Passaic River

Passaic River
*Pahsayèk* (Unami)
Passaic River; Pahsayèk (Unami)
	Passaic River in Bergen and Passaic Counties
	The Passaic and Hackensack watersheds
Etymology	Algonquian, meaning "peaceful valley"
Location
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Union, Somerset
District	Northern New Jersey, Gateway, Skylands
Cities	Newark, Paterson, Clifton, Garfield, Passaic
Physical characteristics
Source	Dubourg Pond
• location	Mendham
• coordinates	40°45′44″N 74°34′39″W / 40.76222°N 74.57750°W
• elevation	540 ft (160 m)
Mouth	Newark Bay
• location	Newark
• coordinates	40°42′46″N 74°07′08″W / 40.71278°N 74.11889°W
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	80 mi (130 km)
Basin size	935 sq mi (2,420 km2)
Discharge
• location	Little Falls
• average	2,100 cu ft/s (59 m3/s)
• minimum	36 cu ft/s (1.0 m3/s)
• maximum	8,330 cu ft/s (236 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	Chatham
• average	320 cu ft/s (9.1 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Rockaway River, Pompton River, Saddle River
• right	Dead River

The Passaic River (/pəˈseɪ.ɪk/ pə-SAY-ik) is a river, approximately 80 miles (130 km) long,^[2] in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, called the Great Swamp, draining much of the northern portion of the state through its tributaries.

In its lower (southern) portion, it flows through the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the state, including along Downtown Newark. The lower river suffered from severe pollution and industrial abandonment in the 20th century. In April 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $1.7 billion plan to remove 4.3 million cubic yards (3.3×10^⁶ m³) of toxic mud from the bottom of lower eight miles (13 km) of the river. It is considered one of the most polluted stretches of water in the nation, and the project is one of the largest toxic cleanups ever undertaken in the nation.^[3]

^ "Passaic River | New Jersey, Map, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. March 13, 2024.
^ PassaicRiver.com. "About the River." Accessed 2010-02-16. Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ Fallon, Scott (April 11, 2014). "$1.7 billion plan to clean up the Passaic River unveiled". The Record. Archived from the original on 2014-04-15.

[1] "Passaic River | New Jersey, Map, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. March 13, 2024.

[2] PassaicRiver.com. "About the River." Accessed 2010-02-16. Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

[Fallon-3] Fallon, Scott (April 11, 2014). "$1.7 billion plan to clean up the Passaic River unveiled". The Record. Archived from the original on 2014-04-15.

[1]

[2]

[3]