![Raritan River Raritan River and Rutgers](http://cupr.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Raritan-River.jpg)
Raritan River Initiatives
The Raritan River has a rich history, which includes strong ties to Rutgers University. A number of entities from across the university are collaborating to transform the Raritan Basin into an interactive field laboratory that enhances the student experience, encourages and supports transdisciplinary research, and addresses real-world concerns of regional stakeholders.
Sustainable Raritan River Initiative (SRRI)
Rutgers University launched the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative (“SRRI”) in 2009 to bring together concerned scientists, environmentalists, engineers, businesses, community leaders and governmental entities to craft an agenda that meets the goals of the U.S. Clean Water Act to restore and preserve New Jersey’s Raritan River, its tributaries and its bay.
The Initiative, a joint program of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (EJB) and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), partners with other Rutgers schools, centers and programs to ensure the best contributions from the sciences, planning and policy. The Initiative conducts conferences and topical workshops, provides technical assistance, and develops anchor projects that raise the profile of the Raritan River. Jeanne Herb and Richard G. Lathrop, Jr., serve as co-leaders of the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative.
Rutgers Raritan River Consortium (R3C)
R3C is a collaborative effort at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick-Piscataway campus that recognizes the critical value of the Raritan and its environs to the social, economic and ecological integrity of the region that Rutgers calls home. Our mission is to utilize Rutgers’ proximity to the Raritan to inform university-based education, research and scholarship and to apply our efforts, in collaboration with Raritan partners, to advance improvements in regional planning, policy and decision-making that positively affect the ecology and economy of the Raritan region. Read more in the 2016 Public Announcement.
Johnson Family Chair in Water Resources and Watershed Ecology (JFC)
On December 15, 2015, the Rutgers Board of Governors appointed Richard G. Lathrop Jr., professor of environmental monitoring at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, as the inaugural holder of the Johnson Family Chair in Water Resources and Watershed Ecology.
Besides his teaching responsibilities, Lathrop, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, is the faculty director of the Rutgers Ecological Preserve. over 350 acres, the preserve features several streams that feed into the Raritan River and numerous public hiking and biking trails. He also directs the Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis, whose mission is to promote the development and application of geospatial information science and technology to address issues in the environment, natural resources and agriculture.
For more information, contact Rick Lathrop at lathrop@crssa.rutgers.edu or (848) 932-1580.
Resources & Updates
Ten Mini-Grants Awarded for Research on the Raritan River, Basin and Bay
The Rutgers Raritan River Consortium (R3C) has awarded ten mini-grants to support research by Rutgers faculty, staff and post-doctoral researchers on Raritan River, basin and bay resource issues. The recipients, award amounts and project titles are: Michele Bakacs...
Resilience and the Raritan Conference and Awards Ceremony – 11th Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony
Resilience and the Raritan Friday, June 7, 2019 Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Piscataway, New Jersey 11th Annual Sustainable Raritan Conference and Awards Ceremony The theme of our 2019 annual conference was...
SRRI releases State of the Raritan Report, Volume 2
Rutgers University’s Sustainable Raritan River Initiative has released a second report on the status of watershed health for the Raritan River. The State of the Raritan Report, Volume 2 continues efforts to update key indicators of water quality and watershed health...
History of the Raritan River Timeline
During Spring Semester, 2019, Jenny Schneider, a candidate for the Rutgers Public History Program Certificate (School of Arts and Sciences, Department of History), developed a dynamic historic timeline of major events and happenings around the Raritan region. It is a...
Sustainable Raritan Conference to focus on climate resilience
This year’s Sustainable Raritan River conference will be a joint effort with Rutgers Climate Institute, New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, and Rutgers Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience program to explore the impacts of climate change on Raritan basin communities...
Call for Lightning Talks and Posters for June Conference
Promote your work or solicit input. It’s open to everyone! Do you have a Raritan based project you want to tell others about? The Sustainable Raritan River Initiative’s annual conference attracts 200 Raritan stakeholders from local and regional NGOs, federal, state...
Tracking Genes and Bacteria Responsible for Organohalide Reduction in the Raritan River Basin
The Raritan River receives wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, stormwater runoff, combined sewer overflow (CSO), and groundwater infiltration from a variety of sites contaminated with organohalide pollutants. Organohalides are known or suspected carcinogens...
Assessing Exposure of Water-Dependent Uses to Coastal Flood Hazards
Water-dependent uses along the New Jersey coast rely on access to the water that increasingly threatens to damage their facilities and support infrastructure in the surrounding community. Mal-adaptive planning strategies to enhance resilience could fail to recognize...
Take out the Rutgers’ research vessel!
The R/V Rutgers is back in the water! We are now taking reservations for spring and summer excursions. The Rutgers is capable of supporting a wide range of educational and scientific needs. This fully equipped 20 passenger vessel can navigate through the lower river...