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Passaic River Flood Commission studies you know what

Hydrology experts call the Passaic River one of the most flood prone rivers in the U.S. Public officials have been trying to deal with the Passaic’s chronic flooding for more than 150 years, digging ditches through wetlands to improve drainage, building dams and reservoirs to control storm water, widening and dredging the river’s channel to […]

Exploring the Passaic River

Despite the fact that I grew up along the Passaic (in North Arlington, N.J.) I never really explored the river as a kid. In fact, I was well into middle age by the time I took my first boat trip on the Passaic. But these days, plenty of people are exploring the Passaic – and […]

Lisa Jackson pics Judith Enck as EPA’s new region 2 administrator

Lisa Jackson, federal EPA chief and former head of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, recently appointed Judith Enck as the EPA’s new Regional Administrator for Region 2, which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Enck was New York State’s Deputy Secretary of the Environment under NY Governors Eliot […]

Couple paddles Passaic and Rockaway rivers

Check out the latest post on Larry and Kathy’s Kayak Adventures blog. The intrepid pair put into the Rockaway from the Essex County Environmental Center in Eagle Rock on a recent Sunday and paddled downstream to its confluence with the Passaic. (The Rockaway is one of the Passaic’s major tributaries.) It’s a nicely written paddle […]

Head of the Passaic photos

If you missed this year’s ninth annual Head of the Passaic regatta – or if you just want to relive the spectacle of Passaic River rowing – check out this Head of the Passaic slideshow from photographer John Bruno.

Passaic River makes Jeopardy

The Passaic and Raritan rivers were an answer on Tuesday, October 6th’s installment of Jeopardy. The category was “State of the Rivers.” Contestants had to identify the state that was home to the two rivers in each answer. Contestant Nicole Labruto from Spring Lake Heights, N.J. nailed it. Nicole went on to lose in Final […]

Tales and memories of the Passaic River

I grew up along the Passaic River in North Arlington. As a kid, I mostly steered clear of the river because, well, because I grew up in the sixties and back then the Passaic was even dirtier and creepier than it is today. But even though the Passaic scared me, it touched me too. I […]

Fed dollars to purchase flood-prone Passaic River homes?

Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-08) announced recently that the U.S. House of Representatives approved an Energy and Water Appropriations bill which includes $5 million to buy up private homes in extremely flood-prone neighborhoods of Wayne and Pompton Lakes. The homes, about 30 in all, sit in the Passaic River watershed. For the last few years, the […]

Head of the Passaic

Rutherford’s Nereid Boat Club held its ninth annual Head of the Passaic regatta last weekend (October 3 and 4). More than 140 crews – and some 400 rowers – from the New York Metropolitan area turned out on a beautiful autumn day. The regatta is a wonderful celebration of shell racing that recalls the nineteenth […]