LANDING − With a turn (actually 67 turns) of a wheel, the Hopatcong Dam fountain slowly gushed to life late Tuesday morning, ending a quarter-century of inactivity.
On a set of stairs overlooking the century-old fountain, a woman recalled "swimming" here as a youngster. And on the hillside which forms the Morris County side of the dam, nearly a hundred people gathered to watch as the landmark came back to life.
First, there were leaks around the top of the "fountain," with water dribbling down the side of the circular support. Then the sound of rushing water grew louder and the dribble became a stream; the stream became a torrent and finally, the torrent becoming a geyser 20-25 feet tall.
And, for the record, 67 turns of that wheel took more than three minutes to go from leak to geyser.
The fountain is located on the eastern bank of the Musconetcong River (dividing line between Sussex and Morris counties) and is located within what is now Hopatcong State Park which includes a formal swimming beach.
In addition to clearing the pipes and updating the mechanical equipment, the grant money also went to installing a circular iron fence in suitable Victorian-era style, around the top of the rock wall which creates the fountain's base, an insurance requirement to deter waders and swimmers.
Morris County Commissioner Stephen H. Shaw, one of the dignitaries who spoke, said the "wake-up call" for the fountain was a "10-year-process," beginning with a full assessment of problems that needed to be corrected for the fountain work correctly.
The county received three grants totaling $287,000, the commissioner said. The county paid for the work and has transferred "ownership" to the state parks department.
The largest lake in New Jersey, Lake Hopatcong was made even larger a century ago by the current dam on the Musconetcong River. What was two lakes, were first dammed in 1750. By 1831, Lake Hopatcong had been flooded to nearly its current shape.
Like many fast-moving rivers in the northeast, water-powered mills grew up along the Musconetcong and the owners of those mills were concerned about losing their power. The fountain, as the story goes, was a way to show the factory owners that water was being released from the lake to keep the river flowing enough to power the mills.
In the 20th century, the need for water to power mills gave way to other sources, such as coal, oil and electricity. The fountain, rather than a measuring device became a focal point of gatherings and a summer "swimming hole" although it was more the falling water from the fountain's spray that kept the kids cool.
The fountain was turned off in the 1990s due to maintenance issues and concerns about liability from people swimming without lifeguard protection.
The fountain is gravity fed with the "wheel" controlling a gate in the dam opening into a 24-inch diameter pipe which feeds the fountain. The height of the geyser is determined by the water level in the lake behind the dam.
In addition to the money from grants obtained by the county, Shaw said a significant donor was Peter Kellogg, a second generation Wall Street businessman who owns considerable land in Byram. Shaw said the control gate was opened full on Tuesday and the height of the geyser is "as much as it will get."
He didn't know about whether the fountain would run year-round. The lady on the stairs - echoed by others - remembers when the fountain used to run year round and in winter would form an 'ice castle' on bitter cold days.
Shaw said those kinds of decisions would be made in the future since, now that the fountain is restored, ownership has reverted to the state Division of Parks and Forestry. Entrance to the park's parking lot is off Lakeside Boulevard while there is also a stairway from the boulevard down to the fountain's level at the Musconetcong River bridge.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: How century-old Lake Hopatcong fountain was turned back on after 30 years in disrepair
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