Looking to give back to your community this Earth Day?
Click here to register for the Boonton Reservoir Cleanup! on Saturday, April 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
If you’ve ever driven on I-287 between Boonton and Parsippany, you’ve surely seen the Jersey City Waterworks behemoth. The Jersey City Waterworks, more commonly named “The Boonton Reservoir”, has long been a vital drinking water source for Jersey City and other local towns and a staple landmark for both Parsippany and Boonton. However, this massive body of water has faced extreme environmental neglect through excessive plastic pollution on its shores for many years. Bottles, bottle caps, toys, sports equipment, food wrappers, buckets, drinking straws, cigarette packaging, drug paraphernalia, plastic bags, hair combs, deck chairs, writing, and eating utensils have all surfaced in great numbers on the shores of the reservoir. Although plastic waste is the most abundant, various other items including sheet metal, tires, broken glass, chain-linked fencing, mylar balloons, clothing, cleaning products, and 50-gallon drums are also polluting the area.
The biggest concern, however, is microplastics. To briefly summarize, plastic photodegrades by breaking down into smaller pieces over time instead of biodegrading. Once material becomes less than 5mm in size, they are then classified as ‘microplastics’. Microplastics have been found in living organisms including humans all over the world. They are easily transferred through drinking water and come from so many products like those mentioned above. Microplastics are especially lethal to marine species too. Due to their small size, fish and other marine species often confuse them for food, like roe and phytoplankton. When consumed, blockages occur in their digestive tracts and airways. Much like the renowned images of seagulls choking on six-pack rings, fish are being caught with microplastics choking their internal organs. The shores of the reservoir are covered in swaths of microplastics which not only threaten the marine ecosystem but Jersey City’s drinking water too. According to Veolia Environmental, the Boonton Reservoir currently supplies over 274,000 residents per day with drinking water. We must remember that our global environment is a shared space, and as we continue to neglect the Boonton Reservoir, Jersey City will experience its worst burdens.
If this concerns you, then sign up for the Boonton Reservoir Cleanup on Saturday, April 20th! The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Participants will have the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day while giving back to their global environment. Moreover, you will be able to experience a mesmerizing hidden gem in Parsippany and help preserve Jersey City’s drinking water once and for all. For more information on how to participate, go follow our Instagram and Facebook pages @boontonrescleanup. There you will find information on how to participate, and insight on how this pollution affects our local ecosystem.
Every action reacts. We have one planet and one chance!
