Project Description
The North Branch Raritan River is a large tributary of the Raritan River. Its headwaters begin in Raritan Pond in Mendham Borough, NJ and it flows generally southwest through Somerset County until it joins the South Branch Raritan River to form the mainstem near Bridgewater. In recent years, the non-profit Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) analyzed land cover and water quality data collected from the North Branch and its tributaries and found that the water quality has been declining in many areas due to non-point source pollution, impervious cover associated with increased development, and the decline of forested stream riparian buffers. Further analysis revealed that the riparian buffer in many areas is degraded or missing, even on public lands. In New Jersey, a 50-foot, 150-foot, or 300-foot wide riparian buffer is required depending on the classification of the adjacent stream or waterbody.
The Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Trustees are providing funding and technical assistance to RHA to identify, prioritize, and implement riparian buffer restoration at select municipal, county, and state properties in the North Branch Raritan River watershed. Partnering with public landowners, RHA is organizing teams of volunteers to plant a minimum of 10,000 native trees and shrubs throughout the watershed. RHA is also monitoring water quality, including sampling benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities, before and after restoration as a part of their long-term stream monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of the stream buffer plantings. As of 2023, about 1,500 trees have been planted along approximately 1 mile of stream under this effort.
Restoration Land Ownership
County or Municipal; State
Parties Implementing Restoration
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; NOAA; Raritan Headwaters Association; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service