Olympian Water Testing™

Wanaque NJ water supply history begins with its early 18th-century settlement in Passaic County, where European families like the Ryersons and Vreelands relied on natural streams, springs, and the Wanaque River for water. Indigenous Lenni Lenape communities also used local waterways for sustenance. As the area developed, well water systems in Wanaque emerged as primary sources, drawing from glacial sand and gravel aquifers, according to records from the Wanaque Public Library local history.

Incorporated as a borough on February 23, 1918, from Pompton Township, Wanaque saw municipal water development coincide with regional needs. While the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, formed in 1916, proposed the Wanaque Reservoir in 1911 to supply northeastern New Jersey, construction began in 1920 on the Raymond Dam. Completed in 1928 and dedicated in 1930, the 29.6-billion-gallon reservoir—fed by the Wanaque and Ramapo Rivers—serves municipalities like Newark and Paterson but not Wanaque itself, which maintained independent facilities, per the NJDWSC history and New Jersey State Archives.

Today, Wanaque’s municipal water comes from groundwater wells managed by the borough’s Water Department, serving 11,317 residents (2020 census) under New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regulations. This well-based system ensures quality for the community, distinct from the reservoir’s regional role. For more on the borough’s founding, visit Wikipedia’s Wanaque page or the official Borough of Wanaque site. Current details are available at Jersey WaterCheck.