The South Branch Raritan River 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 drainag ...
of the
Raritan River in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
.
[Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. ]
Description
The source of the South Branch is the outflow from
Budd Lake, a glacial remnant located a few miles northeast of
Hackettstown. The river flows out of
Morris County, down the middle of
Hunterdon County, and along the western edge of
Somerset County.
At its end, it forms the border between Branchburg and Hillsborough Townships and, upon reaching the border of Bridgewater Township, joins the
North Branch Raritan River to form the
Raritan River, which generally flows eastward from that point. This area where the branches converge was called "Tucca-Ramma-Hacking" by the Lenape meaning the flowing together of water. It was called "Two Bridges" by the early European settlers, after a set of bridges built in 1733 that met at a small island (the island has washed away over time) on the North Branch.
[New Jersey Historical Society. "Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society." Newark: New Jersey Historical Society, 1924.] Today the area is generally referred to as "The Confluence". In the 1970s, the state discussed plans for a Raritan Confluence Reservoir, which have been shelved due to acquisition costs.
The river’s local grassroots organization is the
South Branch Watershed Association. Their mission is to “Protect the Water Resources of the South Branch of the Raritan River and its Watershed”. Established in 1959, the South Branch Watershed Association is one of the oldest and largest watershed associations in New Jersey, covering 276 square miles, 3 counties and 25 municipalities. The group offers homeowner well testing, environmental education, river monitoring, annual river cleanup and stream restoration.
Both North and South branches of the Raritan run nearly parallel southwards, east and west of one another, but receive their names from the direction each one flows from at their confluence.
Gallery
File:South Branch Raritan River, NJ - river mouth.jpg, Confluence of the South Branch and the North Branch with the Raritan River
File:Obediah Latourette Grist and Saw Mill, Long Valley, NJ - river view.jpg, Flowing past the Obediah Latourette Grist and Saw Mill in Long Valley
File:Dunham's Mill, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Dunham's Mill
Dunham's Mill, also known as Parry's Mill, is a historic building located at 7 Lower Center Street in Clinton, New Jersey, United States. The gristmill was in operation from 1837 to 1952. It was added to the National Register of Historic Place ...
, home to the Hunterdon Art Museum
The Hunterdon Art Museum, previously known as the Hunterdon Art Center and the Hunterdon Museum of Art, is located in a historic stone mill at 7 Lower Center Street in Clinton, New Jersey. It was founded in 1952 when it purchased Dunham's Mill, t ...
, and the Clinton
Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...
Dam
File:Ken Lockwood Gorge Bridge, NJ - looking northwest.jpg, The Ken Lockwood Gorge Bridge
Tributaries
*Allerton Creek
*Assicong Creek
*Beaver Brook
*Bushkill Brook
*Capoolong Creek
*Cramers Creek
*Drakes Brook
*Electric Brook
*
Holland Brook
Holland Brook is a tributary of the South Branch Raritan River in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey in the United States.
Holland Brook flows through Readington and Branchburg. It is the last tributary of the South Branch Rarita ...
*Little Brook
*Minneaconing Creek
*
Neshanic River
*
Pleasant Run (Campbell's Brook)
*Prescott Brook
*
Spruce Run
**Mulhockaway Creek
*Sidney Brook
*Stony Brook (Washington Township - Morris County)
*Turkey Brook
See also
*
List of rivers of New Jersey
*
List of crossings of the Raritan River
References
External links
*
U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream gaging stationsSouth Branch Watershed Association
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Rivers of Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Rivers of Morris County, New Jersey
Tributaries of the Raritan River
Rivers of New Jersey
Rivers of Somerset County, New Jersey