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Summary of March 2009 Monthly Hydrologic Conditions

Compiled in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Provisional assessment of hydrologic conditions in New Jersey

March 2009

Precipitation was below normal at all three index stations. Newark reported 1.61 inches, which is 38.24 percent of normal.  Atlantic City reported 2.53 inches, which is 62.32 percent of normal.  Trenton reported 1.54 inches, which is 44.51 percent of normal. Total precipitation over the past 12 months was: 42.15 inches at Newark, which is 4.10 inches below normal; 42.02 inches at Atlantic City, which is 1.43 inches above  normal; and 39.27 inches at Trenton, which is 2.12 inches below normal.

Combined storage in the thirteen major water supply reservoirs as of March 31 was 71.82 billion gallons (89.3 percent of capacity), which is higher than the average March contents for the reference period 1961-1990.  The storage was 0.744 billion gallons less than one month ago and 6.538 billion gallons less than one year ago.  The thirteen major water supply reservoirs are as follows: Lake Tappan, Woodcliff Lake, Oradell Reservoir, DeForest Lake, Splitrock Reservoir, Boonton Reservoir, Canistear Reservoir, Oak Ridge Reservoir, Clinton Reservoir, Charlottesburg Reservoir, Echo Lake, Wanaque Reservoir and Spruce Run Reservoir.    

Streamflow was below normal at all three index stations. The monthly-mean discharge at South Branch Raritan River near High Bridge was 78.8 ft3/s, 38.1 percent of normal.  The monthly-mean discharge of the Great Egg Harbor River at Folsom was 63.4 ft3/s, 51.5 percent of normal.  The monthly mean discharge of the Delaware River at Trenton was 14390 ft3/s, 72.2 percent of normal. The observed daily mean discharge of the Delaware River at Trenton on March 31 was 12500 ft3/s.

Groundwater levels, as measured in water-table observation wells for the month of March, were below normal at the Readington School 11 and the Vocational School 2 index wells. Levels were above normal at the Morrell 1 index well. At the Readington School 11 and Vocational School 2 index wells, levels decreased from last month, and were lower than one year ago. The Morrell 1 index well levels increased from last month, and were higher than one year ago.

Water quality parameters collected from the Delaware River at Trenton were within recorded historical monthly extremes. Water temperature ranged from 0.9 to 10.7 degrees Celsius. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 11.0 to 16.7 milligrams per liter. Specific conductance ranged from 108 to 213 microsiemens per centimeter at 25°C.

All of the files listed below are in Portable Document Format (PDF) which can be viewed/printed with the Adobe Acrobat® Reader, freely available for most computer platforms.

• Combined Storage in the 13 Major Water Supply Reservoirs
• Monthly precipitation at three selected sites
• Groundwater levels in selected Water-table observation wells
• Streamflow at selected sites
• Water quality for the Delaware River at Trenton