| Arthur Kill | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Arthur Kill, with theRahway River joining from the left andPrall's Island visible near center. | |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York, New Jersey |
| Municipalities | Staten Island (New York),Union County (New Jersey),Middlesex County (New Jersey) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Newark Bay |
| • coordinates | 40°38′47″N74°10′47″W / 40.64639°N 74.17972°W /40.64639; -74.17972[1] |
| Mouth | Raritan Bay |
• coordinates | 40°30′01″N74°15′31″W / 40.50028°N 74.25861°W /40.50028; -74.25861[1] |
TheArthur Kill (sometimes referred to as theStaten Island Sound[1]) is atidal strait in theNew York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary betweenStaten Island (also known as Richmond County),New York, andUnion andMiddlesex counties,New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of thePort of New York and New Jersey.
The name Arthur Kill is ananglicization of theDutchachter kill meaningback channel, which would refer to its location "behind" Staten Island and has its roots in the early 17th century during theDutch colonial era when the region was part ofNew Netherland.[2] Placenaming by early explorers and settlers during the era often referred to a location in reference to other places, its shape, its topography, and other geographic qualities.[3]Kill comes from the MiddleDutch wordkille, meaningriverbed,water channel, orstream. The area around theNewark Bay was calledAchter Kol.[4] During the British colonial era the bay was known asCull bay.[5] The bay lies behindBergen Hill, the emerging ridge of theHudson Palisades which begins onBergen Neck, the peninsula between it and theUpper New York Bay. The sister channel of Arthur Kill,Kill van Kull, refers to the waterway that flows from thecol orridge orpassage to the interior and translates aschannel from the pass orridge.
Thechannel is approximately 10 miles (16 km) long and connectsRaritan Bay on its south end withNewark Bay on the north. Along theNew Jersey side it is primarily lined with industrial sites, part of which is called theChemical Coast. TheStaten Island side is primarily lined withsalt marshes and is home to theStaten Island boat graveyard. It creates a border forFresh Kills Landfill andFreshkills Park.
Arthur Kill is an abandoned river channel carved by an ancestral phase of the Hudson River resulting from the blockage of the main channel of the Hudson atthe Narrows bymoraine or anice dam. The size of Arthur Kill channel is large, suggesting that it was, for a time, the primary drainage from the region. However, it could not have been primary drainage for long because the river did not have enough time to carve a broad flood plain.[6]
Because of the complex nature of the tides inNew York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary near the mouth of theHudson River, thehydrology of Arthur Kill is still an open subject. In particular, the net flow of the channel is not well established. It was heavily polluted in the 1960s and 1970s, with few fish species able to live in it. Since the 1990s, crabs, baitfish, striped bass, and bluefish have returned to this water.
Arthur Kill contains two small uninhabited islands,Prall's Island and theIsle of Meadows, both of which are part of theborough of Staten Island.John's Cove is located near its northern end in New Jersey.
On the New Jersey side, theElizabeth River,[7]Rahway River,Morses Creek,[8] andPiles Creek[9] flow into the kill. ThePassaic River andHackensack River mouth at Newark Bay. On the Staten Island side, Old Place Creek,[10]Fresh Kills (an estuary fed by the Richmond Creek and Main Creek), Bridge Creek (off Goethal Pond), and Sawmill Creek flow into the estuary.
The channel isdredged periodically to a depth of 35 to 37 feet (10.7 to 11.3 m) and a width of 600 feet (180 m) to maintain its usefulness for commercial ship passage. As part of its Harboring Deepening Project, the Kill is being deepened to a depth of 50 feet (15 m) to accommodate larger ships and allow for their passage while carrying full loads.[11]
A heavily used marine channel, it provides access for ocean-goingtankers to industrial facilities along the channel itself. TheHowland Hook Marine Terminal is located at its mouth at Newark Bay. It provided the primary marine access to the now-closedFresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island and is the location of theStaten Island boat graveyard. TheArthur Kill Terminal is a proposedoffshore wind port.
Arthur Kill is spanned by theGoethals Bridge and theOuterbridge Crossing, as well as by theArthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge, a railroad bridge and the largest bridge of its type in the United States.
For many years the Kill was traversed by a ferry between Tottenville and thePerth Amboy Ferry Slip. Another ferry ran from the tip of Victory Boulevard in Travis to Carteret. Re-introduction ferry service between Carteret's Waterfront Park andMidtown Manhattan via Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull is planned.[12] As of 2021, funding for the construction of a landing dock and purchase of a boat was in place.[13][14]
The Arthur Kill was a critical dividing line during theAmerican Revolution, with the British holding Staten Island for the duration of the conflict while New Jersey remained largely in Continental hands. Numerous skirmishes, including theBattle of Staten Island, spanned the Arthur Kill.
ThePilgrim Pipeline, to pipe crude oil, kerosene, and diesel fuel through New York and New Jersey was proposed to terminate at the Linden side of the kill.[15]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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