Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey that was chartered in 1867. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,496. The town was originally called "Boone-Towne" in 1761 in honor of the Colonial Governor Thomas Boone. Boonton was originally formed on March 16, 1866, within portions of Hanover Township and Pequannock Township. The town was reincorporated and became independent on March 18, 1867. Today's Boonton began in about 1829, as a result of the construction of the Morris Canal and the development of the New Jersey Iron Company. The original location of the town is now largely under the Jersey City Reservoir, completed in 1904. The waters from this reservoir were the first municipal water supply in the United States to be chlorinated in 1908.