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 ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.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
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,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
The North Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002.
The North Branch Raritan River rises in Morris County, in eastern Mendham Borough rising o ...
to form 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 ...
, 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 Places o ...
, 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 Dam
File:Ken Lockwood Gorge Bridge, NJ - looking northwest.jpg, The
Ken Lockwood Gorge Bridge
The Ken Lockwood Gorge Bridge is a steel plate girder bridge built for the High Bridge Branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) to cross the South Branch Raritan River in Ken Lockwood Gorge of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It is now op ...
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 Raritan Ri ...
*Little Brook
*Minneaconing Creek
*
Neshanic River The Neshanic River is a tributary of the South Branch Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. It is 11 miles long.
See also
*List of rivers of New Jersey
This is a ...
* 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
This is a list of streams and rivers of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
List of New Jersey rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (''i.e.,'' branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the ...
*
List of crossings of the Raritan River
This is a list of road/highway and rail crossings of the Raritan River from the mouth at Raritan Bay upstream. It also includes crossings of its two branches: the North Branch Raritan River and the South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Rar ...