Biles Island is an island in the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Falls Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 34,300 at the 2010 census. Portions of Fairless Hills and Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the township...

.

Now owned by USX, the 567-acre Biles Island sits in the Delaware River a half mile south of Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

. Since at least 1968 it has been a dumping site for silt dredged from the river.

The island takes its name from William Biles

William Biles

William Biles was an American judge, attorney, legislator, sheriff, land speculator and merchant. Born in England and educated in law, Biles brought his family to America in 1679 and settled in what would become Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania before the charter of William Penn...

, who bought it in about 1680. It had been known to the Lenni Lenape as Minachkonk and was later known as Oreclan's Island.