Levine Reservoir Water Tanks
Prior to the work on the Levine Reservoir, PVWC operated three open-air water reservoirs, where water is stored after it’s been treated but before it's 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’ve closed the 20-million gallon Levine Reservoir and currently are replacing it with secure enclosed water tanks. This $40 million, federally mandated project broke ground in June 2025.
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 are being constructed in the northern half of the existing reservoir and will 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.
-
Levine Reservoir Tank Project Update
Construction is progressing on the new water storage tanks at the Stanley M. Levine Reservoir in Paterson, New Jersey!
The nearly $42 million project includes two 2.5-million-gallon pre-stressed concrete tanks that are replacing the open-air finished water reservoir. The project will also improve water quality, enhance site security, reduce water loss, and bring the facility into compliance with EPA requirements.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by Summer 2027.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the tank project.
-
Traffic Update: September 23-25, 2026
-
Clean Drinking Water FAQ
-
Clean Drinking Water
-
Construction Update
-
Traffic Update: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, there will be heavy traffic for the delivery of concrete at the Levine Reservoir construction site, in Paterson, from the hours of 5:00 AM through 3:00 PM. If you are able to do so, please avoid this area during this time period.
There will be increased police presence at the site to ensure pedestrian safety and maintain traffic flow on Grand Street.
We thank our local community for your continued patience during this critical construction project. If you have any questions, please call 973-340-4300.
-
Traffic Update: Monday, June 15 - Tuesday, June 16, 2026
On Monday June 15 - June 16, 2026, we anticipate heavy traffic for the delivery of concrete at the Levine Reservoir construction site, in Paterson, from the hours of 5:00 AM through 3:00 PM. If you are able to do so, please avoid this area during this time period.
There will be increased police presence at the site to ensure pedestrian safety and maintain traffic flow on Grand Street.
We thank our local community for your continued patience during this critical construction project. If you have any questions, please call 973-340-4300.
-
Traffic Update: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, there will be heavy traffic for the delivery of concrete at the Levine Reservoir construction site, in Paterson, from the hours of 5:00 AM through 3:00 PM. If you are able to do so, please avoid this area during this time period.
There will be increased police presence at the site to ensure pedestrian safety and maintain traffic flow on Grand Street.
We thank our local community for your continued patience during this critical construction project. If you have any questions, please call 973-340-4300.
-
Traffic Update: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, there will be heavy traffic for the delivery of concrete at the Levine Reservoir construction site, in Paterson, from the hours of 5:00 AM through 4:00 pm. If you are able to do so, please avoid this area during this time period.
There will be increased police presence at the site to ensure pedestrian safety and maintain traffic flow on Grand Street.
We thank our local community for your continued patience during this critical construction project. If you have any questions, please call 973-340-4300.
-
Traffic Update: NEW DATE
**POSTPONED TO MAY 27, 2026 DUE TO WEATHER**
On Thursday, May 21, 2026, there will be heavy traffic for the delivery of concrete at the Levine Reservoir construction site from the hours of 5:00 AM through 4:00 pm. If you are able to do so, please avoid this area during this time period. There will be increased police presence at the site to ensure pedestrian safety and maintain traffic flow on Grand Street.
We thank our local community for your continued patience during this critical construction project. If you have any questions, please call 973-340-4300.
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.
Click here for an enlarged map.