By Michele Byers
In downtown Trenton, it’s possible to stand on top of the Assunpink Creek without getting your feet wet.
That’s because, decades ago, this tributary of the Delaware River was channeled into an underground culvert, disappearing from view between South Broad and South Warren streets.
This was never a good idea. The concrete channel prevented fish from migrating into the Delaware, and the natural beauty of the stream was lost to the public. Then, in 2006, part of the culvert roof collapsed, creating a safety hazard that had to be stabilized and fenced off. The area around it turned into an unsightly, overgrown lot.
But thanks to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Assunpink is set to rise again — literally — through a “daylighting” project.
The long-awaited restoration means removing the 500-foot culvert and creating a new stream channel closer to its historic location and farther from an existing office building. The stream will be stabilized with river stone and boulders, and native plants will grow along the banks.
The daylighting project will improve stream water quality and migratory fish habitat and create a welcoming two-acre park near the historic Mill Hill neighborhood. The restoration site is about 1,000 feet upstream from the Assunpink’s mouth at the Delaware River.
The name Assunpink comes from the Lenape word for “stony, watery place,” describing the gravelly springs of New Jersey’s 65 million-year-old ancient coastline, the ironstone “cuesta,” or ridgeline, dividing the inner and outer coastal plains.
The creek gathers intensity as it meanders west from Millstone Township in Monmouth County through the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and Mercer County Park, across the old, flat clays and silts of the Raritan and Magothy formations into Trenton.
The Assunpink played a role in Revolutionary War history. Jan. 2, 1777, during the Second Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army and supporting militias held a defensive line along the creek’s south shore. Under George Washington’s command, the Americans repelled charges by British and Hessian soldiers across a stone bridge spanning the creek as well as an attempt to ford the creek near its mouth.
”This is a very positive step for our city,” said Trenton Mayor Eric E. Jackson of the Assunpink restoration. “It will enhance our downtown and help attract economic development while improving the quality of life for our residents and visitors. It also will improve a vital historic location that housed Trenton’s first industrial development and was the site of an important battle in the American Revolution.”
Work is expected to begin on the $4 million restoration this spring and should be completed by the end of 2016. The project is being financed 75 percent by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 25 percent by the DEP, which is providing $1 million through a federal Clean Water Act grant.
Congratulations are due to all who helped shepherd the restoration through the long approval process. Cleaner water, an attractive outdoor natural area and the return of a bit of our history are healthy steps forward for our capital city!
For more information on the project, visit the New Jersey Future website at www.njfuture.org/issues/development/assunpink-creek-project/assunpink-daylighting.
From there, you can click on a slide show that includes maps and historic photos.
Michele Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information, contact her at [email protected] or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org.
