View source for Wallkill River

{{short description|Tributary of Rondout Creek in New York and New Jersey}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Wallkill River
| name_native        = {{native name|und|Twischsawkin |paren=omit}}
| name_native_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Wallkill River.JPG
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = Islands in the river near Walden, NY
| map                = Rondoutrivermap.png
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = The combined watersheds of the Wallkill and [[Rondout Creek]]
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type2  = State
| subdivision_name2  = [[New York (state)|New York]], [[New Jersey]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[County (United States)|Counties]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster, NY]], [[Orange County, New York|Orange, NY]], [[Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex, NJ]]
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = Cities
| subdivision_name5  = [[New Paltz (village), New York|New Paltz, NY]], [[Walden, New York|Walden, NY]], [[Montgomery (village), New York|Montgomery, NY]], [[Sparta Township, New Jersey|Sparta, NJ]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|88|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name=NHD/> 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Gardiner (CDP), New York|Gardiner, NY]]<ref name="Gardiner discharge">[[United States Geological Survey]]; [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/annual/?referred_module=sw&amp;site_no=01371500&amp;por_01371500_2=1049108,00060,2,1924,2005&amp;year_type=W&amp;format=html_table&amp;date_format=YYYY-MM-DD&amp;rdb_compression=value&amp;submitted_form=parameter_selection_list Wallkill River at Gardiner, NY; average annual discharge table]. Figure given is for 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2007.</ref>
| discharge1_min     = 
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|1365|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = [[Lake Mohawk, New Jersey]]
| source1_location   = [[Sparta, New Jersey|Sparta]], [[Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex County]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|41|01|58|N|74|38|38|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = {{convert|720|ft|abbr=on}}
| mouth              = [[Rondout Creek]]
| mouth_location     = [[Rifton, New York|Rifton]], [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster County]], [[New York (state)|NY]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|41|51|13|N|74|02|55|W|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|0|ft|abbr=on}}
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{convert|785|sqmi|abbr=on}}<ref name="Watershed plan">Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District, 2005, [http://ucswcd.org/Mgmt%20Plan_dpr.pdf Draft Wallkill Watershed Conservation and Management Plan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715003105/http://www.ucswcd.org/Mgmt%20Plan_dpr.pdf |date=2007-07-15 }}, 11, retrieved March 21, 2007.</ref>
| tributaries_left   = [[Shawangunk Kill]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Papakating Creek]]
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}} 
The '''Wallkill River''', a [[tributary]] of the [[Hudson River|Hudson]], drains [[Lake Mohawk (New Jersey)|Lake Mohawk]] in [[Sparta, New Jersey|Sparta]], [[New Jersey]], flowing from there generally northeasterly {{convert|88.3|mi}}<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2012-03-29 }}, accessed October 3, 2011</ref> to [[Rondout Creek]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], just downstream of [[Sturgeon Pool]], near [[Rosendale, New York|Rosendale]], with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at [[Kingston, New York|Kingston]].

The river is unusual because it flows north between two major south-flowing rivers, the [[Hudson River|Hudson]] and the [[Delaware River]]. It also has the unusual distinction of being a river that drains into a [[Stream|creek]], due to being [[dam|impounded]] shortly before the Rondout [[confluence]] into a small body of water called [[Sturgeon Pool]] near [[Rifton, New York|Rifton]], and what reaches the Rondout from there is the lesser flow.

==Course==
[[File:WallkillRiverAtWildlifepreserve.jpg|thumb|left|The Wallkill near floodstage in September 2006, in the National Wildlife Preserve, in Sussex County, NJ. The bridge has since been removed.]]
The broad valley of the Wallkill River nestles between the main [[Appalachian Mountains]] and the [[New York-New Jersey Highlands]], supporting much local [[agriculture]]. It is a part of the [[Great Appalachian Valley]]. In the beginning of its course it drains the eastern section of [[Sussex County, New Jersey]], then flows through the [[Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge]] at the New Jersey/New York state line.  Most of the New Jersey portion is navigable by canoe. Then it is heavily diverted as it flows through the rich [[Black Dirt Region]] of [[Warwick (town), New York|Warwick]]. Until drainage projects were built here, this region was known as the [[Drowned Lands]]. After lending its name to the town of [[Wallkill, Orange County, New York|Wallkill]], in northern [[Orange County, New York|Orange County]], it begins to regain its volume as it passes by [[Orange County Airport (New York)|Orange County Airport]], [[Montgomery (village), New York|Montgomery]] and through [[Walden, New York|Walden]], where [[dam]]s have been built in the past to provide power for local [[Industrial sector|industry]]. The largest, in Walden, still is used by [[New York State Electric and Gas]] today.

After briefly serving as the line between Orange and [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster]] counties, it passes by [[Wallkill, Ulster County, New York|Wallkill]], the second community to take its name from the river, and then the striking scenery of the [[Shawangunk Ridge]] is visible as it winds past the [[Ulster County Fairgrounds]] and [[New Paltz (village), New York|New Paltz]], where its [[floodplain]] becomes more noticeable, on the way to its mouth at the Rondout.

The Wallkill tends to cross political borders much more often than it forms them, at least in New York (in New Jersey it divides several townships). Other than the brief segment that follows the Orange-Ulster line, there is only southern Orange County, where it divides the towns of [[Minisink, New York|Minisink]], [[Wawayanda, New York|Wawayanda]] and [[Wallkill, Orange County, New York|Wallkill]] on its west from [[Warwick, New York|Warwick]] and [[Goshen, New York|Goshen]] to the east. Two villages, Montgomery and New Paltz, are also bounded by the river in part.

In addition to the [[Town (New York)|town]] and [[hamlet (place)|hamlet]] in New York, two school districts take their name from the river: [[Wallkill Valley Regional High School|Wallkill Valley Regional School District]], in New Jersey and [[Wallkill Central School District|Wallkill Central]] in New York ([[Valley Central School District|Valley Central]] also derives its name indirectly from the river).

==History==
[[File:The Wallkill Valley in art and story (1899) (14589987408).jpg|thumb|right|Wallkill River in [[Orange County, New York|Orange County]], 1899]]
[[File:Wallkill in October 2005.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Dam, falls and NYSEG power station at Walden, seen here after heavy rainfall in October 2005]]
[[File:Sturgeon Pond.jpg|thumb|right|Sturgeon Pool, created by impounding the Wallkill shortly before it joins the Rondout.]]
[[File:Montgomery Worsted Mills.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Montgomery Worsted Mills]], an early river industry]]

[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] knew the river as ''Twischsawkin''. At least three prehistoric rock shelters have been found in [[archaeology|archaeological]] digs in the region. For the indigenous peoples, it was not only important for its [[agriculture|arable land]] but for its [[geology|geological]] resources. The river and its valley are abundant in [[flint]] and [[chert]], from which they made [[spear]] points and [[arrowhead]]s.<ref name="FWS history">[[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] (USFWS); [http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/History.cfm?ID=52610 History]; retrieved March 22, 2007.</ref>

[[European colonization of the Americas|European]] [[settler]]s of the region named it first the Palse River, after New Paltz. Later, when it was clear that the river continued well beyond the original New Paltz patent, it took after the [[Waal (river)|Waal]] river in their native [[Netherlands]]. They worked their way down it from the Hudson Valley in the 17th century, and were followed by the British after the colony changed hands.<ref name="FWS history" />

Settlers recognized the agricultural possibilities of the Drowned Lands almost as soon as they moved in. Efforts to divert the river and create more farmland appear to have begun as early as 1760. It would take 66 years, however, before a [[canal]] succeeded in draining the land and making enough available to profitably cultivate.<ref name="FWS history" />

By that time industry was beginning to harness the river, too, as Jacob Walden established his [[Watermill|mill]] in the village downriver that would later take his name. Millers in the Black Dirt Region clashed heavily with farmers in what were known as the Muskrat and Beaver Wars for decades afterwards, since the millers needed the water to flow freely while the farmers depended on keeping it diverted. In 1871 the farmers finally won. What industry there was would be confined to Montgomery and Walden where the [[railroad]] ran nearby.<ref name="FWS history" />

In Ulster, vacationers frequented the Springtown neighborhood of New Paltz during the late 19th to early 20th century, making use of the Wallkill for recreation. Many of the larger older homes still on Springtown Road were boarding houses for these people escaping from the summer heat to the cool banks of the Wallkill River.

In August 1955, the river experienced record-breaking flooding when hurricanes [[Hurricane Connie|Connie]] and [[Hurricane Diane|Diane]] brought heavy rainfall to the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/nerfc/historical/aug1955.htm |title=The Floods Of Hurricane Connie And Diane |publisher=Erh.noaa.gov |access-date=2012-03-09}}</ref> Heavy flooding of the river and its smaller tributaries  from the [[April 2007 nor'easter]] forced a number of road closures and evacuations of homes in its [[flood plain]] in central Orange County.

==Cleanup==
[[File:Wallkill river green with 2016 algae bloom, Wallkill, NY.jpg|thumb|right|The 2016 algae bloom, seen at [[Wallkill, Ulster County, New York|Wallkill]]|alt=Milky greenish water with vegetation in the foregrounds and trees at rear, the latter of which are reflected slightly in the water]]
There have been several efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries to clean up the river.

At the turn of the century, a Wallkill River Task Force was formed, with representatives from both Ulster and Orange counties.  From the 'Acknowledgements' of the "Wallkill River Watershed Conservation and Management Plan":

"A crucial development in the history of Wallkill Watershed protection efforts was the scheduling of a Wallkill River conference in 1998. Held at Orange County Community College and organized by the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT), this conference could be considered the birth of the Wallkill River Task Force (WRTF) – a ‘project’ of the OCLT. While some focus on this Watershed was already occurring amongst government agencies, the WRTF created a non-governmental group that actively sought the volunteer participation of farmers, business people and other ‘ordinary’ citizens, in addition to government and conservation agency employees, to provide for broad-based leadership in protecting the Wallkill River and its watershed lands."

One result of that Task Force's work was the drafting of a conservation and management plan.<ref name="Conservation plan">{{cite web|title=Wallkill River Conservation and Management Plan|url=http://waterauthority.orangecountygov.com/PROJECTS/WALLKILL_RIVER/Wallkill%20Watershed%20Management%20Plan.pdf|publisher=Orange County Water Authority|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref>  [[Riverkeeper]]'s water-quality program<ref name="Riverkeeper Water Quality">{{cite web|title=Water Quality|url=http://www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/testing/|publisher=[[Riverkeeper]]|date=2009–2015|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref> has been testing samples at many places along the river with the help of citizen-scientists.<ref name="Riverkeeper testing locations">{{cite web|title=Wallkill River|url=http://www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/citizen-data/wallkill-river-watershed/|publisher=Riverkeeper|date=2009–2015|access-date=June 15, 2015}}</ref>

In late summer 2016, the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance, along with Riverkeeper, documented a potentially toxic large blue-green algae bloom, prompting the two groups to warn that could be harmful to people, dogs or other pets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160826/algae-blooms-in-wallkill-river-prompt-warning|title=Algae blooms in Wallkill River prompt warning|date=26 August 2016 |access-date=2016-09-10}}</ref> After the samples were taken from the River, New York's [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Department of Environmental Conservation]] confirmed a Harmful Algae bloom with High Levels of Toxins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html|title=Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Notifications Page - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation|website=www.dec.ny.gov|access-date=2016-09-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.recordonline.com/article/20160909/NEWS/160909348|title=Algae on Wallkill River deemed highly toxic|last=Brooks|first=Paul|access-date=2016-09-10}}</ref> Riverkeeper responded by calling on government officials to define the causes of the algae.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.riverkeeper.org/news-events/news/water-quality/confirmed-wallkill-river-algae-produced-high-toxin-levels/|title=Confirmed: Wallkill River Algae Produced High Toxin Levels - Riverkeeper|website=www.riverkeeper.org|date=10 September 2016 |access-date=2016-09-10}}</ref>

==Tributaries==
The Wallkill has 69 tributaries in New York alone. Thirty are named.<ref name="Watershed plan" />

Moving downriver (south to north)
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*Wildcat Brook
*[[Clove Brook]]
*[[West Branch Papakating Creek]]
*[[Neepaulakating Creek]]
*[[Papakating Creek]]
*[[Beaver Run (WallKill River)|Beaver Run]]
*[[Pochuck Creek]]
*[[Wawayanda Creek]]
*[[Rutgers Creek]]
*[[Monhagen Brook]]
*[[Quaker Creek]]
*[[Masonic Creek]]
*[[Mannayunk Kill]]
*[[Muddy Kill]]
*[[Tin Brook]]
*[[Dwaar Kill (Wallkill River)|Dwaar Kill]]
*[[Shawangunk Kill]]
*[[Plattekill Creek]]
*[[Saw Mill Brook]]
*[[Tributary 13/Mill Brook]]
*[[Kleine Kill]]
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Hudson Valley|New Jersey}}
*[[List of crossings of the Wallkill River]]
*[[List of New Jersey rivers]]
*[[List of rivers of New York]]
*[[Thunder River (Tapeats Creek)|Thunder River]], in the Grand Canyon, which also drains into a creek
*[[Kill (body of water)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{GeoGroup}}
*[http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wallkillriver/ Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge]
*[http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nj/nwis/current/?type=flow U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream gaging stations]
*[http://www.wallkillriverschool.com Wallkill River Art Gallery]
*[http://www.albertwisnerlibrary.org/Factsandhistory/History/DrownedLandsoftheWallkill.htm Drowned Lands of the Wallkill]

{{Hudson River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Wallkill River| ]]
[[Category:Rivers of New Jersey]]
[[Category:Rivers of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Shawangunks]]
[[Category:Rivers of Ulster County, New York]]
[[Category:Rivers of Sussex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Rivers of Orange County, New York]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the Hudson River]]