Hackensack, river, c.45 mi (70 km) long, rising in SE N.Y. and flowing S through the Jersey Meadows (or Meadowlands), NE N.J., to Newark Bay. The lower Hackensack is heavily industrialized (and polluted) and economically tied to the ports on Newark Bay and to the industrial development on the nearby Passaic River. It is navigable by oceangoing vessels to Kearny, N.J., and by tugs and barges to Hackensack, N.J. The river's upper course is dammed to form three reservoirs that supply water to Rockland (N.Y.) and Bergen (N.J.) counties.
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