Lake Tappan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Tappan |
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 Lake Tappan
Location in New Jersey
Lake Tappan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bergen County, New Jersey and Rockland County, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°02′16″N 73°59′24″W / 41.037672°N 73.990000°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Hackensack River |
| Basin countries | Newark Basin United States |
| Surface area | 1,255 acres (5.08 km2) |
| Water volume | 3,500,000,000 US gal (13,000,000 m3) |
| Surface elevation | 56 ft (17 m); 55 ft (17 m) |
Lake Tappan is a large reservoir (a human-made lake) created by the Tappan Dam. It's built on the Hackensack River. This lake sits right on the border between two U.S. states: New Jersey and New York.
In New Jersey, Lake Tappan is found in Bergen County, touching the towns of River Vale and Old Tappan. It also stretches north into Rockland County, New York, specifically into the town of Orangetown. The lake was made in 1967. It was formed by flooding an area that included an old airstrip called CAPROC Field.
About Lake Tappan
Lake Tappan is a very important source of water for the area. It is owned by a private company called Suez North America. They manage the water supply for many homes and businesses.
How Big is the Lake?
Lake Tappan covers a large area, about 1,255 acres (which is about 5.1 square kilometers). Most of this area is located within New Jersey. The lake holds a huge amount of water, about 3.5 billion US gallons (which is 13.2 billion liters).
Some of this water is released every day. About 12 to 13 million US gallons (45 to 49 million liters) flow downstream daily. This water goes into another reservoir called the Oradell Reservoir, which is entirely in New Jersey. The water can travel between these two reservoirs quite quickly, in just two to three hours.
Protecting the Water
It's very important to keep the water in Lake Tappan clean. On March 11, 2003, the Governor of New Jersey at the time, Jim McGreevey, visited the lake. He suggested that Lake Tappan and a nearby lake, the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir, should be given a special "Category 1" status. This status means their water purity would be highly protected.
Fishing at Lake Tappan
Lake Tappan is also a popular spot for fishing. Many different types of fish live in its waters. If you go fishing there, you might catch bluegill, different kinds of bass, perch, catfish, and carp. It's a great place for local anglers to enjoy the outdoors.
