# River near my apartment flows in both directions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437 "2014-09-24T15:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/1 "2014-09-24T15:06:10Z")
I recently moved into a new apartment in Rahway, NJ and my balcony faces the Rahway River: > **[Rahway River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahway_River)** > > The Rahway River is a river in Essex, Middlesex, and Union Counties, New Jersey, United States, The Rahway, along with the Elizabeth River, Piles Creek, Passaic River, Morses Creek, the Fresh Kills River (in Staten Island), has its river mouth at the Arthur Kill. > Part of the extended area of New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, draining part of the suburban and urbanized area of New Jersey west of Staten Island, New York, the river is approximately 24 miles (39 km) long. The upper reaches are l... From our POV, the river seems mostly to flow from left to right. But other times it flows right to left. How could this be? I’m pretty far from the ocean, so I don’t think that high tide would affect flow that far, would it? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/2 "2014-09-24T15:21:41Z")
water freely flows from high to low though it might take time to do so. when the ocean tide is higher than the river then it will flow until the height is equal. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/3 "2014-09-24T15:46:20Z")
Yep. I’ve observed this as well. In Nova Scotia. And NJ is not that far from the ocean at all so entirely possible. Do you ever notice a [tidal bore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_bore) at change of tide? ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/4 "2014-09-24T15:51:17Z")
the Nova Scotia situation is so amazingly extreme…Rahway river isn’t much of a comparison, but, sure, depending on wind and tide chart, you will see reversal on many coastal rivers up and down any coast. does anyone know if this only happens on ‘east’ coasts? Do the fjords of Western Norway, for example, have tidal bores? ---
**Author:** ![SacFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SacFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SacFly)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/5 "2014-09-24T15:52:48Z")
You’re not far from the ocean at all. It’s tidal. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/6 "2014-09-24T15:54:54Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > the Nova Scotia situation is so amazingly extreme…Rahway river isn’t much of a comparison, but, sure, depending on wind and tide chart, you will see reversal on many coastal rivers up and down any coast. > > does anyone know if this only happens on ‘east’ coasts? Do the fjords of Western Norway, for example, have tidal bores? Probably. Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet in Anchorage has big tidal bores, which the wind surfers love. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/7 "2014-09-24T16:03:01Z")
Almost certainly tidal. You can get some sincere currents in tidal rivers as many a kayaker has learned to their dismay. It’s not a lot of fun to be broadsided against a pier or mooring buoy by a three knot current. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/8 "2014-09-24T16:17:09Z")
When Jersey doesn’t keep up payments, the ocean sends all the bodies back. Everybody knows this. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/9 "2014-09-24T16:49:20Z")
Given your location, it is probably tidal. But another factor could be you misreading the direction of flow. A decent wind can cause ripples that make the river appear to be flowing backwards even when the actual flow is the normal direction. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/10 "2014-09-24T16:55:26Z")
Even the mighty Hudson River can be found to flow uptown from time to time. It’s the tides. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/11 "2014-09-24T17:07:11Z")
Not sure how far the railway bridge over the Rahway River is from you, but you can check to see if it’s flowing in one direction about 9:30 AM to 4 PM tomorrow (the 25th of Sept.) and in the other direction about 4 PM to 9:30 PM tomorrow, according to [this tide chart](http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/5233.html)… that would put it at appropriate flow for the tides in your area. If you’re significantly upriver from the Railway Bridge, you might see some delay in those times to later in the day. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/12 "2014-09-24T17:12:51Z")
The tides on the Rahway river at I 95 are about 6 feet. That is about 2 to 5 miles down stream from your apartment in Rahway. [http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/5233.html](http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/5233.html) [http://www.rahwayriver.org/about.html](http://www.rahwayriver.org/about.html) > [@](#): > > There are close to 5,000 acres of county parklands in the Rahway River watershed. Portions of the Rahway River are part of the East Coast Greenway, a 2,600 mile trail between Maine and Florida. Much of the Rahway River corridor in Essex and Union counties is public open space. **The lower Rahway River is tidal. The tidal portion of the river extends upstream into the City of Rahway.** The upper reach of river corridor consists of woodlands and freshwater wetlands, while the lower reach consists of salt marshes and tidal flats. Flooding is a natural and reoccurring event for a river system. The preserved open space and parklands in both the lower and upper reaches of the river provide critical floodplains to help during flooding events. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/13 "2014-09-24T17:18:48Z")
Tidal bores are really quite interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/14 "2014-09-24T17:36:24Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > Not sure how far the railway bridge over the Rahway River is from you, but you can check to see if it’s flowing in one direction about 9:30 AM to 4 PM tomorrow (the 25th of Sept.) and in the other direction about 4 PM to 9:30 PM tomorrow, according to [this tide chart](http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/locations/5233.html)… that would put it at appropriate flow for the tides in your area. > If you’re significantly upriver from the Railway Bridge, you might see some delay in those times to later in the day. Thanks! I’ll monitor over the weekend. I mistakenly assumed that the tidal influence wouldn’t reach that far. I’ll look out for any tidal bores as well. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/15 "2014-09-24T17:52:43Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Even the mighty Hudson River can be found to flow uptown from time to time. It’s the tides. Yes that river is called Muhheakantuck (“river that flows two ways”) by the Lenape tribe. I assume something similar in the OP’s case, however wind could make it appear that a river is running in the opposite direction while only the top layer is counterflow. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/16 "2014-09-24T17:59:05Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Even the mighty Hudson River can be found to flow uptown from time to time. It’s the tides. Almost every day up to Bear Mt., and sometimes all the way to West Point. It should be noted that is actually more of a bay up to that point because the bottom is below sea level. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/17 "2014-09-24T18:03:02Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Even the mighty Hudson River can be found to flow uptown from time to time. It’s the tides. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I mistakenly assumed that the tidal influence wouldn’t reach that far. I’ll look out for any tidal bores as well. The Hudson is actually under tidal influence as far a Troy, north of Albany. Tides can affect rivers far inland. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/18 "2014-09-25T00:47:51Z")
In which case you don’t have a river, you have an estuary. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/19 "2014-09-25T01:17:22Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > water freely flows from high to low though it might take time to do so. when the ocean tide is higher than the river then it will flow until the height is equal. Garth! I think that was a haiku. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437/20 "2014-09-25T03:56:41Z")
For what it’s worth, there’s another type of river that flows in two directions. The Parting of the Waters in Wyoming is a creek that divides in two with one part draining to the Atlantic and the other to the Pacific. > **[Parting of the Waters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parting_of_the_Waters)** > > Parting of the Waters is an unusual hydrologic site at Two Ocean Pass on the Great Divide, within the Teton Wilderness area of Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. Two Ocean Pass separates the headwaters of Pacific Creek, which flows west to the Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic Creek, which flows east to the Atlantic Ocean. At Parting of the Waters, at .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-o... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/river-near-my-apartment-flows-in-both-directions/699437.md?page=2)