Passaic Today

 In the 1820s the Morris Canal had to follow the same path as the Passaic River around the end of the First Watchung Mountains. This route took the canal through Paterson, a potential market for the tons of anthracite coal that the canal planned to bring from mines in Pennsylvania. However, Paterson was a water-powered city and was slow to develop an appetite for coal. Furthermore, the S.U.M., owner of the water rights to the Great Falls, found itself in competition with the Morris Canal and Banking Company for the use of the waters of the Passaic River. For years the companies found themselves in a contentious relationship. 

Original source can be found here.