipes/channels. The water levels are boosted so downstream water purification facilities will have adequate water supplies in times of drought.

Flooding

The Raritan River flooding Bound Brook, 4/16/2007

Record flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 (43 ft (13.1 m) flood crest, 15 ft (4.6 m) above flood stage) caused renewed interest in a flood control project called the Green Brook Flood Control Project, which will essentially protect Bound Brook from a 150 year flood. Two levees have been built on the perimeter of Bound Brook, but the main levee necessary to keep the Raritan River from flooding the town has not been built as of early 2007 and is not scheduled to be completed for at least another five years.

Communities on the Raritan

(In alphabetical order)

• Bound Brook
• Bridgewater
• East Brunswick Township
• Edison
• Franklin Township
• Highland Park
• Hillsborough
• Manville
• New Brunswick
• Perth Amboy
• Piscataway
• Raritan
• Sayreville
• Somerville
• South Amboy
• South Bound Brook
• South River
• Woodbridge

Tributaries

The Raritan river is formed by the confluence of:

• North Branch Raritan River
• South Branch Raritan River

Its main tributaries are:

• Green Brook
• Lawrence Brook
• Millstone River
• South River

Others are:

• Arrarat Creek
• Crows Mill Creek
• Cuckholds Brook
• Dukes Brook
• Garron Creek
• Middle Brook
• Mile Run Brook
• Mill Brook
• Padilla Creek
• Peter's Brook
• Pine Creek
• Randolph Brook
• Red Root Creek

See also

• List of New Jersey rivers
• List of crossings of the Raritan River
• Raritan Bay
• Hudson Canyon
• Sandy Hook Bay
• Arthur Kill
• Delaware and Raritan Canal

References

External links

• Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park
• Duke Island Park
• Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance
• U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream gaging stations
• The Raritan-Millstone Heritage Alliance
• Smallmouth bass article from the New Jersey Division of Fish Game and Wildlife

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