Morses Creek (New Jersey) facts for kids
Morses Creek is a stream located in Union County, New Jersey. It flows into the Arthur Kill, which is a busy waterway connecting Newark Bay to the Raritan Bay. Other rivers like the Elizabeth River and Rahway River also flow into the Arthur Kill.
Morses Creek has had different names over time, including Thompson's Creek and Nine Mile Creek. It got its current name from the Morse family, who settled in the area way back in the 1600s. Their family lived there for about 200 years, and you can still see their old headstones today.
Where Morses Creek Flows
As Morses Creek makes its way to the Arthur Kill, it passes through several towns in New Jersey. These towns include Kenilworth, Cranford, Roselle Park, Roselle, Union, and Linden.
Along its journey, the creek flows past some interesting places. In Cranford, it runs behind Adams Park. It also goes near Roselle Park High School. In Linden and Roselle, the creek crosses through Wheeler Park and near Roselle Catholic High School. A significant part of its path goes right through the Bayway Refinery, which is a large industrial area. Long ago, the land around the lower part of the creek was used for successful farms.
Environmental Concerns
Unfortunately, Morses Creek has faced serious pollution. A report from 2014 showed that the Bayway Refinery released a lot of harmful substances into the Arthur Kill through Morses Creek. This happened in 2012 alone, with over 2 million pounds of toxins.
Because of this, Morses Creek is very polluted. There has been a discussion about whether ExxonMobil (the former owners of the refinery) should just clean up the pollution or completely restore the waterway to its natural state. A deal made with New Jersey allows Exxon-Mobil to wait to clean up until the current owners, Phillips 66 Partners, sell the facility. Even though the water and soil have been polluted for decades, there isn't a clear plan right now to clean up Morses Creek.
Ilya the Manatee's Visit
In 2009, something very unexpected happened in Morses Creek. A lost manatee from Florida, named Ilya by scientists, was found swimming in the creek! Manatees usually live in warmer waters. Researchers believed Ilya might have been looking for warmth in the water discharged from the Bayway Refinery. Luckily, Ilya was successfully rescued and returned safely to the wild in Florida.
