The Monksville Reservoir is an artificial lake created in 1987 by

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

ming on the Wanaque River in West Milford,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is named after the former community of Monksville, which was relocated and flooded upon its completion.

History

The reservoir was built to relieve chronic water shortages in northern New Jersey that occurred in the 1980s due to drought conditions. The reservoir extended the capacity of the nearby Wanaque Reservoir. It is owned jointly by the

Hackensack Water Company Suez North America, founded as the Hackensack Water Company in 1869 and later named United Water, is an American water service company headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey. It owns and operates 16 water and waste water utilities, and operates 90 ...

and the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission.

Location

The lake is in

Long Pond Ironworks State Park Long Pond Ironworks State Park is located in the community of Hewitt, in West Milford, New Jersey, United States. The park is known for its old stone walls, furnaces and other remnants of a once industrious ironworking community that now sits ...

, which is located in the community of Hewitt, in West Milford,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The park is known for its old stone walls,

furnaces A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...

and other remnants of a once industrious ironworking community that now sits next to the swiftly flowing Wanaque River. The park is operated and maintained by the

New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry In the state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is an administrative division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In its most visible role, the Division is directly responsible for the management and ...

. The state of New Jersey previously spent $2.7 million purchasing land at the site to be part of the state park before drought changed the priority to the reservoir. Approximately 15 residences, mostly owned by the Rhinesmith and Vreeland families, were purchased with NJ Green Acres funding and their owners relocated. Two homes of historic significance were moved, the others were demolished. One business, Duramic, was relocated and its building demolished.

Construction

Construction of the reservoir was started in 1985. Land was cleared and gravel was crushed on site and stock-piled. Stonetown Road was realigned to run over the dam. A small

bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British for military use during the Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and American military engineering units. ...

that was put in place in 1977 was dismantled to be used again elsewhere. The Monksville dam is approximately long. A portion of Greenwood Lake Turnpike was realigned to higher ground. The dam impounds water from the Wanaque River flowing down from

Greenwood Lake Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately long, straddling the border of New York and New Jersey. It is located in the Town of Warwick and the Village of Greenwood Lake, New York (in Orange County) and West Milford, New Jersey (in ...

. A spillway was constructed to allow water to flow into the Wanaque Reservoir below. During times of low flow, water from the Monksville Reservoir is released into the Wanaque Reservoir below via the

intake tower An intake tower or outlet tower is a vertical tubular structure with one or more openings used for capturing water from reservoirs and conveying it further to a hydroelectric or water-treatment plant. Unlike spillways, intake towers are intended ...

which mixes water from various levels of the Monksville. The dam was constructed with rollcrete. Dirt and gravel from on-site were mixed with cement. A dry mix of this material was laid down by large spreader trucks. A water truck would sprinkle the mix every 30 minutes around the clock to cure the mix. The face of the dam on the water side was faced with concrete, the other side was earthen. In 2007 the earthen side was refaced with concrete. Building of the actual dam started in March 1987 and was completed in August 1987. Then-governor Thomas Kean was present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony in autumn 1987. The reservoir filled quickly and was full by October 1987.

Activities

The lake is used by anglers, sporting clubs, the Society for the Education of American Sailors (SEAS), and is the home of Highlands Rowing Center, North Jersey Rowing, and Advanced Community Rowing Association. The reservoir is the home practice facility of the Suffern High School Varsity & Novice Crew teams. The Monksville Reservoir is known for its trophy size

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

, bass and

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

References

External links

Monksville Reservoir
Photos of paddling on Monksville Reservoir in October, 2005

{{authority control Lakes of Passaic County, New Jersey Reservoirs in New Jersey Ringwood, New Jersey