H. R. 2650
One Hundred Third Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-three
An Act
To designate portions of the Maurice River and its tributaries in the State of
New Jersey as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) the Maurice River and its tributaries, Menantico Creek,
the Manumuskin River, and Muskee Creek, are eligible for
inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,
the segments and their classifications being as follows—
(A) the Maurice River, lower segment, from the United
States Geological Survey Station at Shellpile to Route 670
Bridge at Mauricetown, approximately 7.0 miles, as a rec-
reational river;
(B) the Maurice River, middle segment, from Route
670 Bridge at Mauricetown to 3.6 miles upstream (at drain-
age ditch just upstream of Fralinger Farm), approximately
3.8 miles as a scenic river;
(C) the Maurice River, middle segment, from the drain-
age ditch just upstream of Fralinger Farm to one-half
mile upstream from the United States Geological Survey
Station at Burcham Farm, approximately 3.1 miles, as
a recreational river;
(D) the Maurice River, upper segment, from one-half
mile upstream from the United States Geological Survey
Station at Burcham Farm to the south side of the Millville
sewage treatment plant, approximately 3.6 miles, as a sce-
nic river;
(E) the Menantico Creek, lower segment, from its con-
fluence with the Maurice River to the Route 55 Bridge,
approximately 1.4 miles, as a recreational river;
(F) the Menantico Creek, upper segment, from the
Route 55 Bridge to the base of the Impoundment at
Menantico Lake, approximately 6.5 miles, as a scenic river;
H. R. 2650—2
(G) the Manumuskin River, lower segment, from its
confluence with the Maurice River to 2.0 miles upstream,
as a recreational river;
(H) the Manumuskin River, upper segment, from 2.0
miles upstream from its confluence with the Maurice River
to headwaters near Route 557, approximately 12.3 miles,
as a scenic river; and
(I) the Muskee Creek from its confluence to the Penn-
sylvania Reading Seashore Line Railroad bridge, approxi-
mately 2.7 miles, as a scenic river;
(2) a resource assessment of the Maurice River and its
tributaries, Menantico Creek, the Manumuskin River, and the
Muskee Creek shows that the area possesses numerous out-
standingly remarkable natural, cultural, scenic, and rec-
reational resources that are significant at the local, regional,
and international levels, including rare plant and animal spe-
cies and critical habitats for birds migrating to and from the
north and south hemispheres; and
(3) a river management plan for the river system has
been developed by the Cumberland County Department of Plan-
ning and Development and adopted by the Maurice River Town-
ship, Commercial Township, and the City of Millville that would
meet the requirements of section 6(c) of the Wild and Scenic
Rivers Act, the City of Vineland has adopted a master plan
which calls for river planning and management and is in the
process of adopting zoning ordinances to implement their plan,
and Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County has adopted
a land use plan consistent with the Pinelands Comprehensive
Plan which is more restrictive than the Cumberland County
local river management plan.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to—
(1) declare the importance and irreplaceable resource val-
ues of the Maurice River and its tributaries to water quality,
human health, traditional economic activities, ecosystem integ-
rity, biotic diversity, fish and wildlife, scenic open space and
recreation and protect such values through designation of the
segments as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers
System;
(2) recognize that the Maurice River System will continue
to be threatened by major development and that land use
regulations of the individual local political jurisdictions through
which the river segments pass cannot alone provide for an
adequate balance between conservation of the river’s resources
and commercial and industrial development; and
(3) recognize that segments of the Maurice River and its
tributaries additional to those designated under this Act are
eligible for potential designation at some point in the near
future.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION.
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C.
1274(a)) is amended by adding the following new paragraphs at
the end thereof:
‘‘(
) THE MAURICE RIVER, MIDDLE SEGMENT.—From Route 670
Bridge at Mauricetown to 3.6 miles upstream (at drainage ditch
just upstream of Fralinger Farm), approximately 3.8 miles to be
administered by the Secretary of the Interior as a scenic river.