Plotting a Canoe Course

ON WEDNESDAY, HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY BUT AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THE HEAVIEST WILL REMAIN NORTH OF OUR REGION.

The last phrase of that NWS weather statement says it all. The mountains may get pounded again tomorrow evening, which in turn may impact the rivers. Let's hope it's under an inch total precip.

I know this is a small river-related problem compared to what other people are going through, but I need to plan a 5-day canoe sojourn from Phillipsburg to Lamberville for 16 Girl Scouts from Hunterdon County, for next week. The river should be below 6' for this trip, and there is no way to predict the water level for Monday, especially given the above weather statement. And the water quality isn't all that great either.

Today, I will develop a contingency plan that takes the sojourn to the South Branch Raritan River and the Musconetcong River, and possibly Round Valley Reservoir, where we would do the introductory lesson. The main purpose is for the girls to have fun, but they will also be fulfilling the requirements of the American Canoe Association's "Essentials of River Canoe" course, which teaches all the primary tandem canoe paddling strokes, safety, self-rescue, river reading skills and more -- they will work hard. I will be joined by Linda Straus who is an ACA certified instructor, as I was until I let my certification expire last year (D'OH!). By the end of the trip the scouts will be accomplished river runners.

Here are numbers again for top few floods for some gauge stations along the Delaware. I will re-post this, updated with all the record floods for each station, and color-coded for what type of event (season). I will also add Port Jervis.

Belvidere: (Flood stage is 22')
6/29/06 (27.16'); 4/4/05 (27.24'); 8/19/55 (30.21')

Riegelsville: (Flood stage is 22')
6/29/06 (32.98'); 4/3/05 (34.07'); 8/20/55 (38.85')

Here are comparisons for Easton and New Hope (or Phillipsburg and Lambertville if you are in NJ)

The Easton/P-burg Bridge: (Flood stage is 22')
6/29/06 (37.09'); 4/3/05 (36.5) 8/20/1955 (43.7' )

New Hope/Lambertville Bridge (Flood stage is 13')
6/29/06 (18.13' ), 4/3/05 (19.07') 8/20/55 (24.3')