Hackensack River

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Hackensack River
Data
location New York , New Jersey (USA)
River system Hudson River
origin West Haverstraw , Rockland County , New York
41 ° 11 ′ 0 ″  N , 73 ° 59 ′ 24 ″  W.
Source height 37  m
muzzle New Ark Bay , New York Coordinates: 40 ° 42 ′ 55 "  N , 74 ° 6 ′ 42"  W 40 ° 42 ′ 55 "  N , 74 ° 6 ′ 42"  W
Mouth height m
Height difference 37 m
Bottom slope 0.43 ‰
length 87 km
Reservoirs flowed through Lake DeForest , Lake Tappan , Oradell Reservoir
Big cities Jersey City , New York City
View of the Hackensack River from Teaneck, New Jersey, at low tide.

View of the Hackensack River from Teaneck , New Jersey, at low tide.

The Passaic and Hackensack River catchment areas.

The Passaic and Hackensack River catchment areas.

Estuary of the Hudson River: 1: Hudson River, 2: East River, 3: Long Island Sound, 4: Newark Bay, 5: Upper New York Bay, 6: Lower New York Bay, 7: Jamaica Bay, 8: Atlantic

Estuary of the Hudson River: 1: Hudson River, 2: East River , 3: Long Island Sound , 4: Newark Bay, 5: Upper New York Bay , 6: Lower New York Bay , 7: Jamaica Bay , 8: Atlantic

The Hackensack River is a river in the US states of New York and New Jersey . It is 45 mi (72 km) long and empties into Newark Bay , a tributary of New York Harbor . The river's catchment area includes parts of the suburbs west of New York City and west of the lower Hudson River , to which it runs almost parallel and is separated by the New Jersey Palisades . It also runs through the New Jersey Meadowlands . The lower reaches of the river, which is navigable to the town of Hackensack , is heavily industrialized and also forms an extension to the trading docks of Newark Bay. It has long been considered one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States, but has seen a modest revival since the 2000s.

geography

The Hackensack River rises in southeast New York, in the Sweet Swamp in Rockland County , just a few meters west of the Hudson River and about 1.6 km south of West Haverstraw . It runs just southeast and fills Lake DeForest Reservoir, which is less than 3 miles from the Hudson. South of the dam, the river flows south and turns away from the Hudson. Shortly after the state border with New Jersey, in the north of Bergen County , it is dammed up to the reservoir of Lake Tappan near River Vale .

South of Lake Tappan the river flows back into mändrierendem course south through the suburban communities of New Jersey. At Oradell it forms the Oradell Reservoir . At this point it receives inflows from several well-known rivers, including Dwars Kill , Cherry Brook and Pascack Brook . Even Van Buskirk Iceland , an artificial island and home to the New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company is located in the area. South of the dam, the River passes the River Edge , Hackensack , Teaneck , Bogota, and Ridgefield Park , again approaching the Hudson within 3 mi (5 km) but remaining completely separated by the Palisades.

At Little Ferry it receives its inflow through the broad Overpeck Creek , then flows south again, expanding into a broadly meandering estuary influenced by the tides that winds through the meadowlands, with numerous dividing courses and wetlands. South of North Bergen it forms the border between Bergen County in the west and Hudson County in the east. Across from Secaucus it receives its inflow from Berrys Creek , then flows along the western boundary of the city of Jersey City , where the city lies on the ridge of the Palisades above the valley of the river, before it meets the Passaic River between Jersey City and Kearny which forms Newark Bay.

Especially in the Meadowlands area, the river is spanned by numerous bridges of various types and purposes. The English Wikipedia lists 59 bridges.

history

The border between Hudson (foreground) and Bergen counties.

The name of the river comes from the Lenape language . Achinigeu-hach , or Ackingsah-sack , means shallow confluence of rivers or stony subsoil. Conflicts with the Lenape kept the early Dutch settlers of the Nieuw Nederland colony to expand their settlement area westward into the river valley ( Eighth Col ) when they arrived there in the late 17th century. The river provided abundant supplies of herring , shad (allis shad) and striped bass (rock bass ) to both the Indians and European settlers .

In colonial times, the river and the surrounding marshlands were a significant obstacle to transport and communication. The marshes helped the Continental Army under George Washington to retreat on the east side of the Hudson in 1776 after several defeats by the British Army. It later served as a protective barrier that allowed Washington's army to camp in the nearby hills at Morristown .

Newark power station.

Since industrialization, the river has suffered from extremely severe water pollution . The construction of the Oradell Reservoir Dam in 1921 also greatly changed the flow rate and a stream became a brackish estuary in which marine organisms gradually settled. The urbanization in the region intensified after the Second World War ; Roads and highways were expanded, including the New Jersey Turnpike (1952) and the Meadowlands Sports Complex was built in the 1970s. Since the 1960s, a large area of ​​the lower reaches was a cloudy hypoxic death zone, in which only the most undemanding species like Mummichog ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) could survive. Chemical factories dumped large amounts of hazardous waste in Berry's Creek in the 20th century , resulting in the highest concentrations of methyl mercury compounds (methyl mercury) in freshwater sediments worldwide, as well as highest concentrations of PCBs and other chemicals. Three spots along the river are still federally affected superfund sites (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, CERCLA) and require regeneration projects to date (2019).

The river has recovered somewhat since the late 2000s after factories in the area closed and the Clean Water Act was implemented, as well as after local environmental groups became involved. In the meantime there is again the possibility to practice recreational fishing, whereby it is still advisable to limit oneself to "catch and release" (catch and release again). The fish is not yet edible again. Nevertheless, wastewater (urban runoff, sewage, combined sewer overflow) and hazardous waste still cause a reduction in water quality .

The future of the wetlands on the lower reaches of the river is part of an ongoing dispute between construction companies and environmental groups. The Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission was founded as early as 1968 (later: New Jersey Meadowlands Commission ) to mediate between the conflicting interests. In 2015 the Commission was incorporated into the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority .

Tributaries

in New Jersey:

in New York:

Individual evidence

  1. 117,723 Hackensack River. In: Title 33: Navigation and Navigable Waters Part 117 — Drawbridge Operations Regulations. US Government Printing Office 2012.
  2. Bergen County Hist Society: Indigenous People of Bergen County
  3. ^ State Dept. of Envtl. Prot. V. Ventron Corp. vol. 94, NJ, opinion 473. Supreme Court of New Jersey 1983.
  4. Berry's Creek / Berry's Creek Canal. Meadowlands Environmental Site Investigation Compilation, US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, May 2004.
  5. ^ Scientific Chemical Processing Superfund Site. Superfund, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York, NY 2018-10-23.
  6. Universal Oil Products Superfund Site. Superfund, EPA 2018-10-23
  7. ^ Ventron / Velsicol, Wood Ridge Borough, NJ: Cleanup Activities. Superfund, EPO 2019-01-14.
  8. ^ Newark Bay Complex. (including Newark Bay, tidal Hackensack River, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull and tidal tributaries) Fish Smart Eat Smart NJ, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Trenton, NJ 2018.
  9. Jim Wright: "Hackensack River is getting cleaner." ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Record. August 26, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hackensackriverkeeper.org
  10. Watershed Management Area 5 factsheet. NJDEP 2007-07-17.
  11. ^ New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Lyndhurst, NJ. "Wetlands Sites in the Meadowlands." ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 2011-07-21. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.njmeadowlands.gov
  12. Christie signs controversial Meadowlands overhaul, but says bill will be revised. 5th February 2015.

Web links

Commons : Hackensack River  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files