Peters Brook is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...

that flows south through Bridgewater Township and

Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a borough and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.New Je ...

, in the United States. Some of its tributaries include Ross Brook and Mac's Brook. Peters

Peters Brook is approximately six miles long, beginning near the west side of

I-287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in N ...

and emptying into the Raritan River south of Somerville. The Brook is named for Peter Van Nest, son of Dutch immigrant Pieter Van Nest. The homestead of the Van Nest family was in nearby Raritan near Glaser Avenue. Peter Van Nest fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

under Jacob Ten Eyck's command. Peters Brook is notable for having high

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

levels and flooding, receiving large amounts of

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

Peters Brook Greenway

A 1.5-mile-long gravel pathway in Somerville traces the course of the brook through the borough. The trail is about eight feet wide and runs from Mountain Avenue to High Street.Somerville Recreation
The brook also traverses Flockhart Park, which is accessible from US-202 South in Bridgewater right before the Somerset Shopping Center and Somerville Circle exit. Flockhart Park was named after former Somerville Mayor Thomas Flockhart.

Crossings

In Bridgewater

*Talamini Road *Garretson Road *Somerset Corporate Boulevard * US 22 *

US 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Mass ...

In Somerville

*Mountain Avenue *Mercer Street *Davenport Street *North Bridge Street *Grove Street *East Cliff Street *East High Street (1911) *

East Main Street The Main Street Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying Niagara Road 27 and the unsigned designation of Highway 7146 under the Welland Canal. It is named as a part of East Main Street. The structure was bui ...

*South Side Avenue

References

External links

Gage at Mercer Street, Somerville, NJProject on Peter's Brook
Tributaries of the Raritan River Rivers of New Jersey Rivers of Somerset County, New Jersey {{NewJersey-river-stub