Green Brook is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the North Jersey, northern and Central Jersey, central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near ...
in central
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
[Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. ]
Course
The Green Brook rises in the
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lenape name for them, Wach Unks ...
at an elevation of 410 feet in Free Acres, (the border of Berkeley Heights and Watchung). It flows northeast, forming a border between Union and Somerset Counties. It then turns south and flows through a valley in the Watchung Mountains. The Blue Brook joins it at Seeley’s Pond. It continues on a southwestern flow through Plainfield/North Plainfield. It flows underground between Watchung Ave and Madison Ave. The Stony Brook joins it in
Green Brook Park. It continues on a southwestern flow through Dunellen/Greenbrook, forming a border between Middlesex and Somerset Counties. The Bonygutt Brook joins it at the intersection of Warrenville Road in Middlesex. The Bound Brook joins it in the northwest corner of Mountain View Park in Middlesex. It continues flowing southwest and turns south before the Ambrose Brook joins it at the intersection of Lincoln Blvd. in Middlesex. It completes its journey by flowing into the Raritan River in Middlesex/Bound Brook at an elevation of 18 feet.
It gives its name to the township of
Green Brook, New Jersey.
Green Brook Flood Control Project
The Green Brook Flood Control Project in Somerset County in central New Jersey was first proposed in the early 1970s in the wake of two major floods in June 1971 and August 1973, which caused millions of dollars of property damage and several deaths along the Green Brook and Raritan Rivers. The proposed flood control measures are expected to help control flooding in the Green Brook basin and parts of the Raritan River basin in
Bound Brook, partially located in a natural
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
of the Raritan River at the junction of the Green Brook and Raritan River.
The project has languished for decades due to a lack of federal funding and interest.
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful and large tropical cyclone which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth list of named tropical cyclones, named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1 ...
in 1999 caused additional property damage and deaths in the Green Brook basin, renewing interest in the flood control project. Some construction related to the project has been completed since 1999, particularly in Bound Brook, but federal funding limitations have slowed progress in recent years.
Tributaries
*
Blue Brook
Blue Brook flows into the Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. I ...
*
Bonygutt Brook
*
Stony Brook
*
Bound Brook
*
Ambrose Brook
See also
*
List of rivers of New Jersey
References
External links
U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream gaging stationsUSGS Coordinates in Google Maps
{{authority control
Rivers of Middlesex County, New Jersey
Tributaries of the Raritan River
Rivers of New Jersey
Rivers of Somerset County, New Jersey
Rivers of Union County, New Jersey
Watchung Mountains