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DELAWARE RIVER

River Levels • Streamflow • Hydrology

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Total streamflow across the Delaware River was last observed at 44,635 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 88,531 acre-ft of water today; about 89% of normal. Average streamflow for this time of year is 50,004 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2011-09-09 when daily discharge volume was observed at 713,528 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Delaware River At Trenton Nj reporting a streamflow rate of 12,900 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Delaware R Bl Perry Dam with a gauge stage of 27.37 ft. This river is monitored from 10 different streamgauging stations along the Delaware River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,906 ft, the Delaware River Nr Red Bluff.

The Delaware River is a major river on the east coast of the United States, spanning approximately 330 miles from its source in the Catskill Mountains of New York to its mouth at the Delaware Bay. The river has played a significant role in American history, serving as a boundary during colonial times and as a major shipping route during the industrial revolution. The Delaware River has a complex hydrology system with many tributaries and large reservoirs, including the Pepacton, Cannonsville, and Neversink reservoirs in New York, and the Blue Marsh Lake in Pennsylvania. These reservoirs provide drinking water for millions of people in the region. The river is also used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and hiking, and supports agricultural activities in the surrounding areas.

December 21, 2024

Last Updated	2024-12-21
Discharge Volume	88,531 ACRE-FT
Streamflow	44,634.5 cfs -4419.3 cfs (-9.01%)
Percent of Normal	89.26%
Maximum	713,528.0 cfs 2011-09-09
Seasonal Avg	50,004 cfs

History of the River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It drains an area of 14,119 square miles (36,570 km2) in five U.S. states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania. Rising in two branches in New York state's Catskill Mountains, the river flows 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. Not including Delaware Bay, the river's length including its two branches is 388 miles (624 km).
The Delaware River is one of nineteen "Great Waters" recognized by the America's Great Waters Coalition.The Delaware River rises in two main branches that descend from the western flank of the Catskill Mountains in New York. The West Branch begins near Mount Jefferson in the Town of Jefferson in Schoharie County. The river's East Branch begins at Grand Gorge near Roxbury in Delaware County. These two branches flow west and merge near Hancock in Delaware County, and the combined waters flow as the Delaware River south. Through its course, the Delaware River forms the boundaries between Pennsylvania and New York, the entire boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and most of the boundary between Delaware and New Jersey. The river meets tide-water at the junction of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey, at the Falls of the Delaware. The river's navigable, tidal section served as a conduit for shipping and transportation that aided the development of the industrial cities of Trenton, Camden, and Philadelphia. The mean freshwater discharge of the Delaware River into the estuary of Delaware Bay is 11,550 cubic feet per second (327 m3/s).
Before the arrival of European settlers, the river was the homeland of the Lenape Native Americans. They called the river Lenapewihittuk, or Lenape River, and Kithanne, meaning the largest river in this part of the country.In 1609, the river was first visited by a Dutch East India Company expedition led by Henry Hudson. Hudson, an English navigator, was hired to find a western route to Cathay (present-day China), but his discoveries set the stage for Dutch colonization of North America in the 17th century. Early Dutch and Swedish settlements were established along the lower section of river and Delaware Bay. Both colonial powers called the river the South River, compared to the Hudson River, which was known as the North River. After the English expelled the Dutch and took control of the New Netherland colony in 1664, the river was renamed Delaware after Sir Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Virginia colony's first royal governor who defended the colony during the First Anglo-Powhatan War.