Forge River (New York)
Encyclopedia
Forge River is a partially mixed estuary
on the south shore of Long Island
in the township of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York.
, a part of Long Island
’s south shore lagoonal system that is protected from the Atlantic Ocean
by outer barrier
islands. The river is a remnant streambed cut through the southerly sloping glacial outwash plain deposited during the Wisconsin glaciation
that ended some 20,000 years ago. The stream valley flooded as sea level rose.
It now functions as a small estuary. Circulation in the river is complex and is driven by a variety of forces including the tides, water column density structure, groundwater discharge, stream flow, and wind.
The tidal portion of the river is 3.2 nautical miles long that ends abruptly at Montauk Highway
which serves as a dam between the river towns of Mastic
and Moriches
New York.
Two freshwater ponds (East Mill Pond and West Mill Pond) continuously discharge to the tidal Forge at this location. The surface watershed
of the river is 43.06 km2 (10.641 acres). About 20 percent of the watershed is in the deep groundwater recharge zone.
The river is shallow throughout and has been historically so. The mean depths in much of the center of the river, were about (4-4.5 ft) at mean low water. The centerline, mean depth, based on the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) survey of 2007-2008, is(4.9- 6.6 ft). The depth now is slightly deeper in some locations than indicated on the previous surveys because a 70-m-wide (75-yd-wide) channel has been dredged to a design depth of 2.1 m (7 ft).
Tributaries of the river including Wills Creek, Poospatuck Creek, Lons Creek,and Home Creek on the west side of the Forge have been dredged as well.
The depths in these creeks can be as great (6.6 ft). A sill has built up at the mouths of these tributaries so that each one acts as a small basin in which circulation is limited. The same is true for Old Neck Creek on the east side of the river.
The upland community of the William Floyd Estate
provides habitat for breeding American woodcock
(Scolopax minor) and a variety of migrating and nesting songbirds, while adjacent tidal areas afford habitat for nesting American bittern
(Botarus lentiginosus), seaside sparrow
, and osprey
. This area is one of the few remaining sites on the south shore
of Long Island where tidal wetlands are contiguous with an undeveloped upland buffer.
(WHOI) investigators between 1950 and 1959
One of several measures used to attribute duck ranching with intense pollution problems was the unusually high amounts of duck-derived phosphorus in waters proximate to duck farming sites.
The last of the farms, the Jurgielewicz Duck Farm founded in 1919.. closed in August 2011 after declaring bankruptcy. At its peak the 65 acre farm which was a landmark on the Montauk Branch
of the Long Island Rail Road
claimed to be America's largest free-range duck operation, raising 1 million Pekin duck
s a year.
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
on the south shore of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in the township of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York.
Course
Forge River is the major tributary of Moriches BayMoriches Bay
Moriches Bay a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.Two Townships both Brookhaven and the Southampton share Its shoreline in Suffolk New York....
, a part of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
’s south shore lagoonal system that is protected from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
by outer barrier
Outer barrier
The outer barrier, also known as the Long Island and New York City barrier islands, refers to the string of barrier islands that divide the lagoons south of Long Island from the Atlantic Ocean....
islands. The river is a remnant streambed cut through the southerly sloping glacial outwash plain deposited during the Wisconsin glaciation
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
that ended some 20,000 years ago. The stream valley flooded as sea level rose.
It now functions as a small estuary. Circulation in the river is complex and is driven by a variety of forces including the tides, water column density structure, groundwater discharge, stream flow, and wind.
The tidal portion of the river is 3.2 nautical miles long that ends abruptly at Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway
Montauk Highway is one of the original through highways of Long Island, New York, extending from Jamaica, in the New York City borough of Queens to Montauk Point in Suffolk County, a distance of approximately 100 miles ....
which serves as a dam between the river towns of Mastic
Mastic, New York
Mastic is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 15,436 at the 2000 census. Mastic is a community located in the southeast part of the Town of Brookhaven....
and Moriches
Moriches, New York
Moriches is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 2,319 at the 2000 census.Moriches is served by the William Floyd School District....
New York.
Two freshwater ponds (East Mill Pond and West Mill Pond) continuously discharge to the tidal Forge at this location. The surface watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the river is 43.06 km2 (10.641 acres). About 20 percent of the watershed is in the deep groundwater recharge zone.
The river is shallow throughout and has been historically so. The mean depths in much of the center of the river, were about (4-4.5 ft) at mean low water. The centerline, mean depth, based on the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) survey of 2007-2008, is(4.9- 6.6 ft). The depth now is slightly deeper in some locations than indicated on the previous surveys because a 70-m-wide (75-yd-wide) channel has been dredged to a design depth of 2.1 m (7 ft).
Tributaries of the river including Wills Creek, Poospatuck Creek, Lons Creek,and Home Creek on the west side of the Forge have been dredged as well.
The depths in these creeks can be as great (6.6 ft). A sill has built up at the mouths of these tributaries so that each one acts as a small basin in which circulation is limited. The same is true for Old Neck Creek on the east side of the river.
The upland community of the William Floyd Estate
William Floyd
William Floyd was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a U.S. Representative from New York.-Biography:...
provides habitat for breeding American woodcock
American Woodcock
The American Woodcock , sometimes colloquially referred to as the Timberdoodle, is a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America...
(Scolopax minor) and a variety of migrating and nesting songbirds, while adjacent tidal areas afford habitat for nesting American bittern
American Bittern
The American Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. New evidence has led the American Ornithologists' Union to move the heron family into the order Pelecaniformes .-Description:...
(Botarus lentiginosus), seaside sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
The Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, is a small American sparrow. The 11 Ammodramus species inhabit marshes and grasslands.Adults have brownish upperparts with grey on the crown and nape, and a grayish buff colored breast with dark streaks; they have a dark face with grey cheeks, a white...
, and osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
. This area is one of the few remaining sites on the south shore
South Shore
South Shore may refer to:In Canada:*South Shore , Quebec, the region of the greater Montreal area on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River*South Shore , geographic region of Nova Scotia*South Shore—St...
of Long Island where tidal wetlands are contiguous with an undeveloped upland buffer.
Duck Farming off the river
The impairment of Moriches Bay was linked with the growth of the duck ranching industry decades earlier along the Forge and other tributaries of region. Duck farm activities were identified as a primary source of pollution to Moriches Bay in several studies conducted by Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
(WHOI) investigators between 1950 and 1959
One of several measures used to attribute duck ranching with intense pollution problems was the unusually high amounts of duck-derived phosphorus in waters proximate to duck farming sites.
The last of the farms, the Jurgielewicz Duck Farm founded in 1919.. closed in August 2011 after declaring bankruptcy. At its peak the 65 acre farm which was a landmark on the Montauk Branch
Montauk Branch
The Montauk Branch is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch runs the length of Long Island, 115 miles from Long Island City on the west to Montauk on the east...
of the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
claimed to be America's largest free-range duck operation, raising 1 million Pekin duck
Pekin duck
Pekin duck, or Long Island duck , is a breed of domesticated duck used primarily for egg and meat production. It was bred from the Mallard in China. The ancestors of those ducks originated from the canals which linked waterways in Nanjing and originally had small bodies and black feathers...
s a year.
See Also
- Mastic, New YorkMastic, New YorkMastic is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 15,436 at the 2000 census. Mastic is a community located in the southeast part of the Town of Brookhaven....
- Moriches BayMoriches BayMoriches Bay a lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck.Two Townships both Brookhaven and the Southampton share Its shoreline in Suffolk New York....
- Moriches InletMoriches InletMoriches Inlet is an inlet connecting Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The name Moriches comes from Meritces, a Native American who owned land on Moriches Neck....
- Smith PointSmith PointSmith Point is a San Francisco-based rock band that was formed in 2002. The band has released two EPs and plays at various venues throughout the state of California....
- Moriches, New YorkMoriches, New YorkMoriches is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 2,319 at the 2000 census.Moriches is served by the William Floyd School District....
External links
- http://timbishop.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=79&parentid=3§iontree=3,79&itemid=1678
- http://www.bayfisherman.com/ramps.htm
- http://library.fws.gov/pubs5/web_link/text/mb_form.htm
- http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/stormwater/ForgeRiver.html
- http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/departments/healthservices/environmentalquality/ecology.aspx