- Monksville Reservoir
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Monksville Reservoir 
Location Passaic County, New Jersey Coordinates 41°07′20″N 74°17′59″W / 41.122217°N 74.299829°WCoordinates: 41°07′20″N 74°17′59″W / 41.122217°N 74.299829°W Lake type reservoir Basin countries United States Max. length 3 miles Surface area 505 acres (2.04 km2) Max. depth 90 feet Water volume 5 million gallons Surface elevation 400 feet Monksville Reservoir, known for its trophy size muskellunge, walleye, bass and trout, sits atop the defunct community of Monksville, New Jersey. The lake is used by anglers, sporting clubs and the Society for the Education of American Sailors (SEAS). Easily accessible from either the north or the south boat ramp, the area is open 24/7.
The lake is in Long Pond Ironworks State Park, which is located in the community of Hewitt, in West Milford, New Jersey, United States. The park is known for its old stone walls, furnaces and other remnants of a once industrious ironworking community that now sits next to the swiftly flowing Wanaque River. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
Construction of the reservoir was started in 1985. Land was cleared and gravel was crushed on site and stock-piled. Approximately 15 residences, mostly owned by the Rhinesmith and Vreeland families, were purchased with NJ Green Acres funding and their owners relocated. Two homes of historic significance were moved, the others were demolished. One business, Duramic, was relocated and its building demolished.
Stonetown Road was realigned to run over the dam. A small bailey bridge that was put in place in 1977 was dismantled to be used again elsewhere. The Monksville dam is approximately .4 miles in length. A portion of Greenwood Lake Turnpike was realigned to higher ground.
The dam impounds water from the Wanaque River flowing down from Greenwood Lake. A spillway was constructed to allow water to flow into the Wanaque Reservoir below. During times of low flow, water from the Monksville Reservoir is released into the Wanaque Reservoir below via the intake tower which mixes water from various levels of the Monksville.
The dam was constructed with rollcrete. Dirt and gravel from on-site were mixed with cement. A dry mix of this material was laid down by large spreader trucks. A water truck would sprinkle the mix every 30 minutes around the clock to cure the mix. The face of the dam on the water side was faced with concrete, the other side was earthen. In 2007 the earthen side was refaced with concrete.
Building of the actual dam started in March 1987 and was completed in August 1987. Then NJ governor Thomas Kean was present for the ribbon cutting ceremony in autumn 1987.
The reservoir filled quickly and was completely full by October 1987.
The Monksville Reservoir is largely located in Ringwood NJ with a western portion in West Milford NJ.
External links
- Monksville Reservoir
- Monksville Reservoir Photos of paddling on Monksville Reservoir in October, 2005
- Long Pond Ironworks State Park
Categories:- Geography of Passaic County, New Jersey
- Reservoirs in New Jersey
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