The Green Brook 12/8/19:

[AndyS]

Central Jersey Stream Team
12/8/2019 - The last big cleanup of the year for CJST is in the books. Together with the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership, Greenbrook Township, and other partners, we again tackled the blockages along the Green Brook between Greenbrook Twp and Middlesex Borough. Still a lot of litter from the drainage area and junk from dumping and flooding.

With over 70 volunteers on a chilly day we collected 17 tires (including one monster heavy equipment tire, see photo), about 75 bags of trash, and 50 bags of recyclables. Larger items included a mini fridges, a recliner, plastic table, a utility sink, several plastic and metal chairs, a metal door, various waterlogged cushions, car bumper, various plastic buckets, crates and containers, hoses and pipes, lumber, kids toys, hundreds of styrofoam pieces, and lots of other junk. All piles together would probably fill the 20 yard dumpster (not including the tires).

A big thank you to all of our 2019 volunteers and partners

[FASTEDDIE29]

Whoaaaaa! That spot is a never ending garbage dump. Someone’s gotta get in there with a chainsaw and get the tree out of the water. Jeeeeez! Awesome job cleaning it up AGAIN! That truck tire is a breeder for sure!

[Billfish715]

Unfortunately, removing the trees and limbs causing the log jams doesn't solve the problem. All of that stuff would just keep floating downstream to another collection point. If anything, the log jam helps contain the litter and calls attention to the problems of so many inconsiderate humans who live and work and travel and shop along that watershed. How in the world do the climate change/global warming fanatics think they will prevent the end of the world when our society just here in this area can't control local litter pollution?

Thanks for the efforts to clean things up to you and everyone else.

[akoop]

Great job as always!

I think the heavy equipment tire was a holdover from last year, definitely not wild, look at the wear on the tread.

[thmyorke1]

Holy crap it's loaded

If it wasnt for the blowdowns in that creek, it would all be in the raritan bay. For sure this is only a fraction of what stays behind.

[Billfish715]

The section of the Green Brook that was cleaned up is far from the area that is stocked with trout. That section is next to the Weldon Quarry on the Watchung and Scotch Plains border. It is also a section that floods frequently. After it passes the quarry it passes under Route 22 and past the Blue Star Shopping Center. It then passes behind the former Sears parking lots and eventually through the downtown area of Plainfield. It forms the border between Plainfield and North Plainfield and then is joined by the Stony Brook which crosses under Route 22 as it drains from the Watchung area including Watchung and Best Lakes.

As it makes its way toward Middlesex, the Stony Brook runs very close to the businesses along a long stretch of Route 22. Route 22 along that stretch is one giant strip mall along both sides of the road. Imagine the amount of litter that those businesses generate. Imagine how many storm sewers drain into that brook. Imagine the amount of silt from the winter road treatments that filer into the waterway through the storm sewers.

By the time the Green Brook makes it to Middlesex it has picked up tons of debris and litter and silt, not to mention the amount of petroleum based runoff that drains into it. The length of the brook allows the pollution to dissipate in normal conditions, as we know, that area floods quite frequently. During those floods, all of that "stuff" is then overnight expressed to the Raritan where it becomes someone else's problem.

One final observation........I know the litter is a visual nuisance and source of major concern, but I wonder about the quality of the water. Does anyone ever do a water sample at these locations? I'd be afraid of what that might turn up but I guess those results might not be any different than other rivers or streams that pass through so many developed areas of N.J. The Rahway River comes to mind since it is also trout stocked.

Which trout stocked streams are facing the same problems?

[Esox Luciano]

Now that looks like a big haul!!!
Huge thanks to all who pitched in!!!