The South Branch Rahway River flows north north through

Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional hub for Central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area located within the ...

before entering the

Rahway River The Rahway River is a river in Essex, Middlesex, and Union Counties, New Jersey, United States, The Rahway, along with the Elizabeth River, Piles Creek, Passaic River, Morses Creek, the Fresh Kills River (in Staten Island), has its river m ...

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

, 4.5 miles from the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of ...

. Its source is the

Roosevelt Park Roosevelt Park may refer to: United States * Roosevelt Park, Michigan, a city * Roosevelt Park (Albuquerque, New Mexico), a park in Albuquerque, New Mexico * Roosevelt Park (Edison), a park in Edison, New Jersey * Roosevelt Park (Malden), a park ...

lake in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It is ...

. The South Branch is subject to both

tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and

fluvial In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluviog ...

flooding. With coastal surges, the Rahway River can cause backflow into the South Branch as far as St. Georges Bridge in Woodbridge. Outflow from the south Branch to the main channel is inhibited by the "U" shape turn in the Rahway River and six bridge constrictions within a mile. The South Branch has an 11.6 square mile drainage area from "intensely developed portions" of Rahway, Edison, Woodbridge and Metuchen. Repeated "flashy" fluvial flooding in this river is a consequence of urbanization with impervious surfaces exacerbated by downstream channel constrictions, stream bank decay and steep hills. Fluvial flooding is felt to be the major component of flooding.

References

{{authority control Rivers of New Jersey Bodies of water in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Rivers of Middlesex County, New Jersey Rivers of Union County, New Jersey