Borough of Roseland
19 Harrison Avenue
Roseland, NJ 07068
Essex County, NJ

Roseland Surface Water Quality Report

Water resources are an important part of all our lives. Over the last year, the Roseland Environmental Commission has begun testing the quality of the water in the streams that go through Roseland. In general, these streams start in the higher elevations of Essex Fells, West Orange and Livingston and pass through our residential neighborhoods on the way to the Passaic River on the western side of town. This is an assessment of surface water not drinking water.

Our objective was to identify problems that might arise from a number of sources such as dumpers, non-point sources of pollution and leaking underground storage tanks. In addition, we wanted to establish a baseline assessment so that we could judge whether the quality of our surface water is improving or declining in the future.

We have sampled select locations and analyzed the samples using a local laboratory approved by the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Results were compared to State of New Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards. Our results can be seen on the associated chart. . We did identify certain problems. In some locations, nitrogen, phosphorus, petroleum hydrocarbons, herbicides and temperature were elevated or exceeded the levels of the water quality standards. For details click here.

This initial effort is just a start. There is a lot more to do. We plan to continue our efforts to monitor water quality and improve and maintain Roseland’s environment.

This document was prepared and this work was accomplished with the aid of a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Environmental Services Program. In addition, we wish to acknowledge the support of Mayor Louis De Bell and the Roseland Borough Council.