The Passaic River

05/30/26

“What’s so special about the Passaic River?”

New Jersey is a lush state with a mountainous northern portion, granting favorable conditions for river formation. One of these rivers, the Passaic River, has many unique properties. Its headwaters begin in Northern New Jersey, and then it flows 80 miles through forests, wetlands, and suburbs until it empties into Newark Bay. The lower 17 miles of the Passaic River is considered a tidal water body, and industry used this portion for a variety of waste stream discharge since the 19th century. This pollution included byproduct production from Agent Orange production used to terrorize Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Consequently, the lower portion of the Passaic River is designated a Superfund site known as the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. 

Image credit: https://media.istockphoto.com/