⁃ elevation0 ft (0 m)Length69.6 mi (112.0 km)Basin size1,100 sq mi (700,000 acres; 2,800 km 2)Width⁃ average200 ft (61 m)Depth⁃ minimum9 ft (2.7 m)⁃ maximum25 ft (7.6 m)Discharge⁃ location⁃ average1,070 cu ft/s (30 m 3/s)⁃ minimum100 cu ft/s (2.8 m 3/s)⁃ maximum10,800 cu ft/s (310 m 3/s)Basin featuresPopulation1.2 millionTributaries⁃ left,⁃ right,Bridges, New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. 1 Bridge, highway bridge over South River at the town of South River.
Contents.Geological history assert that the lower Raritan provided the course of the mouth of the approximately 6,000 years ago. Following the end of the last, had not yet been formed and the Hudson flowed along the to present-day, then followed the course of the Raritan eastward into.Description The river forms at the confluence of the and just west of at the border of,. It flows for approximately 16 mi (26 km) before slowing in tidewater at, and its extends 14 mi (23 km) more entering the western end of at.The river has served an important water transportation route since the. The name Raritan is also applied to the people, an tribe that inhabited, near the river's mouth.
In colonial days, the river allowed the development of early industry around, as well as the transportation of agricultural materials from central New Jersey. During the, the river provided a means for troop conveyance.
The construction of the along the right (south) bank of the river provided a critical link between and on the.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),. Can be found in relative abundance in some portions of the river like Clinton and Califon. An occasional has been taken out of the Raritan as well. The tidal portions of the river host migratory salt water species such as,.
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 nesting birds and make their homes in and along the length of the river. Crustaceans such as, and are also found in the tidal sections of the river. Can be found farther upstream.The river is also used for recreational boating, including use by the rowing team of in New Brunswick. The river is featured in the title of Rutgers', and its flooding is mentioned in the song.
The musical mentions troops bathing in the Raritan River.Near its mouth, the river is spanned by a railroad bridge which carries the; the which carries (connecting and ); the, which carries (connecting Woodbridge Township and ); and the, which carries the (connecting and Sayreville).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, are located where the Raritan River and its largest tributary (the ) meet just east of.At times of and low water flow rates, the flow rate in the Raritan River is enhanced by planned discharges from the and, both of which are located close to the in, 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 has persistent flooding problems when excessive rain from storms affects the river basin. The flooding problems mainly affect the town of, which is partially built on a natural flood plain at the junction of several tributaries, and, 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. Other towns in the Raritan River basin also experience flooding to a lesser degree.Record flooding in the aftermath of 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, which is designed to protect Bound Brook from a 150-year flood. In August 2011, record flooding occurred once again after 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.
As of 2015, the current status of this project is:. 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. 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.
The new Talmadge Avenue Bridge that connects Bound Brook and is functionally complete. The replacement bridge was built to the height of the R2 Levee to prevent and Raritan River waters from entering Bound Brook from the west.
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.Communities on the Raritan (In alphabetical order).Tributaries The Raritan river is formed by the confluence of:.Its main tributaries are:.Others are:. Arrarat Creek. Crows Mill Creek. Cuckholds Brook. Dukes Brook. Garron Creek.
Buell Brook. Mill Brook. Padilla Creek. Pine Creek. Red Root CreekSee also.References.
That the death toll from Sandy in the Caribbean is now up to 41 people as continues its track toward the U.S. East Coast this afternoon, slowly leaving the Bahamas.
States of Emergency have been declared in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and New York. The hurricane is just barely still a Category 1 with surface winds of 75 mph and a minimum central pressure of 971 mb. Ocean buoys off the and are recording sustained winds of around 45 mph this afternoon, with gusts steadily increasing.
Sandy's rainfall, which is limited to the north and northeast parts of the storm, is reaching eastern Florida, though most of it is staying offshore.Satellite loops show an asymmetric Sandy, with almost all of the thunderstorm activity on its north side. The hurricane still has a very clear center of surface circulation which you can see on visible and infrared loops. Though the hurricane is leaving the influence of an upper level low pressure area over western Cuba, water vapor imagery shows a large area of dry air being pulled into the storm from the south, which is leading to the lack of thunderstorm activity and contributing to the weakening that Sandy is experiencing right now. The hurricane's tropical storm-force winds now extend 240 miles from the center, and could grow to 400 miles from the center by the time it reaches the East Coast.Figure 1.
Visible/infrared satellite image of Sandy as it leaves the Bahamas this afternoon. The mid-latitude trough, which Sandy will interact with over the next few days, is seen approaching from the northwest. The cold front associated with this trough is draped from upstate New York south to Louisiana, and appears as a line of clouds draped across the Midwest and South in this image.Forecast For Hurricane SandyAs a tropical cyclone approaches land, the worst storm surge is almost always where the winds are blowing from ocean to shore, where the wind pushes the water toward and onto the shore. In the case of Sandy's potential track, this region is on the north side of the center. In this morning's GFS scenario, Sandy's center passes over eastern Long Island, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. This would result in the highest surge north of New York City: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and possibly Maine. The ECMWF forecast from this morning is a bit further to the south.
It's suggesting Sandy's center will meet land in New Jersey. This scenario opens up New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southern coastal Mass.
To the largest surge. In general, the places that will avoid the largest storm surge are those that are south of where the center of the storm makes landfall. The National Hurricane Center's forecast is similar to the ECMWF, but most importantly, its forecast is also to not focus on the exact point of landfall because of the size of the storm, and that widespread impact is expected.The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts should be prepared for a storm surge no matter their exact location. A large portion of the coast will feel the impact of up to 60 mph winds and heavy rain.
According to the most recent H.Wind analysis from the Hurricane Research Division is that storm surge has a destructive potential of 4.8 out of 6.0, which is a slight increase from previous analyses. Wind damage potential is holding steady around 2.3 out of 6.0. Rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and possibly more in coastal locations close to the core of the storm.
Widespread power outages from Maine south to Virginia are likely, due to the combination of long-lived gale-force winds, leaves on trees, and rain that will moisten the soil and possibly increase the chances of falling trees. Snow in the Appalachians is also possible as the intense moisture meets the cold air being pulled south by the mid-latitude trough.Figure 2. Departure of sea surface temperature from average for the Atlantic shows a large area of unusually warm waters up to 9°F above average off the U.S.