The Delaware Estuary
The Delaware Estuary is more than just home to the horsehoe crabs. This estuary is a delicate ecosystem that supports some of the Earth's richest and most productive habitats. It is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is surrounded by portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. An estuary is where fresh water from a river mixes with saltwater from an ocean or bay. In this case, the freshwater Delaware River mixes with the saltwater Atlantic Ocean. The Delaware Estuary stretches approximately 134 miles from the falls of the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey, and Morrisville, Pennsylvania, south to the mouth of the Delaware Bay between Cape May, New Jersey, and Cape Henlopen, Del.