Metedeconk River

The Metedeconk River is a tributary of Barnegat Bay in Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States.The Metedeconk River flows from its 22.3mi North and 22.6mi South Branches to their confluence at Forge Pond, where the river widens (up to just over 1 mile/1.6 km) and flows southeast for 6 miles/9.7 km into Barnegat Bay. It contains both fresh and salt-water portions.Like many area streets, waterways and towns, Metedeconk is the original word or phrase used by the pre-European peoples of the area, the Lenape.Geographic relation to nearby water featuresAt its most eastern face the river meets the Barnegat Peninsula, a populated but narrow strip (less than 1 mile (1.6 km) wide) of New Jersey separating the Metedeconk from a direct connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the river joins the Barnegat Bay to the south and the narrow, man-made Point Pleasant Canal to the north. This canal provides a convenient connection to the Manasquan River, which would otherwise be completely separated from the Metedeconk by about 3 miles (4.8 km) of land. The Manasquan River is directly connected to the Atlantic Ocean, as is Barnegat Bay.Interactions with ocean watersThe river is of the floodplain type and is tidal, being indirectly connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Barnegat Bay and the Manasquan River. The Metedeconk's main oceanic interactions are through the Manasquan, via the Point Pleasant Canal. In fact, before the canal was opened in 1926, the Metedeconk and the upper part of the Barnegat Bay were mainly fresh water environments and non-tidal. Today, due to ocean tides, the waters of the Bay and the Manasquan are both inlets and outlets of the Metedeconk.