List of Delaware River tributaries

The watershed of the Delaware River drains an area of 14,119 square miles (36,570 km2) and encompasses 42 counties and 838 municipalities in five U.S. states—New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.[1]:p.9 This total area constitutes approximately 0.4% of the land mass in the United States.[1]:p.9 The Delaware River rises in New York's Catskill Mountains flowing southward for 419 miles (674 km) into Delaware Bay where its waters enter the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May in New Jersey and Cape Henlopen in Delaware. There are 216 tributary streams and creeks—an estimated 14,057 miles of streams and creeks—in the watershed.[1]:p.11,25

The river looking north above Walpack Bend, where it leaves the historic Minisink region, a buried valley eroded from Marcellus Shale bedrock.

The waters of the Delaware River's basin are used to sustain "fishing, transportation, power, cooling, recreation, and other industrial and residential purposes."[1]:p.9 While the watershed is home to 4.17 million people according to the 2000 Federal Census, these bodies of water provide drinking water to 17 million people—roughly 10% of the population of the United States.[1]:p.vi,9 It is the 33rd largest river in the United States in terms of flow, but the nation's most heavily used rivers in daily volume of tonnage.[1]:p.11 The average annual flow rate of the Delaware is 11,700 cubic feet per second at Trenton, New Jersey.[1]:p.9

Tributaries of the Delaware River

The main tributaries in New York are the Mongaup and Neversink rivers and Callicoon Creek. From Pennsylvania, the major tributaries are the Lackawaxen, Lehigh, and Schuylkill rivers. From New Jersey, the Big Flatbrook, Pequest, Musconetcong, and Maurice rivers, plus Oldmans, Raccoon and Rancocas creeks, flow into the Delaware.

Tributaries are arranged generally north to south from the source of the river to its mouth, its confluence with the Delaware River, tributaries within that rivers' watershed are mentioned in notes.

Tributaries in New York
See also: List of rivers of New York

Tributaries in Pennsylvania
See also: List of rivers in Pennsylvania
Lehigh Drainage Basin
Schuylkill Drainage Basin

Tributaries in New Jersey

The Appalachian Trail crosses the following tributaries or the watersheds of these tributaries in New Jersey: (1) Flat Brook (Big Flat brook), (Little Flat Brook), Dunnfield Creek, Stony Brook (Shawpocussing Creek), Paulins Kill (via its tributary Yards Creek and Jacksonburg Creek).

Photo Tributary River length Watershed area Notes and remarks
Flat Brook11.6-mile-long (18.7 km)
  • Flows into the Delaware at Flatbrookville, near Walpack Bend in Walpack Township, Sussex County, New Jersey
  • Tributaries include: Tillman Brook, Little Flat Brook, Beerskill, Big Flat Brook, Criss Brook, Forked Brook, Normanock Brook, Parker Brook, Stony Brook
Paulins Kill41.6-mile (66.9 km)176.85 square miles (458.0 km2)
Pequest River35.7-mile-long (57.5 km)162.62 square miles (421.2 km2)
  • Flows into the Delaware at Belvidere in Warren County, New Jersey
  • Tributaries include: Pophandusing Creek, Beaver Brook, Mountain Lake Brook, Furnace Brook, Bear Creek, Trout Brook
Musconetcong River45.7-mile-long (73.5 km)

Tributaries in Delaware
See also: List of rivers of Delaware

Tributaries of Delaware Bay
A satellite image of Delaware Bay, January 2011

Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay, as an estuary, forms a transitional zone between the river environment provided by the Delaware River and maritime environment of the Atlantic Ocean that is subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. Delaware Bay covers 782 square miles (2,030 km2) in area.[2] The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware. The bay's outermost boundary separating it from the Atlantic are two capes: Cape Henlopen and Cape May.

The shores of the bay are largely composed of salt marshes and mud flats, with only small communities inhabiting the shore of the lower bay. Besides the Delaware, it is fed by numerous smaller streams. Several of the rivers hold protected status for the unique salt marsh wetlands along the shore of the bay. The bay serves as a breeding ground for many aquatic species, including horseshoe crabs. The bay is also a prime oystering ground. The Delaware Bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on May 20, 1992. Further, it was the first site classified in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Tributaries in New Jersey

Tributaries in Delaware
  • Army Creek
  • Tom Creek
  • Red Lion Creek
    • Doll Run
  • Cedar Creek
  • Dragon Creek
  • Saint Georges Creek
    • Scott Run
    • Joy Run
    • Crystal Run
  • Augustine Creek
  • Silver Run
  • Appoquinimink River
  • Blackbird Creek
  • Angle Rod Creek
  • Smyrna River
    • Sawmill Branch
    • Corks Point Ditch
      • Morris Branch
    • Green Spring Branch
      • Massey Branch
    • Duck Creek
      • Providence Creek
        • Paw Paw Branch
  • Taylors Gut
  • Duck Creek
    • Quarter Gut
      • Hawkey Branch
  • Leipsic River
    • Raymond Gut
    • Dyke Branch
    • Bennefield Branch
    • Spruances Branch
    • Snows Branch
    • Alston Branch
    • Willis Branch
  • Simons River
    • Herring Branch
    • Green Creek
      • Muddy Branch
  • Mahon River
    • Old Womans Gut
  • Little River
  • Lewis Ditch
  • Sand Ditch
  • St. Jones River
    • Cypress Branch
    • Tidbury Creek
    • Isaac Branch
    • Puncheon Run
    • Fork Branch
  • Murderkill River
    • Spring Creek
      • Double Run
      • Hudson Branch
      • Pratt Branch
    • Ash Gut
    • Browns Branch
      • Ward Branch
    • Spring Branch
  • Brockonbridge Gut
  • Mispillion River
    • Fishing Branch
    • Swan Creek
    • Deep Branch
    • Mullet Run
    • Bowman Branch
    • Lednum Branch
    • Johnson Branch
    • Tantrough Branch
    • Beaverdam Branch
  • Cedar Creek
    • Slaughter Creek
    • Beaverdam Branch
    • Church Branch
  • Broadkill River
    • Canary Creek
    • Broadkill Sound
      • Primehook Creek
        • North Prong
        • Sowbridge Branch
          • Ingram Branch
    • Old Mill Creek
      • Fisher Creek
      • Black Hog Gut
      • Martin Branch
    • Crooked Creek
    • Doty Glade
    • Beaverdam Creek
    • Round Pole Branch
    • Ingram Branch
    • Pemberton Branch

See also

References
  1. Philadelphia Water Department. "Moving from Assessment to Protection...The Delaware River Watershed Source Water Protection Plan" (PWSID #1510001) Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine (June 2007). Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  2. Overview of the Delaware River Watershed Archived 2005-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
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