Raritan River Complex

Raritan River
New Jersey's largest river entirely within the state, it flows into Raritan Bay. By the 1960's, the Raritan was an industrial sewer, a dumping ground for chemical companies. Today, it teems with fish, birds and wildlife, and is experiencing a Renaissance. The Raritan Riverkeeper, a program of NY/NJ Baykeeper, conducts a comprehensive river campaign here, with every Estuary issue addressed, including landfills and Superfund cleanup, dredging, over-development, and open space preservation. Current highlights include Baykeeper and community efforts to curb significant proposed waterfront development as proposed in the Middlesex County riverfront strategy plan. We are also working with the Edison Wetlands Association and Raritan Riverkeeper and local municipalities to encourage brownfield to greenfields conversions, and to protect existing open space.

Tributaries of the Raritan River

• South River
  A tributary to the Raritan River, and site of a multi-million gallon Middlesex County Utility Authority (MCUA) sewage spill in March, 2003. The MCUA's antiquated sewage system, with its numerous violations, continues to be a major Estuary and Baykeeper concern. Baykeeper and its partners also have land acquisition plans on South River, and is actively reviewing the Army Corps flood plan.

• Millstone River
  Tributary of the Raritan River.

• Crow's Mill Creek
  Raritan River Tributary. Baykeeper and partners are in negotiations with a corporation for a major redevelopment project adjacent to Crow's Mill Creek, where more than half of a large ex-industrial property could be converted to greenfields.

• Red Root Creek
  Raritan River tributary in Edison. Baykeeper and the Edison Wetlands Association are working to protect major wetlands on a significant 700 acre tract, the Raritan Center/Raritan Arsenal property. We're also working with the Army Corps, advocating for full clean up of this badly contaminated property, and for the health testing of employees working in potentially contaminated buildings where the old arsenal was located.

• Green Brook
  Raritan River tributary. Baykeeper, with Edison Wetlands Association and Friends of Dismal Swamp, is working to save a 700 acre parcel, one of the largest remaining freshwater wetland ecosystems in Northeast, NJ, slated for road development.