Saddle Brook Water Department

Saddle Brook Water Department Municipal Water Report Info
The 2.7 square miles that comprise our township have witnessed numerous geological and historical transitions similar to those across northern New Jersey and New York. At various points in history, the area was submerged beneath ocean waters, while New York City formed from a chain of volcanic formations. Later, dinosaurs including the Hadrasaur roamed these lands as prehistoric flying reptiles soared overhead.

Approximately 200,000 years ago, glacial formations advanced from Canadian territories. The final glacier, known as the Wisconsin Glacier, receded around 20,000 years ago. Its melting created water channels that formed Lake Hackensack, which extended from as far north as Saddle Brook southward to Perth Amboy. Over time, this lake drained, leaving wetlands that contribute to current flooding issues in the region.

The resulting pristine forests attracted diverse wildlife including birds, deer, elk and even mammoths. These natural resources drew the first nomadic hunter-gatherers approximately 6,000 years ago, who eventually established permanent agricultural settlements. These indigenous peoples, known as Lenni-Lenapes (original people), included the Ackensackies near Hackensack and Aquakanonks around Passaic, both utilizing the land that would become Saddle Brook.

Dutch settlers arrived in Manhattan during the mid-1600s and expanded westward into northern New Jersey around 1650. Though the region flourished under Dutch influence, British forces captured the territory in 1662. Surveyor Jacques Cortelyou purchased land that would become Garfield, Saddle Brook and northern territories from the Acquackanonks in 1680, securing the transaction with a British patent in 1685.