From older homes along the Rockaway River in the borough to raised ranches on rocky slopes around White Meadow Lake, Hibernia and Mount Hope, get connected with a local waterproofing contractor who knows how water moves through Rockaway ground.
Rockaway is really two places when it comes to basement water. Rockaway Borough is a small, built up town of about two square miles where the Rockaway River passes close to older streets, and many houses near the center have stone or block foundations that were never built with footing drains. Rockaway Township wraps around it and covers more ground than any other town in Morris County, with lake communities, wooded ridges and long roads like Green Pond Road climbing north into the Highlands. The same storm can push groundwater up through a borough slab and send runoff sideways into a township lower level.
Up in the township, the ground is the story. This is Highlands country, with hard old gneiss bedrock close to the surface and a layer of glacial till full of boulders on top. Rain does not soak down very far before it hits rock, so it travels along the top of the bedrock and finds the nearest foundation wall. Homes built into hillsides around White Meadow Lake, Lake Telemark, Marcella and Hibernia often see water at the uphill wall first. Spring snowmelt off those slopes can keep a sump pit busy for weeks after the snow is gone.
This site connects Rockaway homeowners with an independent local waterproofing contractor who can come out, look at the basement and the yard, and explain why water is getting in at your address. In the borough that might mean a high water table near the river or a fieldstone wall that seeps along the mortar. In the township it might mean a downspout dumping onto a rocky slope, a window well filling on a split level, or a sump discharge line that freezes. You should get a written quote that names the cause and the fix before any work begins.
Pick the job that fits and read what's involved, what it usually costs and what to ask.
A perimeter drain and sump system built for Rockaway basements, whether the water is rising near the river in the borough or running off rock in the township.
Sealing the outside of the foundation and adding footing drains, planned around the rock, slopes and septic systems found across Rockaway.
Injection repairs for leaking cracks in poured walls, plus a careful look at cracks that may be caused by slope pressure or settling in Rockaway homes.
Sealing damp crawl spaces under Rockaway additions, lake cottages and older homes against ground moisture and humid summer air.
Pumping out, drying and clearing damaged materials after a storm, pump failure or backup in a Rockaway Borough or Rockaway Township basement.
Rockaway Borough sits low along the Rockaway River, with Route 46 crossing its southern end and Interstate 80 clipping the northeast corner, so many lots are flat, close together and near the water table. Rockaway Township is the opposite: roughly 46 square miles of ridges, lakes and streams, with Picatinny Arsenal and the Splitrock Reservoir lands taking up large stretches. Brooks like Hibernia Brook and White Meadow Brook drain lake areas south toward the river, and homes near them can see groundwater rise fast in a soaking rain. Iron was mined for generations around Hibernia and Mount Hope, a reminder of how much rock lies underfoot. That rock shapes nearly every waterproofing decision here, from where a drain can go to how deep anyone can dig.
The borough has 8 repetitive loss and 1 severe repetitive loss flood properties in the Rockaway River floodplain, none of them mitigated yet, per the 2025 county plan.
morriscountynj.govBurton Lane sees storms overwhelm drainage and inundate homes, Ogden and Drake Avenue has a 54 inch pipe that backflows, and the Fairview and Hill Street neighborhoods lack stormwater infrastructure.
morriscountynj.govBorough properties have filed 84 flood insurance loss claims, with about $1.46 million paid.
morriscountynj.govAbout 30% of homes were built in 1939 or earlier and half before 1960.
api.censusreporter.orgThe dates on the town calendar that everyone here plans around. Exact days shift year to year, so check the town's own calendar before you go.
History tour day; the Rockaway Borough Historical Museum opens for it
Borough recreation scarecrow contest
Halloween event listed by the borough
A contractor who works Rockaway regularly knows that a riverside basement off Main Street in the borough and a hillside raised ranch near Mount Hope fail for different reasons, and quotes each one accordingly.
Shallow gneiss and glacial boulders are common across Rockaway Township. A local pro can tell you early whether trenching or excavation is realistic at your house or whether an interior approach makes more sense.
Many township homes outside the sewered areas run on a private well and a septic system. Sump water should be routed away from both, and a contractor familiar with these lots will plan that route before cutting the floor.
Wooded roads in the northern township lose power when trees come down in nor'easters and summer thunderstorms. Ask your pro about battery backup pumps and alarms sized for how long outages tend to last on your street.
Call or fill out the form with a short description: where the water shows up, when it happens, and whether there is standing water now. Photos help if you have them.
A local contractor visits to look at the basement walls and floor, the sump pit if there is one, and the outside of the house, including gutters, downspouts, and how the yard slopes.
You get a quote that explains the cause, the recommended repair, the price, and the timeline. Take the time you need to review it and ask questions before agreeing to anything.
The crew completes the work, tests any pump and drain system, and walks you through how it operates. Keep the paperwork and any warranty details with your home records.
On the rocky slopes of the township, rain and snowmelt often cannot soak down past the shallow bedrock, so the water runs along the top of the rock and collects against the first foundation wall it meets. That is usually the uphill side. Surface grading, a curtain drain uphill of the house, or a drain along that one wall may solve it.
It can be either, and sometimes both. Low lots near the Rockaway River can have a high water table that pushes water up through the floor or the cove joint, while overflowing gutters cause leaks higher on the wall. A contractor can usually tell the difference by where and when the water appears.
Sump water should never go into a septic system, since clean groundwater can flood the tank and the leach field. It should also be kept clear of your well. Ask your contractor to route the line to a spot that slopes away from the house, the field and the wellhead, and check with the Rockaway Township health or building department if you are unsure.
Not every house does, but lots that sit low near the shoreline or along the brooks that drain these lakes can see higher groundwater in wet seasons. Homes built into the slopes around the lakes face the uphill runoff issue instead. An inspection is the only way to know which applies to yours.
Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township each have their own building department, and requirements depend on the scope, such as excavation, new electrical for a pump, or structural repairs. Your contractor should know the current rules, but you can confirm with the building department for whichever Rockaway you live in.
In 2011, Irene pushed the Rockaway River about six feet above its previous record downstream in Denville, and many basements across the watershed took on water. Ida in 2021 brought another round of intense rain across northern New Jersey. Storms like these are when pumps fail and slow leaks turn into standing water.
api.censusreporter.org, en.wikipedia.org, morristowngreen.com, morriscountynj.gov, rockawayborough.org, rockawaytownship.org