Misplaced Pages

#263736

50-748: It rises out of Lake Hopatcong , on the border between the borough of Hopatcong in Sussex County and the township of Roxbury in Morris County . It flows through Lake Musconetcong , then flows southwest, past Stephensburg and New Hampton , passing south of Washington then along the southeastern side of the Pohatcong Mountain ridge. It joins the Delaware at Riegelsville , approximately 10 mi (16 km) south of Phillipsburg . The river does not flow through any large population center and has been

100-724: A New Jersey Transit railroad bridge which carries the North Jersey Coast Line ; the Victory Bridge which carries Route 35 (connecting Perth Amboy and Sayreville, New Jersey ); the Edison Bridge , which carries U.S. Route 9 (connecting Woodbridge Township and Sayreville ); and the Driscoll Bridge , which carries the Garden State Parkway (connecting Woodbridge Township and Sayreville). The Raritan River

150-679: A house in the River Styx section for more than 30 years; actress Lotta Crabtree , who owned the Attol Tryst home in Mount Arlington ; and inventor and chemist Hudson Maxim . Their presence attracted many famous visitors, including Babe Ruth , Bud Abbott , Bert Lahr , and Milton Berle . Tourism and other business endeavors near the lake, hit hard by the Great Depression , waned in the 1930s and 1940s. Permanent residences were constructed in

200-652: A landmark. Lake Hopatcong hosted several strong chess tournaments in the 1920s, including the Ninth American Chess Congress in 1923, which was won by Frank Marshall and Abraham Kupchik , and another tournament in 1926, which was won by world champion José Raúl Capablanca . Lake Hopatcong flourished in the 1920s, and many famous people owned property on the lake, including Vaudeville 's Joe Cook , who owned Sleepless Hollow in Davis Cove; Vaudeville's Owen McGiveney (father to Maura McGiveney ), who owned

250-476: A single, large lake created a new geography of the area. Halsey Island and Raccoon Island , the only two true islands on Lake Hopatcong, were disconnected from the mainland. Bertrand Island and Liffy Island formed as peninsulas . Other changes included the creation of Prospect Point, the backflowing of the River Styx in Hopatcong to create an inlet , and King Cove and the south end of the lake near Landing . In

300-600: Is an important source of drinking water for the central portion of New Jersey. A water filtration plant operated by New Jersey American Water is located in Somerset and draws its water at the confluence of the Raritan River and its largest tributary (the Millstone River ), providing an average of 132,000,000 US gallons (500,000 m ) of water per day. The New Jersey Water Supply Authority operates two reservoirs off of

350-509: Is now a mostly suburban residential lake. The exact origin of the name Hopatcong is unknown, though it is most commonly attributed to the Lenape Indian word for "stone water," or "stone over water". Some linguists believe "Hopatcong" to be a derivative of the Lenape word hapakonoesson , meaning "pipe stone". One explanation of the origin of the word Hopatcong is that it was a derivation from

400-719: The American Revolutionary War , the river was the site of guerilla warfare by American militiamen against British patrols, culminating in the Battle of Bound Brook where a large British force attacked an American outpost south of the river. The success of the Erie Canal (completed in 1825) sparked a "canal fever" in the United States, catalyzing the construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R) between New Brunswick on

450-593: The Delaware River and 40 miles (64 km) from Manhattan, New York City , the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's northern highlands region . Lake Hopatcong was produced by damming and flooding of two ponds, known as the Great Pond and Little Pond, and the Musconetcong River , its natural outlet. Historically known as a resort lake for vacationing New Yorkers, it

500-477: The Department of Environmental Protection and one from Community Affairs . The chairperson of the commission and two other public members are appointed by the governor. But the commission has seen annual budget cuts since its inception, and has provided little more than weed harvesting services. In 2012, the state took over the weed harvesting services through Hopatcong State Park . The Lake Hopatcong Commission

550-527: The Green Brook Flood Control Project , which is designed to protect Bound Brook from a 150-year flood. In August 2011, record flooding occurred once again after Hurricane Irene 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,

SECTION 10

#1732851615264

600-742: The central region of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near Staten Island on the Atlantic Ocean . Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided the course of the mouth of the Hudson River approximately 6,000 years ago. Following the end of the last ice age , the Narrows had not yet been formed and the Hudson flowed along the Watchung Mountains to present-day Bound Brook , then followed

650-531: The matrilineal clans of Native Americans . Colonial exploration of the Great and Little Ponds began in the 1600s. Between 1750 and 1764, a dam was built on the Musconetcong River for the Brookland Forge and mill where the river empties from the lake (now the area of Hopatcong State Park ), raising the water level by about 6 feet (1.8 m) and joining the Great and Little Ponds into one. By this time, most of

700-518: The 1850s, the Morris and Essex became the first railroad to reach Lake Hopatcong on the southern end. In the 1860s, the Ogden Mine Railroad used Nolan's Point to transfer ore from northern New Jersey mines into canal boats. The railroad and canal systems were the chief means of transporting coal, iron, and zinc across New Jersey in the 1860s. In 1866, over 880,000 long tons (890,000 t) of freight

750-665: The DEP and the State of New Jersey, as of 2009 it was being appealed in local court. The suit claims that the DEP, against their own policy, carelessly allowed an excess of 1.5 billion US gallons (5,700,000 m ) of water to be released through the dam. On May 11, 2009, the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and the Lake Hopatcong Racing Association (LHRA) decided to postpone their annual races due to

800-477: The Delaware to the Raritan river and serves over 1 million customers along the way The Raritan River has persistent flooding problems when excessive rain from storms affects the river basin. The flooding problems mainly affect the town of Bound Brook , which is partially built on a natural floodplain at the junction of several tributaries, and Manville , which has a large neighborhood known as Lost Valley that lies on

850-465: The Lenni Lenape word Huppakong meaning "honey waters of many coves," but this wording was probably invented at the beginning of the 20th century to stimulate tourism. Before the late 1700s, Lake Hopatcong was known by several names, including Great Pond and Little Pond (before flooding into a single lake), Sandhay Sea (circa 1648), Brookland Pond (mid-1700s), and Musconetcong Pond (1769). Before

900-557: The Morris Canal Company purchased the Brookland Forge site and replaced the dam with its own, with the intention of using the lake water to supply the Morris Canal , which would connect Phillipsburg to Newark . This new dam raised the water 12 feet (3.7 m) above the original level of Great Pond, and caused the Great Pond to connect with Little Pond and form the current Lake Hopatcong. The flooding and subsequent formation of

950-590: The Musconetcong River just downstream from the lake exceeded those of a 100-year flood. Lake Hopatcong sustained flooding damage, particularly the Great Cove area at Nolan's Point. Every five years, starting the day after Labor Day , the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ’s (DEP) water level management plan allows the lake to be lowered five feet (1.5 m) to allow for inspection of

1000-847: The New York border and Lake Lackawanna in Byram ), has bars and restaurants that are accessible directly by boat. Popular tourist attractions on the lake include the Hopatcong State Park , the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum , and the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club . On November 22, 2005, the EPA gave the Lake Hopatcong Commission a federal grant of $ 745,000 to improve the water quality and prevent phosphorus from entering

1050-465: The Raritan and Bordentown on the Delaware River . The D&R was completed in 1834 and provided a critical link between Philadelphia (and the rest of the greater Mid-Atlantic region , at large) and New York (and the rest of the greater New England region , at large), as these cities were situated along the crucial rivers of the Delaware and the Hudson , respectively. The vast majority of traffic along

SECTION 20

#1732851615264

1100-557: The Raritan river, the Spruce Run Reservoir and Round Valley Reservoir , and controls releases of water to ensure the “minimum passing flow rates” enforced by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection . Additionally, the Delaware and Raritan Canal, managed by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, serves as a water supply that pumps over 100,000,000 US gallons (380,000 m ) of water per day from

1150-440: The area, including small bungalows , in the 1940s and '50s. Much of the modern residential development surrounding the lake was completed in the 1960s and '70s. More than 14 inches (36 cm) of rain fell in a small area of southeastern Sussex and northwestern Morris County in northwestern New Jersey during August 11–14, 2000. Doppler radar estimates of total rainfall for the 4-day period reached about 15 inches (38 cm) along

1200-483: The border between Sussex and Morris Counties. A severe thunderstorm on August 12 dropped so much rain in six hours that it was judged a 1,000-year event. Peak flows at the USGS gauges on Lake Hopatcong (01455400) and Musconetcong River (01455500), among others, were the highest ever recorded. These gauges are at sites that drain areas that received 10 or more inches of rain during August 11–14. Peak flows on Lake Hopatcong and on

1250-660: The canal and the aforementioned river (and tributaries), most notably (from south to north / west to east) being Trenton , Kingston , Blackwells Mills , Griggstown , Hillsborough , Manville , Chester , Bernards , Clinton , Raritan , Milltown , and Woodbridge . The river forms at the confluence of the North and South Branches just west of Somerville at the border of Bridgewater , Branchburg , and Hillsborough Townships . It flows for approximately 16 mi (26 km) before slowing in tidewater at New Brunswick , and its estuary extends 14 mi (23 km) more entering

1300-517: The canal was Pennsylvania anthracite coal with the rest consisting mostly of agricultural and textile goods. At its peak in 1866 the D&;R transported more cargo than the Erie Canal. In 1932 the D&R canal shut down for commercial use. In 1974 the canal was developed as a state park for recreational use and remains in use as a water supply for central New Jersey. Various mill towns were formed along

1350-560: The course of the Raritan eastward into Lower New York Bay . The name Raritan possibly derives from a branch of the Lenape people called the Nariticongs, the first people known to settle the Raritan Valley. Following conflict with the arriving Dutch colonists , the native people of the region were forced to sell their territory near the Raritan Bay and move further inland along the river valley. As English colonists took over

1400-418: The dam structure, property owners’ repairs to lakeshore structures, aquatic vegetation control, and silt and drainage material removal from areas around the lake. From December 2008 to January 2009, the DEP left the dam open almost three weeks too long, which caused the water level to drop almost a foot (0.3 m) below the normal drawdown level. A coalition of residents and business owners filed suit against

1450-468: The demise of the canal from the introduction of railroads in the late 19th century, the dam pools along the river that supplied the canal became the site of a popular summer cottage industry. Silted remnants of the pools, as well as the remnants of the canal itself, can still be seen along the river. Human habitation in the Musconetcong Valley can be traced back approximately 12,000 years to

1500-519: The end of the last ice age . The Plenge Site along the lower river in Warren County was the first of only two major Paleo-Indian archaeological site excavations in New Jersey, and is considered one of the most significant in the northeastern United States. The USGS stream flow gauge at Bloomsbury has the river's flows recorded from as far back as 1904. The average flow over the time recorded for

1550-470: The floodplain between the Raritan River and its largest tributary river, which is known as the Millstone River . Other towns in the Raritan River basin also experience flooding to a lesser degree. Record flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd 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

Musconetcong River - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-612: The gauge at Bloomsbury is approximately 244 cfs. Record flows of the river were recorded in 2011 as result of Hurricane Irene . According to an urban legend , the river is also home to a creature known as the Musconetcong River Mantis Man, a somewhat humanoid, somewhat insect-like creature. Lake Hopatcong Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey , United States, about 4 square miles (10 km ) in area. Located 30 miles (48 km) from

1650-414: The lake with rainbow trout , and in past years also stocked brook and brown trout , although they have not typically held over and survived the summers, due to an absence of cold, deep, oxygenated pockets of water in the lake. Largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , sunfish , yellow and white perch , rock bass , bluegill , crappie , chain pickerel , channel catfish , bullhead , and carp all inhabit

1700-430: The lake. Lake Hopatcong is shared by two counties ( Sussex and Morris ) and four boroughs and townships ( Mount Arlington , Hopatcong , Jefferson Township , and Roxbury Township ). At some point in the 20th century, decisions about lake management were shaped by the state-funded Lake Hopatcong Regional Planning Board, which made recommendations to the state. Made up of representatives from each town, county, and

1750-462: The lake. Eels also have been caught. Hybrid striped bass , walleye , and most recently, muskellunge have been stocked within the last few decades and now are thriving. Catfish also are stocked from time to time. The main forage is the abundant alewife herring , (Clupea vernalis), the basis of the lake's fish food chain . Raritan River The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey . Its watershed drains much of

1800-554: The last ice age, the waters of the prehistoric Hopatcong basin fed into the Raritan River . The glacier that shaped much of the New Jersey Highlands formed a long terminal moraine that forced water from the basin into the Musconetcong River . The glacier left behind two ponds, nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) apart. In the early 1700s, the Great Pond stretched between Henderson Bay and today's Hopatcong State Park . Little Pond

1850-474: The local Lenape population had died of disease or left the area. In the years that followed the American Revolution , little development occurred near Lake Hopatcong because of the mountainous terrain. More than 900 feet (270 m) above sea level, Lake Hopatcong served as a natural high point and primary water supply for the Morris Canal between the Delaware River and New York Harbor . In 1831,

1900-443: The low water level. However, with the large amount of rainfall that was recorded in the month of June, the lake returned to its proper level above the normal average depth. The return of the water level came just in time for the beginning of summer and the arrival of the weather required for boating. In July 2014, there were reports of a 15 feet (4.6 m) boa constrictor seen in the lake, but officials by August mostly figured it

1950-455: The peak summer season, the lake was so popular that hotel rooms were difficult to come by and some visitors resorted to camping near the lake. Various amusements sprang up around the lake. Bertrand Island Amusement Park was open for the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons. The island also hosted beauty pageants, including an unofficial 1934 Miss America . The Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club , constructed in 1910 on Bertrand Island, remains

2000-500: The region, they took advantage of the river's location between New York and Philadelphia as well as a road network developed by the Lenape to turn the region into a transportation and commercial hub. As a result, the Raritan River became an important waterway for colonial travel and trade, allowing for the development of trade centers like Raritan Landing and New Brunswick , where agricultural and raw material goods could be sold. During

2050-501: The river like Clinton and Califon. An occasional Musky has been taken out of the Raritan as well. The tidal portions of the river host migratory salt water species such as striped bass , fluke , winter flounder , weakfish and bluefish . 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

Musconetcong River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-507: The river. Many songbirds , wading birds , and waterfowl make their homes in and along the length of the river, such as mallards , canadian geese , great blue herons , double-crested cormorants , and common mergansers . Common songbirds include the american robin , song sparrow , northern mockingbird , common grackle , and the Red-winged blackbird . Crustaceans such as blue claw crab , fiddler crabs and green crabs are also found in

2150-444: The site of relatively little industrial development throughout its history. In the 18th century, the surrounding hills were largely deforested as a source of charcoal for the iron industry in the surrounding region. The local industry declined by the middle of the 19th century after the building of the former Morris Canal , the course of which ran along the upper river, to bring coal from Pennsylvania to northern New Jersey. After

2200-518: The state, the board proved ineffective. Weeds proliferated, water quality declined, and recreation suffered. In January 2001, Governor of New Jersey Christie Whitman signed a bill to create the Lake Hopatcong Commission, a state-funded governing body with an annual budget to maintain, upgrade and protect the lake. The commission consists of 11 members: a representative from Morris county, Sussex county, Hopatcong, Jefferson Twp, Mount Arlington, and Roxbury Twp, and five state members, including one from

2250-638: The tidal sections of the river. Crayfish can be found farther upstream. The river is also used for recreational boating, including use by the rowing team of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The river is featured in the title of Rutgers' alma mater , On the Banks of the Old Raritan , and its flooding is mentioned in the song. Near its mouth, the river is spanned by the Raritan Bay Drawbridge ,

2300-429: The western end of Raritan Bay at South Amboy . 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) largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , sunfish , catfish , trout , chain pickerel , american eels , carp and yellow perch . Pike can be found in relative abundance in some portions of

2350-521: Was a myth or a hoax. According to one report, the reports caused a 10% drop in tourism to the lake during the summer of 2014. Lake Hopatcong is now mostly a residential lake whose few public access points include Hopatcong State Park and Lee's County Park Marina. Most of the shoreline is privately owned by individual lakefront residents, homeowner or community associations, or private businesses (e.g., restaurants and marinas). Lake Hopatcong, unlike most lakes in New Jersey (other than Greenwood Lake on

2400-414: Was a small body of water to the south of Woodport. The two lakes were first dammed in 1750. By 1831, Lake Hopatcong had been flooded to nearly its current shape. The Lenape Indians discovered the area of Lake Hopatcong about 12,000 years ago. They settled near the Great Pond and Little Pond, which provided abundant fish and forested shores with ample game. The waters became important to the traditions of

2450-510: Was not provided state funding for 2013 and now operates solely on grants. The commission administrator was laid off on December 21, 2012, and administrative responsibilities for grants are managed by Jefferson Township. With the probable exception of the Delaware River , Lake Hopatcong is home to the greatest variety of gamefish species of any waterway in New Jersey. Each spring, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks

2500-576: Was transported on the canal. In 1882, passenger rail service came to Lake Hopatcong, brought by the Central Railroad of New Jersey , which terminated at Nolan's Point. This turned the lake into a popular summer resort. Among the hotels built to support the growing tourism industry was the luxurious Breslin Hotel, constructed in Van Every Cove in Mount Arlington with 250 rooms and electricity. During

#263736