Delaware River

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For the Delaware River in Kansas, see Delaware River (Kansas).
Delaware River
Delaware River above the Delaware Water Gap
Delaware River above the Delaware Water Gap
Origin Mount Jefferson
Mouth Delaware Bay
Basin countries USA
Length 360 miles (579 km)
Source elevation 1,886 feet (575 m)
Avg. discharge 11,550 cubic feet/s (330 m³/s)
Basin area 14,119 square miles (35,297 km²)

The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony.

The river meets tide-water at Trenton, New Jersey. Its total length, from the head of the longest branch to the capes, is 410 miles (660 km), and above the head of the bay its length is 360 miles (579 km). The mean freshwater discharge of the Delaware River into the estuary is 11,550 cubic feet (330 m³) per second.

The Delaware River constitutes in part the boundary between Pennsylvania and New York, the entire boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and the entire boundary between Delaware and New Jersey. A historical oddity, the Delaware-New Jersey Border is actually at the New Jersey river shoreline within the Twelve-Mile Circle of New Castle, rather than the usual mid river or mid channel borders. The rest of the borders follow a mid channel approach.

Commerce was once important on the upper river, primarily prior to railway competition (1857).

The mean tides below Philadelphia are about 6 feet. The magnitude of the commerce of Philadelphia has made the improvements of the river below that port of great importance. Small improvements were attempted by Pennsylvania as early as 1771.

In the "project of 1885" the United States government undertook systematically the formation of a 26 ft (8 m) channel 600 ft (180 m) wide from Philadelphia to deep water in Delaware Bay. The River and Harbor Act of 1899 provided for a 30 foot (9 m) channel 600 feet (180 m) wide from Philadelphia to the deep water of the bay.

Contents

[edit] Course

Delaware River watershed

The main, west or Mohawk branch rises in Schoharie County, New York, about 1886 feet (575 m) above the sea, near Mount Jefferson, and flows tortuously through the plateau in a deep trough, impounded at one point to create the Cannonsville Reservoir, and then becoming the state boundary at the 42nd parallel, until it emerges from the Catskills. Similarly, the East Branch begins from a small pond south of Grand Gorge in the town of Roxbury in Delaware County, flowing southward toward its impoundment by New York City to create the Pepacton Reservoir, the largest reservoir in New York City's water supply system. The confluence is just south of Hancock.

After leaving the mountains and plateau, the river flows down broad Appalachian valleys, skirts the Kittatinny range, which it crosses at the Delaware Water Gap, between nearly vertical walls of limestone, and passes through a quiet and charming country of farm and forest, diversified with plateaus and escarpments, until it crosses the Appalachian plain and enters the hills again at Easton, Pa. From this point it is flanked at intervals by fine hills, and in places by cliffs, of which the finest are the Nockamixon Rocks, 3 miles (5 km) long and above 200 feet (60 m) high.

At Trenton there is a fall of 8 feet (2.4 m). Below Trenton the river flows between Philadelphia and New Jersey before becoming a broad, sluggish inlet of the sea, with many marshes along its side, widening steadily into its great estuary, Delaware Bay.

[edit] Tributaries

Its main tributaries in New York are the Mongaup and Neversink rivers and Callicoon Creek; from Pennsylvania, the Lackawaxen, Lehigh, and Schuylkill rivers; and from New Jersey, Rancocas Creek and the Musconetcong and Maurice rivers. Oldmans and Raccoon creeks are tributaries in New Jersey.

A 1655 nautical chart showing part of the Delaware River
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A 1655 nautical chart showing part of the Delaware River

[edit] Flooding

The Delaware has experienced a number of serious flooding events as the result of snow melt and/or rain run-off from heavy rainstorms. Record flooding occurred in the August 1955, in the aftermath of the passing of the remnants of two separate hurricanes over the area within less than a week: first Hurricane Connie and then Hurricane Diane, which was, and still is, the wettest tropical cyclone to have hit the northeastern United States. The river gauge at Riegelsville, NJ recorded an all time record crest of 38.85 feet on 8/19/1955. More recently, moderate to severe flooding has occurred along the river, the same gauge at Riegelsville recorded a peak of 30.95 feet on 9/23/2004, 34.07 feet on 4/4/2005, and 33.62 feet on 6/28/2006, all considerably higher then the flood stage of 22 feet. Source: USGS See Also: (State of New Jersey: RECENT FLOODING EVENTS IN THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN)

Since the upper Delaware basin has few population centers along its banks, flooding in this area mainly affects natural unpopulated flood plains. Residents in the middle part of the Delaware basin experience flooding, including three major floods in the past three years that have severely damaged their homes and land. The lower part of the Delaware basin from Philadelphia southward to the Delaware Bay is tidal and much wider than portions further north, and is not prone to river related flooding (although tidal surges can cause minor flooding in this area).

The Delaware River Basin Commission, along with local governments are working together to try to address the issue of flooding along the river. As the past few years have seen a rise in catastrophic floods, most residents of the river basin feel that something must be done. However, due to insufficient federal funds, progress is slow. [1]

[edit] New York City Water Supply

After New York City had made 15 reservoirs (with more to come) for their water supply, and with a growing population, the city tried to gain permission to make five reservoirs along the Delaware River's tributaries. However, they were denied the permission to impound the Delaware's tributaries to make new reservoirs. So in 1928, New York City decided to draw water from the Delaware River to feed the population boom that had started during the beginning of the Great Depression. There were, however, villages and towns across the river in Pennsylvania that were already using the Delaware for their water supply. The two sides eventually took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 1931, New York City was finally allowed to draw 440 million gallons of water a day from the Delaware and its upstream tributaries.

[edit] Crossings

George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton
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George Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton
Main article: List of crossings of the Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major barrier to travel between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Most of the larger bridges are tolled only westbound, and are owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, Delaware River Port Authority, Burlington County Bridge Commission or Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

[edit] Washington's crossing of the Delaware

Main article: Washington's crossing of the Delaware

Perhaps the most famous “Delaware Crossing” involved the improvised boat crossing undertaken by George Washington’s army during the American Revolution on Christmas Day, 1776. This led to a successful surprise attack on the Hessian troops occupying Harrisburg, New Jersey.

[edit] Major oil spills

A number of oil spills have taken place in the Delaware over the years.[1][2][3]

  • 1975-01-31 — 11,000,000 gallions of crude oil spilled from the Corinthos tanker
  • 1985-09-28 — 435,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Grand Eagle tanker after running aground on Marcus Hook Bar
  • 1989-06-24 — 306,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Presidente Rivera tanker after running aground on Claymont Shoal
  • 2004-11-26 — 265,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from the Athos 1 tanker; the tanker's hull had been punctured by a submerged, discarded anchor

[edit] See also

The Delaware River at New Hope, Pennsylvania
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The Delaware River at New Hope, Pennsylvania

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Athos 1 Oil Spill. University of Delaware Sea Grant Program (2005-03-11). Retrieved on April 29, 2006.
  2. ^ 1985 Grand Eagle Oil Spill. University of Delaware Sea Grant Program (2004-12-16). Retrieved on April 29, 2006.
  3. ^ Presidente Rivera Spill – June 24, 1989. University of Delaware Sea Grant Program (2004-12-08). Retrieved on April 29, 2006.

[edit] References


[edit] External links

[edit] Maps and aerial photos

Mouth or other endpoint (Delaware Bay)

Source Confluence of East and West branches south of Hancock, NY

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