Quality of Water in Tributaries to the Upper Delaware River, New Jersey, Water Years 1985-2001

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development Council, evaluated the quality of surface water in Watershed Management Area 1 (WMA1), a 746-mi2 (square miles) area in northwestern New Jersey that covers the Upper Delaware River watershed. Study results can be used for watershed-management planning and as background data for a planned preliminary assessment of the nonpoint- and point-source loads to streams in the study area. This Fact Sheet summarizes data on the quality of water in the tributaries to the Upper Delaware River in the study area with respect to instream reference levels, trends at sampling sites, variability with season and flow condition, relation to land use in the drainage areas upstream from the sites, comparison with data from statewide sampling networks, and changes in water quality along stream reaches.USGS Fact Sheet FS-090-02Purpose: A fact sheet summarizing data on the quality of water in the tributaries to the Upper Delaware River in the study area