| Passaic River | |
|---|---|
 The Passaic River in Essex County
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| Country | USA |
| State | New Jersey |
| Counties | Essex, Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Union, Somerset |
| Major cities | Newark, Paterson |
| Length | 80 mi (129 km) |
| Watershed | 935 sq mi (2,422 km²) |
| Discharge at | Little Falls |
| - average | 2,100 cu ft/s (59 m³/s) |
| - maximum | 8,330 cu ft/s (236 m³/s) |
| - minimum | 36 cu ft/s (1 m³/s) |
| Discharge elsewhere | |
| - Chatham | 320 cu ft/s (9 m³/s) |
| Source | |
| - location | Mendham, Morris County, New Jersey, USA |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 540 ft (165 m) |
| Mouth | Newark Bay |
| - location | Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Major tributaries | |
| - left | Pompton River |
 The Passaic and Hackensack watersheds
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The Passaic River is a tributary of Newark Bay, approximately 80 mi (129 km) long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. Essex County is a County located in the northeastern part of the U The United States of America —commonly referred to as the New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. Essex County is a County located in the northeastern part of the U Bergen County is the most populous County of the state of New Jersey, United States. Passaic County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey. Morris County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey, about 25 mi (40 km west of New York City. Union County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey. Somerset County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Little Falls is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units This article is about two services shared by two adjacent communities with similar namesfor the community of Chatham New Jersey see Chatham In some The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units Morris County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey, about 25 mi (40 km west of New York City. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International See also Newark Bay South Georgia Newark Bay is a body of water a tidal back bay of New York Harbor formed at the confluence Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. Essex County is a County located in the northeastern part of the U New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Pompton River is a Tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 8 mi (13 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States The Hackensack River is a river approximately 45 mi (72 km long in the U A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river See also Newark Bay South Georgia Newark Bay is a body of water a tidal back bay of New York Harbor formed at the confluence New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, called the Great Swamp, draining much of the northern portion of the state through its tributaries. A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water In its lower portion, it flows through the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the state, including along downtown Newark. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. The lower river suffered from severe pollution and industrial abandonment in the twentieth century.
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Description
The Passaic rises in the center of Mendham, in southern Morris County. Morris County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey, about 25 mi (40 km west of New York City. Initially, it generally flows south, through Morristown National Historical Park, and forms the boundary between Morris and Somerset counties. Morristown National Historical Park consists of three sites the Ford Mansion Fort Nonsense and Jockey Hollow that were important during the American Revolutionary Somerset County is a County located in the US state of New Jersey. In its current path, it passes along the western edge of the Great Swamp, which it drains through several small tributaries. The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in New Jersey primarily in Morris County, but extending into Somerset County as well The river passes through a gorge in Millington and then turns abruptly northeast, flowing through the valley between Long Hill to the west and the Watchung Mountains to the east. Millington is an unincorporated area within Long Hill Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin between 400 ft
Near Chatham it turns north, forming the boundary between Morris and Essex counties. This article is about two services shared by two adjacent communities with similar namesfor the community of Chatham New Jersey see Chatham In some Essex County is a County located in the northeastern part of the U It passes Livingston and West Caldwell, where it flows through the Hatfield Swamp and is joined by the Rockaway River. Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. West Caldwell is an Upper-middle class township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey. Hatfield Swamp is a Wetlands area in the US state of New Jersey, forming what might be considered the "second bank" of the Passaic River between The Rockaway River is a Tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi (56 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States Southwest of Lincoln Park it passes through the Great Piece Meadows, where it turns abruptly eastward and is joined at Two Bridges by its major tributary, the Pompton River. Lincoln Park is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The Pompton River is a Tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 8 mi (13 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States
The river flows northeast into the city of Paterson, where it encounters the Great Falls of the Passaic, below which it becomes navigable. The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent Waterfall, 77 ft (23 m high on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County On the north end of Paterson, it turns abruptly south, flowing between Paterson on the west and Fair Lawn, Elmwood Park, Garfield on the east, next through the city of Passaic, then passing Rutherford, Lyndhurst, Nutley, Belleville, and North Arlington, New Jersey. Fair Lawn is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Elmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Garfield is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. This article is about the township of Nutley in New Jersey For the village in East Sussex see Nutley East Sussex. Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. North Arlington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.
In its lowest reaches, it flows along the northeast portion of the city of Newark, passing Kearny and Harrison, New Jersey on the opposite bank. Kearny (ˈkɑɹni is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Near downtown Newark it makes an abrupt northwesterly bend, then south, joining the Hackensack River at the northern end of Newark Bay estuary, a back bay of New York Harbor. The Hackensack River is a river approximately 45 mi (72 km long in the U See also Newark Bay South Georgia Newark Bay is a body of water a tidal back bay of New York Harbor formed at the confluence An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open New York Harbor, a geographic term refers collectively to the rivers bays and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City
History
The Passaic River formed as a result of drainage from a massive proglacial lake that formed in Northern New Jersey at the end of the last ice age, approximately 13,000 years ago. In Geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the Damming action of a Moraine or Ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier or An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets That prehistoric lake is now known as Glacial Lake Passaic and was centered in the present lowland swamps of Morris County, forming because of a blockage of the normal drainage path. Glacial Lake Passaic was a prehistoric Proglacial lake that existed in northern New Jersey in the United States at the end of the last Ice age Eventually the lake level rose high enough that the water flowed out of a new outlet. The Passaic River found a new path to the ocean via the Millington Gorge and the Paterson Falls as the glacier that covered the area retreated northward and the lake drained. As a result, the river as we now know it was born.
The river was highly significant in the early industrial development of New Jersey. It provided a navigable route connected by canals to the Delaware River starting in the late eighteenth century. The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It also was an early source of hydropower at the Great Falls of the Passaic in Paterson, resulting in the early emergence of the area as the center of industrial mills. Hydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the Force or Energy of moving water which may
Much of the lower river suffered severe pollution during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries because of the development. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Although the health of the river has improved due to environmental legislation and regulation and the decline of industry along the river, it still suffers from substantial degradation of water quality. The sediment at the mouth of the river near Newark Bay remains contaminated by such pollutants as dioxin which largely was produced at the Diamond Shamrock Chemical Plant in Newark as a waste product resulting from the production of the agent orange defoliation chemical used during the Viet Nam War. Not to be confused with Dioxane or Digoxin. Dioxin is a heterocyclic, organic, antiaromatic compound Agent Orange is the code name for a powerful Herbicide and Defoliant used by the U The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The cleanup of the dioxin contamination on the bottom of the Passaic River is the subject of a major environmental lawsuit regarding the responsibility for the cleanup, which has been ongoing for decades without resolution.
The decline of manufacturing on the lower river has left a post-industrial landscape of abandoned and disused factories and other facilities. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. In particular, the stretch of the river along downtown Newark came to be regarded in the later decades of the twentieth century as particularly wretched. Starting in the 1990s, the lower river became the subject of federal and state urban restoration efforts, which have resulted in new construction along the riverfront, including a regional headquarters of the FBI.
While there has been a decline in the industrial use of the river, recreational use has increased since the early 1990s. There has been a long tradition of high school rowing by Kearny, Belleville, and Nutley High Schools and, in 1990, the historic Nereid Boat Club (originally founded in 1868) was revived, broadening participation in the sport of rowing on the Passaic River. In 1999, the Passaic River Rowing Association became the second rowing club along the banks of the Lower Passaic River. Today, the rowing community is very active through the two Rowing Clubs (Nereid Boat Club & Passaic River Rowing Association) and eight high school crews that include Kearny, Belleville, Nutley, Don Bosco Prep, Montclair, Ridgewood, Teaneck, and Westfield. Don Bosco Preparatory High School (Don Bosco Prep is a private Roman Catholic secondary school for young men grades 9 through 12
Vantage Points
The Passaic River can be accessed via a number of county parks. The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent Waterfall, 77 ft (23 m high on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County One notable park is called Stanley Park between Summit and Chatham. Summit is a city in northwestern Union County, New Jersey, United States. This article is about two services shared by two adjacent communities with similar namesfor the community of Chatham New Jersey see Chatham In some Other parks along the river are located in Passaic County. As part of the ongoing Newark revitalization effort by the city government, parkland is proposed along the banks of the river.
The Passaic River generally is free of industrialization until it reaches the Summit and Chatham border. The upper portion of the river, above Summit and Chatham, are more natural in appearance and the river has more of a young river character in places. The middle portion of the river flows through natural marsh lands and forested areas in Essex County, which are generally inaccessible and then through heavily populated areas of Passaic County where it is accessible via parallel roads and parks. Essex County is a County located in the northeastern part of the U Lower portions of the river, south of Paterson are wider, more industrialized, and more mature in nature. The banks of the lower few miles of the river mainly are industrialized.
Flooding Problems
The Passaic River is known for chronic flooding problems during periods of heavy rainfall or snow-melt, especially where the Pompton River joins the Passaic River in Wayne, New Jersey. Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than 15 miles from midtown Manhattan. The two rivers form a sizable flood plain in this area. Building has been allowed in the flood plain and during extreme weather events that occur on a fairly regular basis, homes and businesses in the flood plain flood. A plan has been proposed to build the massive 20 mile (32 km) structure, the Passaic River Flood Tunnel, to divert the periodic flood waters southeastly into Newark Bay, thus relieving these flooding problems upstream. The Passaic River Flood Tunnel is a proposal for a flood relief Tunnel from the central portion of the Passaic River basin in Passaic County New Jersey Some residents have accepted buy-outs from the federal government while the concept of constructing a flood tunnel is debated, however, many residents still live within the flood plain and flooding appears to be growing worse as the land in the Passaic River basin continues to be developed.
Little Falls Flood Gauge
The Little Falls Flood Gauge along the Passaic River is located just south of the junction with the Pompton River, in an area that frequently floods. Flood stage is 7 feet (2. 1 m) at this location.
Tributaries
(As encountered travelling upstream to its source):
- First River (a. The First River, in the state of New Jersey in the United States, is the first main Tributary of the Passaic River encountered while travelling k. a. Mill Brook)
- Second River
- Third River
- McDonalds Brook
- Weasel Brook
- Saddle River
- Fleischer Brook
- Little Diamond Brook
- Diamond Brook
- Stevenson Brook
- Goffle Brook
- Molly Ann Brook
- Slippery Rock Brook
- Peckman River
- Singac Brook
- Deepavaal Brook
- Pompton River
- Rockaway River/Whippany River
- Foulerton's Brook
- Spring Garden Brook
- Slough Brook
- Canoe Brook
- Cory's Brook
- Dead River
- Black Brook
- Great Brook
- Loantaka Brook
- Primrose Brook
- Penns Brook
- Indian Grove Brook
- Naakpunkt Brook
- Salt Brook
See also
External links
- Lower Passaic River Restoration Project
- Passaic River Coalition
- Passaic River Boat Club
- Passaic River.com
- Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University
- North Jersey District Water Supply Commission
- My Passaic River Kayak Trip - 90 Miles of Fun in Northern New Jersey - June 2000 - by Steve Garufi
- Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
- U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream gaging stations
- Passaic River Rowing Association
- The Passaic Flood of 1903, available at Project Gutenberg. The Second River is the second main Tributary of the Passaic River in the northern portion of the U The Third River is the third main Tributary of the Passaic River in the northern portion of the U for the municipalities named for the river see Saddle River New Jersey and Upper Saddle River New Jersey The Saddle River flows south Little Diamond Brook is a small Tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of Bergen County in New Jersey. Diamond Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of Bergen County in New Jersey. Stevenson Brook, located in Hawthorne New Jersey, is a tiny tributary stream of the Passaic River. Goffle Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of both Passaic County and Bergen County in New Jersey The Peckman River is a Tributary of the Passaic River in Essex and Passaic Counties New Jersey in the United States. The Pompton River is a Tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 8 mi (13 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States The Rockaway River is a Tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi (56 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States The Whippany River is a Tributary of the Rockaway River, approximately 20 mi (32 km long in northern New Jersey in the United States Foulerton's Brook is a tributary of the Passaic River located in Roseland, NJ. Spring Garden Brook is a Waterway in New Jersey that passes through Madison New Jersey. Slough Brook is a narrow stream that runs through central Livingston New Jersey. Canoe Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River. It runs behind several municipal buildings in Livingston New Jersey such as the police station and town Cory's Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River that has its source in Warren County New Jersey and forms the boundary of Union County New Jersey The Dead River is a Tributary of the Passaic River that has its source in Somerset County, New Jersey in the United States. Black Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River that flows near Morristown Regional Airport in Morristown New Jersey. Great Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River which passes through Bernardsville New Jersey. Loantaka Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River in New Jersey in the United States. Primrose Brook is a Tributary of the Passaic River located in the Jockey Hollow section of the Morristown National Historical Park of northern Salt Brook starts in Summit New Jersey in the highlands south and west of Memorial Field This is a list of Streams and Rivers in the US state of New Jersey. The Passaic Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works (Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 92)
- Mouth or other endpoint (Newark Bay) is at coordinates
- Source (Unnamed pond near Mendham) is at coordinates
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