Raritan river-short list:

[AndyS]

Trying to wrap up as much as I can so I can get back to fishing. Here is a list posting in it's order of severity:

1.) Finderne floodplain: There could be an organized clean up posted soon. I can not run an organized clean up since I am not insured to do so.

2.) Duke Parkway Manville: This stretch of road runs along the Raritan river down to Duke Park. The floodplain has already been cleaned, we would be cleaning INSIDE the guardrail.

3.) Orlando Park to Lower Petersbrook Greenway Somerville: Already walked the banks from the Headgates to Orlando Park in Raritan Borough, have to walk the bank a few more miles so it's complete.

4.) Manville Main St. overpass: almost competed, its 80% done, just needs a little more TLC.

Trying to get this done so I can get back to fishing. If anyone wants to offer up 4 hours of their time please let me know. Like I said I am not insured to run an "organized" clean up, just asking for help. I am retired so just about any day works for me, thanks.

[DRiverRat]

Raritan Headwaters Association has scheduled the spring cleanup for 4/12/25. I'm hoping that some of these sites made their list. Check it out: https://www.raritanheadwaters.org/get-involved-2/stream-cleanup-page/ And a HUGE Thank You to Andy and all who make a concerted effort to keep our streams clean.

[AndyS]

They did reach out to me about doing a clean up in Somerville, I'm fine with that but that time of year you are going to get covered in ticks. The ticks we have now are pretty nasty, not the old run of the mill dog ticks. This is why I am in a rush to get done what needs to be done. I don't want to scare away volunteers but on the other hand the volunteers safety comes FIRST. The RHA is possibly the biggest clean up in the State of NJ and I can't thank them enough.

[AndyS]

Knocked off 3 and 4 today.

[AndyS]

Island Farm Weir (IFW) is a low head dam located immediately downstream of the confluence of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers. IFW was constructed in 1994 to supplement New Jersey's public water supply and is currently the downstream-most barrier on the Raritan River. A concrete vertical slot fishway was installed during the construction of IFW but recent fish passage studies conducted by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Rutgers University found that fish passage is relatively poor, especially for anadromous species. The impoundment created by IFW can supply upwards of 225 million gallons of water per day in summer months. Due to the importance of IFW to the public water supply, the dam is not under consideration for removal. To enhance fish passage at IFW, the installation of a nature-like rock ramp fishway has been proposed. This new technology uses rock features to simulate the natural river conditions that fish need to pass over the IFW. The new nature-like fishway will reestablish fish movement in the Raritan River, make the area safer for recreational kayakers, and preserve the dam’s primary function in helping maintain the local public water supply. The proposed design includes a rock arch rapids fishway that spans the full length of the weir. At least eight boulder arches will be constructed and positioned appropriately to provide adequately sized zones of passage, resting pools, water depths, and flow velocities to facilitate the passage of American shad and river herring. A portion of the flow will be diverted for the sediment bypass channel and water intake system. Design plans for the fishway were developed using funding from the American Cyanamid Natural Resource Damage settlement for in-river injury. Funding to improve the final design and construct the fishway will be provided by the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Trustees.