UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DRAINAGE AREAS IN NEW JERSEY: DELAWARE RIVER BASIN AND STREAMS TRIBUTARY TO DELAWARE BAY By Anthony J. Velnich OPEN-FILE REPORT 82-572 Prepared in cooperation with the UNITED STATES ARMY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT and the NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES Trenton, New Jersey August 1982 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information write to District Chief, Water Resources Division U.S. Geological Survey Room 430, Federal Building 402 East State Street Trenton, New Jersey 08608 CONTENTS Page Abstract 1 Introduction--- - ---- -- --- ---- -- - - -- -- 1 Determination of drainage areas 3 Explanation of tabular data- 3 References cited 5 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Map showing location of Delaware River basin and Delaware Bay drainage divides in New Jersey 2 TABLES Table 1. Drainage areas at stream mouths in New Jersey, in the Delaware River basin, including tributaries to Delaware Bay 6 2.--Drainage areas at selected sites on New Jersey streams tributary to, and including the Delaware River- 15 3. Drainage areas at selected sites on New Jersey streams tributary to, and including the Delaware Bay 41 FACTORS FOR CONVERTING INCH-POUND UNITS TO INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM UNITS (SI) For those readers who may prefer to use the International System (SI) units rather than inch-pound units, the conversion factors for the terms used in this report are listed below: Multiply inch-pound unit By To obtain SI unit feet (ft) 0.3048 meters (m) miles (mi) 1 .609 kilometers (km) square miles 2.590 square kilometers (mi 2 ) (km 2 ) II ABSTRACT Drainage areas of New Jersey streams tributary to the Delaware River and Delaware Bay are listed for over 1,100 sites. Tables show the descriptive location of each site, the latitude and longitude, county, and National Topographic map name. For gaged sites established through 1980, the U.S. Geological Survey station name and number are also listed. The data are presented alphabetically by stream name and in downstream order. Drainage areas were tabulated for most named streams and unnamed streams with a drainage area greater than 5 square miles. The methods used to delineate the drainage divides, measure areas, and determine mouths of streams follow the guidelines developed by the U.S. Water Resources Council. INTRODUCTION Drainage areas of New Jersey streams, tributary to the Delaware River and Delaware Bay (fig. 1), are listed for more than 1,100 sites. Tables, presented in this report, include a descriptive location of each site, the latitude and longitude, county, and map name (National Topographic Map, standard series, 1:24,000-scale, 7V 2 -minute) . Official U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station names and numbers are given for gaged sites. Drainage areas were determined for named streams and unnamed streams greater than 5 square miles. The data are presented alphabetically by named streams and in downstream order by selected sites and gaging stations. These listings contain the most recent data available and supersede all previously published data. This report was prepared in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Philadelphia District, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources. Final determination of drainage areas were coordinated with the following: Delaware River Basin Commission, West Trenton, N.J.; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources, Trenton, N.J.; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Somerset, N.J.; U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Philadelphia, Pa; U.S. Geological Survey, Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia District, Towson, Md.; U.S. Geological Survey, New York District, Albany, N.Y.; U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania District, Harrisburg, Pa. 76' EXPLANATION 75 Drainage divide, Delaware River basin Drainage divide between -41s Delaware River and r'Jkr^-41' Delaware Bay -40* 40°- K ^ ^-x-tTTss, ^ ^y ^w... T O '/ Ik - - - - r - - « -^ \f ' -. V « / w . ^~--\-\U>u^ \ _ ~5f \« __ V^, ^ ^N'^JP , V"-^^. i^^ tr^-; K «:<^: ^j^xa- -'^ 4- i) ^f \ >.^<P r 'I' \ '^£;-~-(, % »/? --47 * ^^^T^ncdr, -x Hl<: x '^.. 4; ^^jr'^^^ T " >\ ^,/vi V*^' * ; \ ^--i-C^lt*1 --C-' S& \ .fi"""%;-f*; /M. Ai-V SCALE -39° \ 10 0 10 20 MILES 39*- ^ \ £ 10 0 10 20 30 KILOMETERS 76° .^f 74° Base from U.S. Geological Survey State Base Map, 1:500,000 Figure 1. Delaware River basin and Delaware Bay drainage divides in New Jersey. 2 DETERMINATION OF DRAINAGE AREAS The delineations of drainage areas are based on guidelines of the U.S. Water Resources Council (1951). Drainage divides are based on information from topographic maps, with some field checking. Other information, such as large scale maps, storm drain plans, and diversions, was, at times, considered. The drainage area data for some sites on the main-stem Delaware River were taken from previously published reports (Moody, D. W., and Schaefer, F. L., 1967; U.S. Geological Survey, 1951, p. 45-53). Some of these are approximate and were published to only three significant figures. Drainage divides were drawn on each map. The maps are divided into nine rectangles called quadrilaterals, that are 2V 2 minutes in extent of latitude and longitude. The area of each quadrilateral was determined based on the principles of map projection and can be found in published tables (Water Resources Council, 1951, p. 34-39). To determine a drainage area, individual subareas are planimetered within a quadrilateral. Each subarea is measured at least twice. If the measured values differ by less than 0.5 percent, the average value obtained is used. Sets of measurements with larger differences are not accepted. The sum of the measured values of subareas in a quadrilateral should then be within 0.5 percent of the known quadrilateral area. If not, individual subareas are then adjusted, based on relative size, making the sum of the subareas equal to the area of the quadrilateral. A scale factor is used to adjust the planimeter readings to square miles and to compensate for paper shrinkage. This procedure is described in greater detail in Interagency Coordination of Drainage Area Data (U.S. Water Resources Council, 1951, p. 41-48). Delineated subareas are then summed to determine the drainage area at a given site. EXPLANATION OF TABULAR DATA New Jersey streams tributary to the Delaware River and Delaware Bay are presented alphabetically in table 1. The names of the streams are those on the National Topographic Map, standard series (1:24,000-scale). Tributaries are numbered, for convenient identification, and are generally numbered consecutively in downstream order. The drainage areas presented are for streams at their mouths, unless noted otherwise. In all but a few cases, when two streams join to form a stream of a different name, the stream having the larger drainage area at the confluence is considered the headwater or main-stem stream. Headwater streams are indicated in the text. Tables 2 and 3 contain drainage areas for selected sites on New Jersey streams listed by major drainage basin in downstream order. Streams tributary to the Delaware River are given in table 2; streams tributary to Delaware Bay are given in table 3. The sites include all named streams and unnamed streams draining more than 5 square miles and gaged sites established before 1980. Streams that are entirely tidal are not included. Any stream whose basin lies below the 10-foot contour is considered entirely tidal. An explanation of the tabular data follows: Basin headings. The basin headings are the first order tribu­ taries to the Delaware River and Delaware Bay. These headings are selected for the convenience of locating a specific site. Where main-stem Delaware River sites are listed, the heading of "Delaware River" or "Delaware Bay" is used. Site description. At gaged sites, the official gaging station name is used. A semicolon (;) separates the gage name from any additional information. Sites other than gaged are described according to their location. Street names, town, and route numbers are from the National Topographic Map, standard series (1:24,000-scale) and from the New Jersey Official Highway Map and Guide, 1978-79 (New Jersey Depart­ ment of Transportation, 1978). Additional information on currently operated gaging stations in the Delaware River basin can be found in Water Resources Data for New Jersey (U.S. Geological Survey, 1981). Stream names shown in parentheses are those used on older edition maps. County. The county where the site is located is listed. If the site is located on a border between two counties, both are listed. Counties are New Jersey counties, except where noted. Drainage area. The drainage area, in square miles, is determined from delineations on topographic maps. The methods used to delineate the drainage basins and determine the areas and mouths of streams follow the guidelines of the U.S. Water Resources Council (1951). Areas were measured by polar- planimeter or electronic digitizer and programmable calcu­ lator . Map. The name of the National Topographic Map, standard series, 1:24,000 scale, 7 1 / 2 -minute quadrangle, on which the site is located is listed. Latitude-Longitude. The latitude and longitude for the site is determined to the nearest second. The first six digits are the latitude; consisting of three two-digit pairs, degrees, minutes, and seconds respectively. The next seven digits are the longitude; the first three digits are degrees, followed by two digits each for minutes and seconds, as illustrated below. Latitude Longitude dd mm ss ddd mm ss where: d = degrees m = minutes s = seconds Station number.--The U.S. Geological Survey station - number is in­ cluded for each gaged site. This number contains a two- digit part number "01," which represents streams in the North Atlantic Slope Basin, and a six-digit -downstream order number.