Levine Reservoir Water Tanks
PVWC operates three open-air water reservoirs, where water is stored after it’s been treated but before its delivered to customers. Open reservoirs can allow contaminants to re-enter the water from rain, storm-water run-off, ducks, geese and other wildlife. Open reservoirs also prevent the use of treatments that could reduce the risk of lead in your drinking water. That’s why we’re closing the 20-million gallon Levine Reservoir and replacing it with secure enclosed water tanks. This $40 million, federally mandated project is anticipated to break ground this year.
Our Levine Reservoir Water Tank project will construct two 2.5 million gallon (MG) pre-stressed concrete tanks within the existing footprint of the Levine Reservoir on Grand Street in Paterson, NJ.
These tanks are designed to enhance water storage quality for our customers and helps PVWC achieve the goal of LT2 compliance. The new tanks will be constructed in the northern half of the existing reservoir and stand approximately 28 feet above the current ground level, or about half as tall as the trees surrounding the reservoir.
Once the tanks are completed and in service, the southern half of the reservoir will be decommissioned and turned into a detention basin to facilitate the drainage of storm water in the area. PVWC plans to rehabilitate the landscape around the site to include a mix of native plantings and greenery.
Follow this page to keep up-to-date with project information and the construction timeline.
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Construction Advisory
Please be aware of upcoming activity at the reservoir as it is prepared for construction:
• In the next month or so, crews will begin site work along the fence line near the reservoir entrance. The equipment needed for this work will restrict parking along Reservoir Avenue for a few days or so.
• Later this summer, crews will conduct additional site work and install trailers at the construction site. This may also require the removal of vegetation. This work is expected to take up to a week.
Despite our efforts, you may experience some disruption due to the construction. PVWC thanks you for your patience and cooperation.
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Construction Advisory
Updated on 7/1/2025: It will be necessary to extend the road closure for one more day to July 2, 2025. Message below has been updated to reflect the change of days.
Effective Monday, June 30, 2025 – Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) will temporarily close sections of Grand Street in both directions between Reservoir Avenue and Spruce Street in Paterson, NJ, from Monday, June 30 through Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Access to buildings and businesses between Spruce Street and the Lou Costello Pool (169 Grand St) will remain open during this time. The closure is required to safely perform test-pitting work related to the Stanley M. Levine Reservoir Water Tanks construction project.
PVWC thanks you for your patience and cooperation.
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PVWC Breaks Ground on New Water Storage Tanks at Levine Reservoir
(Paterson, N.J. – June 24, 2025) – Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC), joined by local, county, and state leaders, officially broke ground today on the Stanley M. Levine Reservoir Water Tanks Project in Paterson.
The nearly $42 million project includes closing the existing 20-million-gallon open-air reservoir and constructing two 2.5-million-gallon pre-stressed concrete tanks on the same site. The project also features stormwater detention basins, native landscaping, and environmental restoration.
This essential infrastructure project will enable PVWC to introduce a corrosion inhibitor, helping to prevent lead from leaching into drinking water in older homes with legacy plumbing. It also brings the Levine Reservoir into compliance with the U.S. EPA’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, significantly reducing the risk of contamination. In addition, the new enclosed tanks will help minimize water loss due to evaporation and enhance site security by eliminating the vulnerabilities of an open-air reservoir.
As part of its broader public health strategy, PVWC has replaced nearly 5,000 lead service lines over the past three years. Major construction on the tanks is expected to begin in August 2025, with project completion anticipated by May 2027.
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Three Names; One Purpose
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The Passaic Water Company
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Paterson's First Public Water Supply
History of the Levine Reservoir
The Stanley M. Levine Reservoir, originally known as the Stony Road Reservoir, was completed in 1886 by the Passaic Water Company. It was the fourth and last of the company’s reservoirs built to store potable water pumped from the Great Falls.
Starting in 1885, construction crews working for the Passaic Water Company blasted into the basalt ridge to create a 20-foot-deep basin. Rocks were shaped into blocks to form a heavy wall still visible along Grand Street damming the reservoir’s southern end. When complete, water flowed through a pipe network from the Great Falls, across the arch bridge spanning the Falls’ chasm, and to a pump station on Grand Street, which filled the reservoir and pumped water to surrounding neighborhoods.
The 20-million-gallon reservoir provided Paterson with clean water for nearly 40 years but the Passaic Water Company decommissioned the reservoir in 1921, leaving the basin dry for over a decade. In 1927, the municipalities of Clifton, Passaic and Paterson organized the PVWC, which took over the empty Grand Street Reservoir and reactivated it in 1933. The reservoir’s inlet and outlet chambers were reconfigured and the reservoir refilled with treated water from the Little Falls filtration plant.
Levine Reservoir Location
Click here for an enlarged map.