Contact us:
Elyse Conde
Montclair State University
Mallory Hall, Room 252 J
p: 973.655.5320
f: 973.655.4072
montclair@njwaterwatch.org

Montclair State University sits on top of a hill located in Upper Montclair where the New York City skyline can be viewed from campus.  Steps away you will find the Third River winding through the Bonsal Wildlife Preserve before feeding into the Passaic River.  A river in which swimming and fishing is prohibited by law.

This once great river has long been the victim of illegal dumping and industrial pollution.  Six miles of the Passaic River, from Clifton to the Newark Bay, has been classified as a Superfund Site (a status reserved for the dirtiest toxic waste sites in the country).

Industry in America got its start in the town of Paterson, a few miles down the road from Montclair.  Harnessing the power of the Great Falls for hydroelectricity, factories sprung up along the Passaic, which also made a convenient dumping ground.  One of the most dangerous chemicals still present in the river sediment as well as the fish and crabs is dioxin, a carcinogenic by-product of Agent Orange manufactured at the Diamond Alkali plant in Newark during the Vietnam War.

 As environmental laws were strengthened and polluters began to be forced to clean up after themselves, a new threat emerged to the quality of our water.  New Jersey is a rapidly developing state with an ever-shrinking amount of open space.  With very little natural wetlands left, our storm water runs off buildings, parking lots, and well-trimmed grass into our river carrying with it oil, gas, lawn chemicals, garbage, and many other kinds of non-point source pollution.

At the Montclair State chapter of Water Watch, we believe that it is our responsibility to reach out into our campus and local communities to create and maintain active stewards of our waterways.  Surrounded by towns containing large immigrant populations, we encounter a diversity of culture that has unfortunately led to a near lack of awareness about the dangers of the Passaic River.  We will continue to serve our neighbors so that the Passaic may one day be safe for all.

Throughout the year we hold river cleanups, perform and train others in stream monitoring, and visit local schools to teach K-12 students about water quality issues.  We also lead Alternative Breaks for students down to the Gulf Coast to aid in post-Katrina recovery efforts.

Our recent accomplishments include:  Training the Environmental Club at High Tech High in North Bergen to stream monitor, teaching approximately 400 K-8 students about water quality in one semester, raising over $5000 for hurricane relief, sending 29 students to the Gulf for Winter and Spring Break trips, and organizing several cleanups along the Passaic River including our 2006 Earth Day event at the Great Falls in Paterson which included Governor Jon Corzine as the key-note speaker.

Community partners include the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, the Lower Passaic and Saddle River Alliance, NJ Community Development Corporation, Starbucks of Wayne, Friends of Clark’s Pond, Paterson School #9, and Father English After-School Program.  Campus affiliations include the Community Service Advisory Board, the Earth Day Planning Committee, the Student Government Association, the Latin American Student Organization, H.R.L.D.A., the Honor Student Organization, and the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies.