The “Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Law of 1974” directs the Commission to preserve and protect the Delaware and Raritan Canal as a historic and natural resource, as well as a water supply system for much of central New Jersey.  To that end, the Commission reviews development projects within a designated “Review Zone” established by administrative regulation for their impact on the following:

1. Stormwater drainage and water quality;
2. Stream corridors;
3. Visual, historic and natural quality; and
4. Traffic.

The Review Zone is further divided into two subzones.  Zone “A” is the area within 1,000 feet on either side of the center line of the canal, except in the Municipality of Princeton, where the west bank of Carnegie Lake shall be the boundary of Zone A, and where the Raritan River is within 1,000 feet, its furthest bank being the boundary. Form GIS data please see NJDEP Geoweb.

Zone “B” is based upon sub-watersheds located in central New Jersey that impact the Delaware and Raritan Canal.  For more information on whether a project requires review and approval by the Commission and the scope of the Commission’s regulatory review authority, please select “Regulations (N.JA.C. 7:45).”