New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway
| New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway | |
|---|---|
A map of the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway project. | |
| Location | New Jersey |
| Country | United States |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 189 km (117 miles) |
| Maximum boat draft | 12 ft |
| Minimum boat draft | 6 ft |
| Status | Open |
| Navigation authority | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Philadelphia District) |
| History | |
| Date of act | 1939 |
| Date of first use | 1940 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Manasquan Inlet |
| End point | Delaware Bay (via Cape May Canal) |
The New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (NJIWW), sometimes called the New Jersey Intracoastal Canal or NJICW, is a sea‑level inland waterway running along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey. It is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway system and provides a protected route for commercial and recreational vessels between Manasquan Inlet in the north and Delaware Bay in the south. The waterway was adopted as a federal navigation project in 1939 and today extends about 117.7 statute miles (189 km), with most of the channel maintained to a depth of approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) at mean low water; the Cape May Canal section is maintained deeper at roughly 12 feet (3.7 m). The NJIWW serves marinas, the Cape May/Wildwood commercial fishing fleet, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, and is popular among boaters and anglers.