Historic Society to Discuss Jersey City Reservoir

The Jersey City Reservoir located at Boonton is the subject of the next Montville Township Historic Society’s program, April 9 (Monday), 7:30 p.m. in the , 356 Main, Montville.The Jersey City Reservoir located at Boonton currently supplies water to Jersey City residents.  

It is managed by United Water, Inc. under the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority.  The water from this reservoir was the first municipal water supply in the United States to be chlorinated in 1908. The reservoir was built beginning in the late 1800’s and completed in 1904. The reservoir was built as typhoid fever was a major health threat due to contaminated water.  The journey to provide safe water was a long one taking at least ten years and involved finding an optimum site to locate the reservoir, acquiring the land, finding a source for materials such as stone for the dam, leveling the land; in addition to finding workers, machinery and moving the massive stone to the dam site. This was in addition to actually building the dam.  

The stone for the dam came from Montville; the quarry on Taylortown Road.  

Work on the reservoir was completed mostly by hand with the use of steam engines providing the energy. The story of the quarry is fascinating as Italians who knew how to work the rock were employed and a special train track was built to carry the rock to the job site.  This created a little village on Taylortown Road to support the quarry.  The building of the dam involved human sacrifice and lots of hard work.  

Come join us as we travel back to examine the story of the building of the Jersey City Reservoir in Boonton.The program is presented at the Montville Township Historic Society Meeting April 9 (Monday), 7:30 p.m. in the Montville Township Senior House, 356 Main, Montville. All are invited to come.