Lake DeForest

Reservoir in New York, United States

Lake DeForest

Lake DeForest viewed from nearby High Tor, a summit of the northern Hudson River Palisades.

Lake DeForest

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Lake DeForest

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Location| Clarkstown, New York,
United States
Coordinates| 41°09′21″N 73°57′30″W﻿ / ﻿41.1558°N 73.9584°W﻿ / 41.1558; -73.9584﻿ (Lake Deforest)
Type| Reservoir
Primary inflows| Hackensack River
Basin countries| Newark Basin
United States

Lake DeForest, also called DeForest Lake,[1]: 195–213 is a reservoir in Clarkstown, New York, created in 1956 by impounding the Hackensack River, which is a principal part of the water supply for Rockland County, New York and Northern New Jersey, mainly Bergen and Hudson counties.[2] The reservoir is owned and operated by Suez North America, and is the most upstream of its reservoirs along the river's watershed, the others being Lake Tappan, the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir, and the Oradell Reservoir. It has a storage capacity of 5.6 billion gallons.[3][4][5][6] Swimming and bathing are prohibited because the water is reserved for potable use.[1]: 212 The lake is traversed by a causeway carrying Congers Road (CR 80).

## History

[edit]

The lake was developed in 1956 by an interstate partnership of the Hackensack Water Company (of New Jersey) and the Spring Valley Water Company (of Spring Valley, New York), to provide water on both sides of the state line.[1]: 195–213

Adrian Leiby's monograph, The Hackensack Water Company, 1869-1969,[1] describes the conception of the lake (owing chiefly to George F. Wieghardt, chief engineer from 1938 to 1954);[1]: 195–213 the sense that the proposed lake needed to be built soon, before any ill-advised new housing developments on the swampy lowlands would preclude it;[1]: 195–213 and unrest among the public fueled by fears the proposed lake was a plan by New Jersey thieves to steal water from New York state or to create miles of "smelly mud flats" in Clarkstown.[1]: 195–213 By the time of a severe drought in 1963-65, Leiby noted, public approval of the attractive lake and the water security it provided was nearly universal;[1]: 221 writing in 1969, he said, "Twelve years later it is hard to believe that there is a single person in the County who would willingly see DeForest Lake drained and its land filled with development houses."[1]: 213

The lake is named after Henry L. deForest, president of Hackensack Water Company from 1936 to 1950, under whose presidency the lake was conceived;[1]: 210 at the time that the completed lake was dedicated on March 13, 1957, Henry L. deForest had recently died. Henry's father, Robert W. DeForest, had led the Hackensack Water Company from 1881 to 1926.

The Hackensack Water Company and the Spring Valley Water Company had long cooperated, the former being a chief stockholder of the latter; they were merged into United Water Resources in the 1980s, which was later acquired by Suez North America.

## See also

[edit]

* List of dams and reservoirs in New York
* New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company
* Hackensack Water Company Complex
* List of crossings of the Hackensack River
* List of dams and reservoirs in New Jersey

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Leiby, Adrian C. (1969), The Hackensack Water Company, 1869-1969, In collaboration with Nancy Wichman, Bergen County Historical Society, ASIN B0006C01Q0, OCLC 13847.
2. ^ History of Hackensack Water Company/United Water Company
3. ^ "Lake DeForest". Haverstraw Water Supply Project. United Water. Archived from the original on 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
4. ^ "Chapter 12.0: Infrastructure" (PDF). Rockland County Comprehensive Plan 280 DRAFT. United Water. September 1, 2010. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
5. ^ "Water Sources in Rockland County". Superfund Research Program. Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
6. ^ "Lake DeForest". USGS. Retrieved 2012-10-27.

* v
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Passaic River watershed

Tributaries|

* Black Brook
* Canoe Brook
* Cory's Brook
* Dead River
* Diamond Brook
* First River
* Foulerton's Brook
* Great Brook
* Goffle Brook
* Little Diamond Brook
* Loantaka Brook
* McDonalds Brook
* Molly Ann Brook
* Peckman River
* Pompton River
* Pequannock River
* Wanaque River
* Ramapo River
* Mahwah River
* Primrose Brook
* Rockaway River
* Whippany River
* Saddle River
* Ho-Ho-Kus Brook
* Salt Brook
* Second River
* Slippery Rock Brook
* Slough Brook
* Spring Garden Brook
* Stevenson Brook
* Deep Voll Brook
* Third River
* Weasel Brook

Lakes|

* Boonton Reservoir
* Butler Reservoir
* Canoe Brook Reservoir
* Cedar Lake
* DeForest Lake
* Estling Lake
* Franklin Lake
* Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
* Greenwood Lake
* Indian Lake
* Lake Kinnelon
* Lake Tappan
* Monksville Reservoir
* Mountain Lake
* Oradell Reservoir
* Point View Reservoir
* Pompton Lake
* Ramapo Lake
* Rainbow Lake
* Splitrock Reservoir
* Sterling Lake
* Verona Lake
* Wanaque Reservoir
* White Meadow Lake
* Woodcliff Lake Reservoir

Towns|

| New Jersey|

* Allendale
* Belleville
* Berkeley Heights
* Bernards
* Bernardsville
* Bloomfield
* Bloomingdale
* Boonton Borough
* Boonton Township
* Bridgewater
* Butler
* The Caldwells
* Caldwell
* North Caldwell
* West Caldwell
* Carlstadt
* Cedar Grove
* The Chathams
* Chatham Borough
* Chatham Township
* Clifton
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* East Hanover
* East Newark
* East Rutherford
* Elmwood Park
* Essex Fells
* Fair Lawn
* Fairfield Township
* Far Hills
* Florham Park
* Franklin Lakes
* Garfield
* Glen Ridge
* Glen Rock
* Hackensack
* Haledon
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* Harrison
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* Hawthorne
* Hillsdale
* Hohokus
* Jefferson
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* Kinnelon
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* Little Falls
* Livingston
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* Madison
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* Mendham Township
* Midland Park
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* Morris Township
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* Rockaway Borough
* Rockaway Township
* Roseland
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* Rutherford
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* Saddle River
* South Hackensack
* Sparta
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* Vernon
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* Waldwick
* Wallington
* Wanaque
* Warren
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* Wayne
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* Wharton
* Woodcliff Lake
* Woodland Park
* Wood-Ridge
* Wyckoff

|

New York|

* Hillburn
* Monroe
* Ramapo
* Suffern
* Tuxedo
* Tuxedo Park

Crossings|

* Lower Passaic River
* Avondale Bridge
* Belleville Turnpike Bridge
* Bridge Street Bridge
* Clay Street Bridge
* Dock Bridge
* Eighth Street Bridge
* Gregory Avenue Bridge
* Harry Laderman Bridge
* Jackson Street Bridge
* Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge
* Lyndhurst Draw
* Market Street Bridge
* Monroe Street Bridge
* Newark Drawbridge
* Passaic Street Bridge
* Pulaski Skyway
* PD Draw
* Union Avenue Bridge
* William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge
* Upper Passaic River
* Arch Street Bridge
* Gladstone Branch
* Hillery Street Bridge
* Main Line
* Montclair-Boonton Line
* Morristown and Erie Railway
* Morristown Line
* Newark-Pompton Turnpike
* Passaic River Bridge
* Patriots' Path Footbridge
* Sixth Avenue Bridge
* Straight Street Bridge
* West Broadway Bridge
* West Park Footbridge

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