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Summary of October 2005 Monthly Hydrologic Conditions

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

October 2005

Precipitation was substantially above normal at all three index stations. Newark reported 13.22 inches, which is 418 percent of normal. Atlantic City reported 9.04 inches, which is 316 percent of normal. Trenton reported 9.92 inches, which is 379 percent of normal. Total precipitation over the past 12 months was: 45.43 inches at Newark, which is 3.19 inches above normal; 47.25 inches at Atlantic City, which is 9.80 inches above normal; and 52.83 inches at Trenton, which is 14.86 inches above normal. Reservoirs contents, streamflow, and groundwater increased dramatically in response to the above average rainfall.

Combined storage in the thirteen major water supply reservoirs as of October 31 was 70.2 billion gallons, (87.3 percent of capacity), which is greater than the average October contents for the reference period 1961-1990. Prior to October, reservoir contents had decreased to levels not seen since 2002. The storage this month was 31.5 billion gallons more than one month ago, but 4.10 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.

Monthly mean streamflow was above normal at all three index stations, despite approaching record low flows at the beginning of October. The monthly-mean discharge at South Branch Raritan River near High Bridge was 246 ft³/s, 275 percent of normal. The monthly-mean discharge of the Great Egg Harbor River at Folsom was 120 ft³/s, 191 percent of normal. The monthly mean discharge of the Delaware River at Trenton was 23,480 ft³/s, 289 percent of normal. The observed daily mean discharge of the Delaware River at Trenton on October 31 was 18,000 ft³/s.

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

Water quality parameters collected from the Delaware River at Trenton were within recorded historical monthly extremes. Water temperature ranged from 8.4 to 22.2 degrees Celsius. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 8.0 to 11.2 milligrams per liter. Specific conductance ranged from 113 to 252 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