Whippany River
Encyclopedia
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Rockaway River
Rockaway River
The Rockaway River is a tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper course of the river flows through a wooded mountainous valley, whereas the lower course flows through the populated New Jersey suburbs and former industrial...
, approximately 20 mi (30 km) long, in northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It rises in Morris County
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
, in Mendham Township
Mendham Township, New Jersey
Mendham Township is an affluent township in Morris County, in the central portion of northern New Jersey, United States, located more than due west of New York City. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 5,400...
west of Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
, and flows generally ENE in a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
ing course, through Morristown and the
Whippany
Whippany, New Jersey
Whippany is an unincorporated area located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area...
area of Hanover Township
Hanover Township, New Jersey
Hanover Township is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 12,898...
. It flows through the Troy Meadows
Troy Meadows
Troy Meadows is a nature preserve in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morris County, New Jersey. Along with the Great Swamp, it is one of the remnants of Glacial Lake Passaic. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967...
and joins the Rockaway in the Hatfield Swamp
Hatfield Swamp
Hatfield Swamp is a fresh water wetland area in the US state of New Jersey, forming what might be considered the "second bank" of the Passaic River between Morris and Essex counties.-Geology:...
in eastern Morris County, just above the confluence of the Rockaway with the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
.
The river drainage area is sixty nine square miles.
There are three USGS water gages on the river. The gage in Parsippany just before the Whippany River empties into the Rockaway River has an average flow of one hundred eight seven cubic feet of water.
The river derives its name from the Whippanong Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, a tribe that once inhabited the area. Whippanong meant "place of the willows", named for the trees growing along the banks of the river.