Site Description

Site ID: HB17
Readington Township, Hunterdon County
Stream Category: FW2-NT (Category 2, Non-trout waters)
Site monitors Holland Brook subwatershed (HUC: 02030105040030)
The site is located on private property and can only be accessed with prior permission from the property owner.  This site can be accessed from the junction of Readington Rd and Hillcrest Rd; walk downstream of the bridge until the brook turns to the right, at which point you will see an obvious riffle.

What is being monitored at this site?

• Biological and Visual Assessments (?)
• Chemical Testing

Water Quality Data

Each June, Raritan Headwaters scientists and volunteers visit 72 stream sites in the North and South Branch Raritan Watershed Region (WMA8) of New Jersey to collect data on the health of our streams.  Data collected includes a sample of benthic macroinvertebrates (used to calculate the High Gradient Macroinvertebrate Index;HGMI score), an assessment of the habitat in and around the stream, and chemical conditions in the water.  Chemical parameters include dissolved oxygen, phosphate, chloride, specific conductance, nitrate, turbidity, pH, and temperature. The HGMI is used by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to determine if the site is meeting state and national water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. Click here to learn more about our stream monitoring program and water quality reports.

Site Data for HB17

Select a parameter below to view annual data. Hover over the chart to get more information.

Threats and Recommendations

The HGMI at HB17 was found to be fair in 2019, which means it was biologically impaired. Similar to the HGMI for this site, the habitat rating was sub-optimal. This site suffers from heavy bank erosion and insufficient stream bank cover and riparian zone width. Increasing the riparian zone width and vegetated bank protection at this site will alleviate the bank erosion and create a more stable stream ecosystem.

What Can You Do?

Many people take clean water for granted, but we know it takes vigilance and hard work to protect the water in our rivers, streams and homes.

And we can’t do it alone. We need your help to ensure that everyone within our reach has access to safe, clean water that is swimmable, fishable and, above all, drinkable.

• Support RHA
• Use Your Voice
• Become River Friendly
• Participate in Our Annual Stream Clean Up
• Join Our Stream Monitoring Team
• Other Ways to Help