Green Pond, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Green Pond, New Jersey
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 Green Pond, New Jersey
Location in Morris County, New Jersey
Green Pond, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Green Pond, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Township | Rockaway |
| Elevation | 321 m (1,053 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 876786 |
Green Pond is a private community located around a lake in Rockaway Township. This area is in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. It's a special place where homes are built around a beautiful lake.
The community is managed by two groups: Green Pond Corporation and Lake End Corporation. Even though it's in Rockaway Township, Green Pond uses a Newfoundland mailing address.
If you buy a home here, you become a "stockholder" in one of the corporations. This gives you access to the common areas around the community. Only stockholders and their guests can use the lake and its facilities. Guests need to wear an ID.
The community has many fun things to do. There are tennis courts, sports fields, and a community center. There's also a yacht club where people race Comet sailboats. During summer weekends and holidays, a security guard helps keep the beach areas private.
Contents
Discover Green Pond Lake
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Summer 2006
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Green Pond
Location in New Jersey
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| Location | Morris County, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 41°00′23″N 74°29′35″W / 41.006341°N 74.493056°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 465 acres (1.88 km2) |
| Max. depth | 86 ft (26 m) |
| Surface elevation | 1,040 ft (320 m) |
Green Pond is a glacial lake. This means it was formed by glaciers long ago. It gets its water from underground springs. The lake is about 1,048 feet above sea level.
The lake stretches from northeast to southwest. On its eastern side is Copperas Mountain, which is 1,222 feet high. On the west is Green Pond Mountain, rising sharply to 1,240 feet. The lake's water flows out at the southwest end into the Rockaway River.
Even though it's called "Green Pond," the lake is quite large. It's about 2.5 miles long and 0.5 miles wide at its widest point. The water is very clear because it comes from cold underground springs.
The lake has many shallow areas called sand bars. The average depth is about 13 feet. However, some parts are much deeper, reaching up to 54 feet.
Fish and Wildlife in the Lake
Green Pond is home to many types of fish. It's regularly stocked with trout and bass. Other fish you might find include sunfish, perch, catfish, bluegills, and pickerel. You might also spot snapping turtles in the water.
Fun Activities at Green Pond
There are many fun things to do at Green Pond. You can go fishing, swimming, and water skiing. Water tubing is also popular. On land, you can enjoy hiking and cross-country skiing on special trails.
The Green Pond Yacht Club and Community Club organize activities all year round. These clubs offer sailing and motor boating fun.
Green Pond's Geology and Mining Past
The area around Green Pond has interesting geology. It's part of the New York-New Jersey Highlands. This region has very old rocks, formed before the time of dinosaurs.
A special thin belt of younger rocks, called the "Green Pond Outlier," runs through this older rock area. It stretches for over 60 miles. In some places, the ground is covered by till, which is rock and soil left behind by glaciers.
For a long time, starting around the American Revolutionary War, people mined for iron in this area. Mining was most active in the 1800s. Today, there is no active mining in New Jersey.
The name "Copperas Mountain" comes from an old word for ferrous sulfate, which is a mineral found in mines. You can still see the remains of at least three old mines nearby:
- Canfield Mine: Located at the base of Copperas Mountain. Miners dug for magnetite ore here.
- Winter Mine: East of Green Pond, this iron mine opened in 1882. It closed before 1886.
- Pardee Mine: Also an iron mine east of Green Pond. It operated from about 1870 to 1872, then again from 1882 to 1884. This mine produced about 2,500 tons of ore.
History of the Green Pond Community
Before Dutch settlers arrived in the late 1600s, the Lenape Native American tribes lived in this region. For many years, the area around Green Pond was not heavily settled.
In the 20th century, more people started living here. The village at the north end of the lake was a Methodist church summer camp from the 1920s to the 1940s. Many of the houses from that time were small bungalows, mainly used in summer.
Today, because of rising housing costs near New York City, these summer cottages are slowly being replaced by homes used all year. Since 1921, the Green Pond Corporation has owned the land on the north shore. Homeowners there are shareholders in the corporation.
The Green Pond Yacht Club, a main social group, started in 1937 as the Green Pond Sailing Club. It became the Green Pond Yacht Club in 1944. On the eastern and southern sides of the lake, almost all houses are now lived in year-round. Some houses can only be reached by boat.
Green Pond Oil Spill Incident
The Green Pond Oil Spill happened in 1998. It was caused by an old oil pipeline from the 1800s. The spill site was in Newfoundland, New Jersey, near Green Pond Road and the Pequannock River.
This location used to be a pumping station for the Standard Oil Company from 1881 to 1920. They used large oil tanks there. Over time, the pipeline was damaged, and oil from the tanks leaked into the ground. This oil then flowed into the river.
In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started a cleanup plan. They wanted to protect the public water supply. The EPA worked to remove the contaminated soil and prevent it from reaching the Pequannock River.
Notable People from Green Pond
People who have lived in or are connected to Green Pond include:
- Lou Benfatti (born 1971), a former football player for the New York Jets.
- John Drury Clark (1907-1988), a chemist and science fiction writer. He and his wife, Inga Stephens Pratt Clark (1906-1970), an artist, lived in the Newfoundland section of Green Pond later in their lives.
- Lawrence Low (1920–1996), a sailor who won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
- Robert A. Roe (1924-2014), a politician who served many terms in the United States House of Representatives.
