Toms River - Definition

Toms River is a river, approximately 19 mi (31 km) long, in southern New Jersey in the United States. The village of Toms River at its mouth is named for it.

It rises in the Pinelands, near Holmeson, in northern Ocean County and flows southeast and east, fed by several branches, in a meandering course through wetland area. It empties into Barnegat Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at Toms River. The lower 5 mi (8 km) of the river is a broad tidal estuary which is navigable within the village of Toms River. The lower reaches of the river are popular location for fishing and coastal resorts.

Until the 1960s, the lower river suffered pollution for many years from the open discharge of waste from a Ciba Geigy dye manufacturing plant. The groundwater was also contaminated by the widespread dumping of chemical waste on nearby farm fields. Recent public-private coalitions to restore the river, including the purchase and preservation of wetland areas near its source in Pinelands, have resulted in an increase in the water quality.

See also

• Jersey Shore
• List of New Jersey rivers
• Cancer cluster

External links

• Pollution on Toms River (http://www.tr-teach.org/cause/pollute.html)
• Trust for Public Land: Preservation of wetlands on upper Toms River (http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=6413&folder_id=629)
• New Jersey Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (http://www.state.nj.us/pinelands/cmp.htm)
• "Down by Toms River" lyrics (http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiNJRIVERS;ttRIVTEXAS.html)