Watershed Management Area 8
North and South Branch Raritan

Watershed Management Area 8 includes the North and South Branches of the Raritan River and their tributaries. Large portions of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Morris Counties are included in this land area.

The North Branch of the Raritan River is 23 miles long and flows from northwestern Morris County through Somerset County to the confluence with the South Branch between the towns of Branchburg and Raritan. Major tributaries include the Peapack Brook, Rockaway Creek and Lamington River and the only major impoundment is Ravine Lake. Land use in the North Branch Raritan River Watershed is primarily rural, woodland and agricultural with scattered areas of commercial and residential but there is intense development along the major road corridors. There are over 20 NJPDES permitted discharges and 51 biological monitoring stations in this watershed.

The South Branch of the Raritan River is 51 miles long and flows from western Morris County through central Hunterdon County into western Somerset County before joining the North Branch. Major tributaries include the Neshanic River, Spruce Run Creek, Mulhockaway Creek and Cakepoulin Creek and major impoundments are the Spruce Run and Round Valley Reservoirs. Land use in the South Branch Raritan River Watershed is mostly agricultural, but suburban-industrial development is increasing at a rapid rate. There are approximately 23 NJPDES permitted discharges and 51 biological monitoring stations in this watershed.

For additional information on the North and South Branch Raritan Watershed Management Area, please contact:

Nick Zripko, WMA 8 Area Manager
Nick.Zripko@dep.state.nj.us
(609) 633-3812

Or visit the projects web site at www.raritanbasin.org

Watershed Management Area 8 Map
Watershed Management Area 8 Factsheet (PDF Format)

Watershed Plans
Mulhockaway Creek Watershed (under development)
Pleasant Run/Holland Brook Watersheds (under development)
Sourland Mountain Watershed (under development)
Budd Lake Watershed (under development)
Neshanic River Watershed (under development)
Sidney Brook Watershed (under development)
Manalapan Lake Watershed (under development)

Priority Segment for Restoration
Spruce Run/Rocky Run in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County

TMDL Implementation Priorities
Round Valley Reservoir Eutrophication
Raritan Phosphorus
NB and SB Raritan River Fecal Coliform
Spruce Run Fecal Coliform
Mulhockaway Creek Fecal Coliform
Neshanic River Fecal Coliform
Lamington River Fecal Coliform
Rockaway Creek Fecal Coliform
Chambers Brook Fecal Coliform

Active Projects

	Section 319(h) NPS Grnt: Design and Implementation of NPS Pollution Control Measures in the Peapack Brook Subwatershed Upper Raritan Watershed Association This project will provide about $84,000 to assess causes of current water quality, develop management strategies to protect and restore areas of the subwatershed, implement BMP’s to address nonpoint source pollution and increase public knowledge of NPS pollution and participation in watershed conservation activities.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Stormwater Management Plan for the Mulhockaway Creek Watershed New Jersey Water Supply Authority This project will provide $235,000 to produce a stormwater management plan to reduce NPS pollution impacts in the watershed which is critical to the protection of a major regional water supply resource.
	Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Grant Program: Improving the Upper Raritan Water Quality Management Plan - Highlands Region New Jersey Water Supply Authority This project will provide $411,000 to develop municipal assessments indicating strengths and weaknesses, provide municipal model master plan and ordinance guidance, develop subwatershed water budgets and build-out analyses, develop a web-based wastewater management plan guidance system and develop three separate wastewater management plans within the Highlands study area.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Regional Stormwater Management Plan for the Pleasant Run and the Holland Brook Watersheds Readington Township This project will provide about $53,000 to develop a regional stormwater management plan to address the stormwater problems throughout the watershed and provide regional BMP solutions that are needed to reduce water quality impairments.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Action Plan Presentations to Communities to Address NPS Pollution South Branch Watershed Association This project will provide $100,000 to implement a non-point source pollution educational outreach program to encourage municipal officials and residents to protect their water resources and reduce the amount of non-point source pollution entering the surface and ground water supplies of the South Branch Raritan River.
	Watershed Management for the Raritan River Basin: Phase II Management Plan Development & Interim Protection/Restoration Projects New Jersey Water Supply Authority This project will provide about $187,000 for the development of the Manalapan Lake Watershed Restoration/Implementation Plan, an Open Space and Redevelopment study of the Lower Raritan Watershed and Fecal Coliform TMDL support.
	EPA Targeted Watershed Initiative Grant for the Raritan Basin Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and New Jersey Water Supply Authority The three-pronged approach of this project addresses stream restoration, watershed protection and preservation through a Municipal Assessment process and pollution prevention for municipalities, businesses, golf courses, farms and residents through a River Friendly program. The million dollar federal grant will be matched by funds from the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, Stonybrook-Millstone Watershed Association and South Branch Watershed Association.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Budd Lake Watershed Restoration and Protection Plan Mount Olive Township This project will provide about $394,000 to achieve and preserve the load reductions recommended in the NJDEP fecal Coliform TMDL, restore stream health, and protect Category One tributaries in the Budd Lake Watershed. Overall, the main goal of this grant is to determine the courses of action necessary to restore and protect water quality through the identification and location of specific nonpoint source abatement measures.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Regional Stormwater Management Plan for the Sourland Mountain Watershed East Amwell Township This project will provide about $93,000 to develop a regional stormwater management plan to address the stormwater problems throughout the watershed and provide regional BMP solutions that are needed to reduce water quality impairments.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Regional Stormwater Management Plan for the Sidney Brook Watershed Union Township Environmental Commission This project will provide about $237,000 to characterize the surface water quality, the biological condition and the potential sources of pollutant loading in the Sidney Brook watershed. It will also ensure protection from any negative measurable changes in water quality and where feasible, enhance surface water quality.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Regional Stormwater Management Plan for the Neshanic River Watershed New Jersey Institute of Technology This project will provide about $436,000 to develop a watershed restoration plan that will detail the management measures needed to achieve the necessary reduction in fecal coliform and attain water quality standards for the total phosphorus, TSS, reduce the aquatic life impairments to a non-impaired level, and outline the possibility of restoring the base flow of the Neshanic River.
	Raritan River Basin TMDL Study TRC Omni Environmental Corporation

WMA 8 Partnerships
Raritan Basin Agricultural Committee
Raritan Basin Education and Outreach Committee
Raritan Basin Public Advisory Committee
Raritan Basin Stormwater Management Plan Committee
Raritan Basin Technical Advisory Committee
Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance Steering Committee
South Branch Watershed Association
Upper Raritan Watershed Association

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