Boonton Reservoir facts for kids
The Boonton Reservoir is a 700-acre reservoir located between Boonton and Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. Boonton, along with nearby Splitrock Reservoir, provides water for Jersey City, New Jersey. It was formed by the construction of a dam on the Rockaway River completed in 1904 on the site of the original town of Boonton. On September 26, 1908, the reservoir’s waters were the first municipal water supply in the United States to be continuously chlorinated. The chlorination system was devised by John L. Leal and the facility was designed by George W. Fuller.
In June 2014, Jersey City installed a new $5.8 million gravity pipeline that brings water from the reservoir to the on site treatment facility. The new pipeline is more energy efficient and is expected to save the City $375,000 annually in electricity costs. It replaced the former pipeline which pumped water uphill to the treatment facility and was more energy intensive.
On September 28, 2018, officials from Jersey City and the Morris County Park Commission announced a plan to create a nature preserve and 7.7-mile (12.4 km) educational-hiking trail around the reservoir that will allow for passive recreation while protecting the water supply with additional security measures. Phase 1 of the trail is expected to be completed by 2021.
In March 2019, a body was found floating in the reservoir, eventually identified as Boonton resident Sean Stohl who had been reported missing since November 2018.
