USGS Water-Year Summary 2024

01381900 PASSAIC RIVER AT PINE BROOK, NJ

LOCATION - Lat 40°51'45", long 74°19'18" referenced to North American Datum of 1983, Montville Township, Morris County, NJ, Hydrologic Unit 02030103, on left bank, 20 ft downstream from bridge on U.S. Route 46, 0.5 mi east of the community of Pine Brook, and 1.3 mi downstream from Rockaway River.

DRAINAGE AREA - 349 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WDR NJ-77-1: 1967(M).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Occasional low-flow measurements, water years 1963-69, 1973. Annual maximum, water years 1966-75, 1978-79. Continuous-record gaging station, water years 1979 to current year. Feb 19 to Aug 24, 1939 in files of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder with telemetry and crest-stage gage. Datum of gage is 149.26 ft above NGVD of 1929. December 1965 to September 1979, crest-stage gage at same site at datum 10.00 ft higher. Feb 19 to Aug 24, 1939, water-stage recorder at present County Route 506 bridge, 1,600 ft upstream from gage, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District at datum 13.05 ft higher.

REMARKS - Records fair, except for estimated discharges which are poor. Stage-discharge relationship affected by variable-stage backwater from Great Piece Meadows swamp located downstream of the gage. From October 1, 2015 to present, water-stage recorder at Passaic River at Horse Neck Bridge near Pine Brook (station 01381940), located just upstream of the Great Piece Meadows swamp, used as an auxiliary gage to adjust for variable backwater. Published flows include flow through left-bank bypass channel located about 2,000 ft southwest of gage. At gage heights between 21 and 22 ft and above, some flow will be lost to a 200-year old flood control channel on the right bank about 800 ft upstream of the gage. This flood control channel empties into Deepavaal Brook and eventually re-enters the Passaic River near Singac. This bypass flow is not included in published records. Water diverted from Passaic River and Canoe Brook upstream of gage near Summit by New Jersey-American Water Company for municipal supply (see 01379510 and 01379529). Flow regulated by Boonton (see 01380900) and Splitrock Reservoirs (see 01379990) and many small lakes. Water diverted from Boonton Reservoir for municipal supply of Jersey City (see 01380800). Flow includes sewage effluent from several treatment plants upstream of gage.

EXTREMES OUTSIDE PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum stage since at least 1810 (according to State Geologist's report for 1904), 23.2 ft, Oct 10, 1903 (from King Survey of high-water marks; present datum; at bridge on County Route 506 (Bloomfield Avenue), 1,600 ft upstream from gage). Floods of Mar 13, 1936 and Sep 24, 1938 reached stages of 20.8 ft and 19.4 ft, respectively (present datum; at bridge on County Route 506). Flood of Jul 23, 1945 reached a stage of 22.3 ft (according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; present datum).

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum discharge, 8,000 ft³/s, estimated, Apr. 7, 1984, maximum gage height, 24.12 ft, Aug. 30, 2011; minimum measured discharge, water years 1963-1979, 41 ft³/s, Sep 22, 1964, minimum instantaneous discharge since water year 1980, 70 ft³/s, Sep. 29, 1980.

WATER-QUALITY RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - Water years 1963-68, 1979-80, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2008-09, and 2011.