Wanaque Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wanaque Reservoir |
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View of the southern portion of Wanaque Reservoir from Wanaque Ridge in Ramapo Mountain State Forest
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 Wanaque Reservoir
Location in New Jersey
Wanaque Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ringwood / Wanaque, Passaic County, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 41°04′11″N 74°17′27″W / 41.069646°N 74.290953°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Wanaque River, Ramapo River (via Pompton Lakes intake), Pompton River (via Two Bridges intake) |
| Primary outflows | Wanaque River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 6.6 miles (10.6 km) |
| Max. width | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) |
| Surface area | 2,310 acres (9.3 km2) |
| Average depth | 37 feet (11 m) |
| Max. depth | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Water volume | 29,630,000,000 US gallons (1.122×1011 L) |
| Surface elevation | 302.4 feet (92.2 m) |
The Wanaque Reservoir is a big, man-made lake in New Jersey. It's located in the towns of Wanaque and Ringwood, right along the Wanaque River. This reservoir was created in 1928 when the Raymond Dam was built across the river. It collects water not just from the Wanaque River, but also from the Ramapo River and the Pompton River through special pipes. The Wanaque Reservoir is the second largest reservoir in New Jersey, holding a huge amount of water!
Building the Wanaque Reservoir
Building the Wanaque Reservoir was a huge project. It helped bring clean drinking water to many local areas that didn't have safe water sources before. This important construction took a long time to finish.
A Long Project
The work on the reservoir lasted for eight years. Finally, in 1930, water from the Wanaque Reservoir was delivered to homes for the very first time. Once it was ready, the reservoir supplied water to many towns. These included Bloomfield, Clifton, Glen Ridge, Kearny, Montclair, Newark, Passaic, and Paterson.
The West Brook Road Bridge
A key part of the Wanaque Reservoir project was building the West Brook Road Bridge. This bridge was needed to move the old West Brook Road so it could cross over the new reservoir. Work on the bridge started in 1926 and it opened to traffic in 1928. For safety reasons, the bridge was rebuilt and the new one was finished in early 2018.
