The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-01-14
NEW POND FOR NEWARK
City Finds It Needs More
Water Than the East
Jersey Provided.

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News"1
NEWARK, Jan. IA, neutrality-suspicious.
are under way between the water depart
ment of this city, the East Jersey Water
Company looking to the purchase by
Newark of Split Rock pond, in Rockaway
Township, Morris county, as an addition
to the water storage facilities of this city.
The pond is about a mile and half
long and about a half mile wide, with an
average depth of about fifteen feet, and
a capacity of about 1000, 600 600 gallons.
The pond receives the drainage of be-
tween five and six square miles about
the same area as the watershed of Canis-
tear reservoir. At present it drains into
Beaver Brook, which empties into the
Rockaway River, below Rockaway, bat
by making cut from fifteen to twenty
five feet at various points for half mile,
the water from the pond may be diverted
into the Pequannock watershed.
Split Rodck Pond lies in the Rockaway
River watershed, but the amount of wa
ter that flows from it is of very little
consequence, because the present outlet is
damned up. The dam is only small
one, but it served to raise the pond about
six feet above it's original level. BY build
ing larger dam the pond could be made
into a reservoir that would have almost
as large capacity as Clinton.
The pond receives the overflow from
Durham Pond which is small, and the
drainage of stream that rises in the
hills whrich divide the Rockaway and Pc
quannock watersheds. The water FROM
these enters Split Rock Pond at the
| northeasterly end 1t lies northeast and
southwest, the outlet to Beaver Brook be-
ing at the southwest end
Except for the breaks in the noun
tains through which these streams flow,
the pond is surrounded by high hills of
gneiss. There is a considerable fiat space
at the nertheasterly end which would be
! flooded if the level of the water were
raised very much, so that the pond If
altered into a reservoir, would be about
half mile longer than at present. The
| upper end of the pond hes about mile
from the ridge that divides the water
sheds and southwest of Macopin Intake
In case the water be diverted, it would
empty into Timber Brook which flows
into the Pequannnock River at the Char
lotteburg tract owned by the city. Other
| small ponds also drain into it.
The East Jersey Water Company owns
about 1,6Oo acres around Split Rock Pond
and owns the pond itself, although the
| rights to the drainage from it have been
conveyed to P. H. Flynn, the contractor
for the Jersey City water storage system
and who is at present engaged in building
/ q reservoir for the city near Boonton
Split Rock Pond, however, is so situated
at an isolated point in the Rockaway
watershed that it contributes evry small
proportion of water, so that the diversion
Of it would make very little difference.
Some time ago John Wharton, the own
er of iron mines at Hibernia, began nego-
tiatfons with the East Jersey Water Com
pany for use of mill rights in water from
Split Rock Pond. Such rights could be
conveyed by the company without preju-
| dice to its contract with Mr.. Flynn, be-
cause none of the water would be taken
out of the Rockaway watershed, Before
entering into the deal with Mr.. Wharton
the East Jersey Company notified Engi-
neer Sherrerd of the proposition and made
inquiries whether the city would like to
purchase the pond.
In order to reserve the acceptance of
the proposition for the future Mr. Sher-
rerd suggested that the company make
contract with Mr.. Wharton for ten or
fifteen years. The latter, howevr, re-
fused to accept such a proposition be-
cause he would have to spend about S15.-
600 to develop the outflow from the pond
SO as to make it suitable for use for the
proposed mills, and he was unwilling to
spend it for such a short term. Mr.. Sher-
rerd also inquired the price that the East
/ Jersey Company wanted for the pond.
This was not answered.
The requirement of Split Rock Pond
as an addition to the Pequannock water
! shed, is a. project that has been consid-
cred advisable ever since the city made
the contract for the purchase of the Pc
quannock plant. It's value to Newark
was studied with reference to the future
growth of the city.
Another pond looked at with the same
purpose is Stickles Pond, which lies
| northeast of Split Rock Pond and much
| nearer the Pequannock watershed. but
the drainage into it is from such a small
area that it would be of use principally
as reserve for emergencies. 1t is situ-
ated nearly the same was as Split Rock
Pond as regards availability for use by
Mr.. Flynn. The authorities have also
talked over the availability of other ad-
ditions, but no negotiation about any of
them has ever been begun.