The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-26
ROCKAWA WATER
AT Least One Magnificent
Source of Supply for
Jersey City.
PURE, PLENTIFUL, HIGH LEVEL.
A Gravity Service in Conformity
With Mr.. Ruggles' Specifica-
tions Possible From This
Source.
PURE, PLENTIFUL, HIGH LEVEL.

The recent action of the Street and
Water Commissioners. in directing the
Clerk to advertise for proposals to fur
nish the city with a new. pure and whole
some water supply, is meeting with he
co~mmendation of cirizens generally
throughout the city. The specifications
which have been carefully drawn up by
Chief Engineer Ruggles, and which were
printed in full in The JERSEY CITY
NEWS of Monday, give general satisfac-
ton aud are looked upon as being suf6-
Gent to protect the interest of the city in
every respect.
The question naturally arises where
can the new water supply be obtained
under those s~pecifcations2 In order to
be a gravity supply it must come from a
point sufficiently above the sea level to
ensure its delivery at the BelleYlile reser-
voir without the aid Of pumps. and the
only part of the State in which SUCH
points can be found are in the northern
belt Of counties. There are four water
sheds in that section which could furnish
the supply called for by the specifca-
tlons:-1he Rockaway. the ~Pequannock,
the WanaQue aud he Ratnapo.
ONLY ONE WATER SHED AVAILABLE.
OF these the Pequannock o supplies
Newark and could not be taken as the
| specifications call for an independent sup
ply. Neither the Wanaque nor the
Ramapo could be utilized, as a portion of
the area tney drain is in New York State,
and the specifications declare that the
water shed must be situated in the State.
This leaves the Rockaway system, and a
| better one could not be found in the
| State,
People who nave travelled the main line
of the Della ware Lackawanna and
Western Railroad will remember that as
their train has stood at the Boonton de-
pot, on the side opposite the station was
a picturesque gorge thickly wooded and
jutted with boid rugged rocks. After
the din Of the locomotive they haYe heard
| the roar of rushing waters and away
| down at the bottom of the gorge they
have seen a large body of water looking
like a small lake into which a noisy
turbulent stream keeps pouring its
waters That stream is the Rockaway;
the little lake is the dam of the Rocka-
way Iron Works, ana that point would
be the place to build a huge reservoir aud
start the iron pipe line which would carry
the sweet waters of the hills of North
Jersey to the thirsty people Of Jersey
City.
SOURCE OF THE ROCKAWAY.
The RockawaY River rises in the vicin-
ity of Russia, Sussex county, and flows
| through the northwest corner OF Morris
county neal the Oak Ridge dam OF the
Pequannock. In fact the two rivers are
SO close together at Oak Ridge that one
could be diverted into the other with
slight expense.
The Rockaway empties Into the Pas
sale near Hanover. Morris county. It is
- e a. ~ -. ~.-AI -
| drains an area of 157 square miles.
Tn area which the river drains above
| Boonton embraces a territory of 1889
square miles and the amount of water
which it could supply depends not only
| upon the area of its water shed but also
upon the ability to collect aud store the
! freshet waters for use IN times of
draught. Boonton is about $50 feet above
| the level of the Belleyille reservoir and
there would be no difficulty in bringing
the water by gravity to Belleville as
called for by the Specifications. The
Rockaway River naturally divides itself
into the Upper Rockaway and Lower
Rockaway, the division being made at
the mouth Of the Long Wood Valley at
Port Dram, Morris county.
WHERE DAMS WOULD BE BUILT.
The flow of the river is estimated to be
about 1855, 600 gallons a day, but il the
waters are impounded by dams so as to
| save an amount equal to 10 inches of rain
fall a year. it will yield a uniform daily
supply of 75,00o,0 900 gallons. In order to
thus impound and store the water neces-
sary to obtain this large daily supply it
will be necessary to build dams and
storage reservoirs. Montville has been
recommended by the State Surveyors as
site for q reservoir having a water sur
face of 1850 acres, a depth at the dam of
20 feet and a capacity of 2. 1855, 600, 600 gall
| Ions Win SnCh q rPgaTV0fr If iQ aQfi.
mated a daily supply could be obtained of
81, zoo, 600 gallons. IL a greater daily
supply is needed, it is suggested that
another dam and reservoir be constructed
at Split Rock, which would hold 1907
000, 600 gallons. With the addition of
such a reservoir it is estimated thai q
daily supply OF 80. 900. 600 gallons could be
had.
POSSIBILITIES OF THE R0CKAwAY.
Even these two large reservoirs could
not hold all the waters of the Rockaway,
and ii a still larger supply was needed
another dam could be built on Green
Pond Brook. capable of containing
2,207, 000, 900 gallons Of water. This would
Increase the daily supply to so, 7S5, 600
gallons. Still the ability of the Roekaway
TO furnish pure and wholesome water
would not be exhausted. and If it became
necessary to increase the daily supply
still further there are other sites in The
Long Wood Valley where dams could be
built II large storage reservoirs con-
structed.
1t is not at all probable that anyone
will offer to furnish the new supply
unuer the specifications, from the Passaic
shed. Above the mouth of the Rock
away the water of the Passaic is Of an
inferior quality and, if such a thing can
be imagined, is even worse than the
water jersey City now gets FROM the
Passaic, except that it contains no sew
age.
Origin of Quarantine.
"The word quarantine. which is now Of