Westbrook Valley Airport

The primary reason for the airport's closure was land acquisition by the state for environmental conservation. The property was purchased by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to serve as a protective buffer for the adjacent Wanaque Reservoir, a critical source of drinking water for over 2 million people in northern New Jersey. This type of land acquisition for watershed protection is common for properties bordering major reservoirs.

The site is now undeveloped, state-owned conservation land. The former runway area is completely overgrown with grass and small trees, but its distinct linear shape is still clearly visible in satellite imagery. All airport-related structures, including any hangars or service buildings, have been removed. The land is now part of the protected watershed buffer for the Wanaque Reservoir and is not accessible for public use in the same way as a park.

Westbrook Valley Airport was a small, privately owned and operated general aviation airfield. Owned by the Izzy family, with Louis Izzy listed as the manager in the 1980s, it featured a single unpaved turf runway (Runway 18/36) approximately 2,200 feet long. The airport, which appears on maps as early as 1966, catered to local pilots and their single-engine aircraft. It served as a classic example of a small, family-run airfield that was once common throughout the United States before economic pressures and land development led to their decline.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Westbrook Valley Airport. The land was specifically acquired for permanent conservation and to protect a vital water supply. Its conversion back to an active airfield is legally and environmentally infeasible.