Pascack Brook
Encyclopedia
The Pascack Brook is a tributary
of the Hackensack River
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
in the United States
. It forms a region known as the Pascack Valley
. The brook is dam
med to form the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir
in the town of Woodcliff Lake
. The Pascack formerly flowed directly into the Hackensack River, but now ends at the Oradell Reservoir
short of its historical juncture with the Hackensack.
A dam on Pascack Brook in Spring Valley
, New York
, impounded Lake Hyenga until it collapsed during Hurricane Floyd
in September, 1999. Heavy flooding resulted downstream. The dam was not rebuilt.
At least one late 18th-century map calls the brook "Great Pascack River." Its tributary Musquapsink Brook
is shown as "Little Pascack River." The name "Pascack River" also occurs in an 1876 map of the area.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It forms a region known as the Pascack Valley
Pascack Valley
The Pascack Valley is the name for a region of New Jersey, United States, contained within Bergen County. It is named for the Pascack Brook, which defines the valley...
. The brook is dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med to form the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir
Woodcliff Lake Reservoir
Woodcliff Lake is the name of a reservoir in Woodcliff Lake and portions of Hillsdale and Park Ridge, in Bergen County, New Jersey. It was created circa 1903 by damming the Pascack Brook and is also fed by the Bear Brook which joins the Pascack at the reservoir...
in the town of Woodcliff Lake
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 5,730.Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies primarily within the borough, with a small part of it located in neighboring Hillsdale.The borough is an...
. The Pascack formerly flowed directly into the Hackensack River, but now ends at the Oradell Reservoir
Oradell Reservoir
The Oradell Reservoir was formed by the Oradell Reservoir Dam placed on the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey, completed in 1923. The Oradell Reservoir Dam is located in Oradell, but the reservoir also straddles the borders of Haworth, Emerson, Closter and Harrington Park.The reservoir...
short of its historical juncture with the Hackensack.
A dam on Pascack Brook in Spring Valley
Spring Valley, New York
Spring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo and Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Nanuet; east of Airmont and Monsey; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, impounded Lake Hyenga until it collapsed during Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...
in September, 1999. Heavy flooding resulted downstream. The dam was not rebuilt.
At least one late 18th-century map calls the brook "Great Pascack River." Its tributary Musquapsink Brook
Musquapsink Brook
Musquapsink Brook is a tributary of Pascack Brook in Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States.The headwater lies within Woodcliff Lake and runs south through Hillsdale and into Washington Township. There it runs into Schlegel Lake before continuing south and east into Westwood...
is shown as "Little Pascack River." The name "Pascack River" also occurs in an 1876 map of the area.
Tributaries
(Listed from mouth to source)- Musquapsink BrookMusquapsink BrookMusquapsink Brook is a tributary of Pascack Brook in Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States.The headwater lies within Woodcliff Lake and runs south through Hillsdale and into Washington Township. There it runs into Schlegel Lake before continuing south and east into Westwood...
- Tandy Brook
- Bear BrookBear Brook (Pascack Brook)Bear Brook is a tributary of Pascack Brook in New Jersey. It joins with the Pascack at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir and forms part of the border between Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake . The brook flows through portions of Bergen County in New Jersey and its headwaters lay in Rockland County, New York...
- Mill Brook
- Muddy Brook