Flooding in Elmwood Park, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Elmwood Park’s flood picture is easy to misread. Its claim count is modest, but much of its mapped flood land sits just outside the high-risk zone, and very few homes carry flood insurance at all.
The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 7.36 per cent of Elmwood Park’s land in the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, but 21.98 per cent once the 0.2 per cent zone is included. FEMA records 99 National Flood Insurance Program claims for the borough and 10 repetitive-loss properties. The Passaic River on its western edge is the main source, with Fleischer Brook inside the borough, and the Weather Service’s Dundee Dam gauge names Elmwood Park streets from 4.5 feet.
The short version
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan maps 7.36 per cent of Elmwood Park in the 1 per cent annual chance zone, but 21.98 per cent including the 0.2 per cent zone.
- FEMA records 99 NFIP claims in the borough and 10 repetitive-loss properties; the county plan counts only 38 active policies.
- The Passaic River on the western edge is the main source; Fleischer Brook is a smaller mapped stream inside the borough.
- The Weather Service’s Dundee Dam gauge lists River Drive flooding from 4.5 feet and the Route 46–Route 80 business area at 7 feet.
A small high-risk zone and a larger moderate one
The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan (Table 4.6-1) counts about 129 of Elmwood Park’s 1,751 acres in the Special Flood Hazard Area, 7.36 per cent of the borough. Its figure including the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone is 21.98 per cent, three times as much. By our arithmetic, roughly two thirds of the borough’s mapped flood land is therefore moderate-risk ground, where federally backed mortgages carry no flood insurance requirement. That helps explain another number in the same plan: only 38 active NFIP policies in the borough as of October 2024, against 7,765 housing units counted by the US Census Bureau.
The Passaic on one side, Fleischer Brook inside
The Passaic River forms Elmwood Park’s western edge, with Paterson and Clifton on the far bank. The Dundee Dam spans the river between Bergen and Passaic counties, and Dundee Island lies within the borough, according to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. At the dam the USGS measures the river’s level for a basin of about 800 square miles, so its floods are slow and follow days of regional rain. The second source is local. FEMA’s countywide flood study maps Fleischer Brook, a small stream the USGS has monitored at Market Street in Elmwood Park, and records that channel improvements by the Bergen County Department of Engineering reduce the localised flooding it caused in relatively minor storms.
What the Dundee Dam gauge says about Elmwood Park
The National Weather Service forecasts the Passaic at Clifton (Dundee Dam), with minor flood stage at 4.5 feet and major at 7. Its impact list is specific about Elmwood Park. River Drive begins to flood at 4.5 feet. At 5.5 feet the industrial area near Route 80 begins to flood, and at 6 feet River Road at River Drive and Market Street do. At 7 feet businesses between Route 46 and Route 80 take first-floor damage, and at 9 feet the Weather Service expects that industrial area to be under several feet of water. The record crest there is 8.4 feet in October 1903; Irene reached 5.9 feet on 30 August 2011, and the March 2010 nor’easter 5.0 feet.
What the FEMA claim record shows
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program data, grouped by community, show 99 lifetime claims for the Borough of Elmwood Park. The busiest years were 2011 with 19, 1999 with 18, 1984 with 13 and 2021 with 8. By named event, FEMA attributes 17 to Hurricane Floyd, 14 to Hurricane Irene, and 8 each to Hurricane Ida and the April 2007 nor’easter. The borough’s hub page quotes 101 claims for ZIP code 07407, a ZIP-based count that differs slightly from this community total. FEMA’s Multiple Loss Properties data, as of 2 August 2026, list 10 repetitive-loss properties, three of them severe. A short list partly reflects how few homes are insured: with under 40 policies in force, a flood here can leave most affected households with nothing to claim on.
Storm flooding on the highways
Some of Elmwood Park’s water problems have nothing to do with the river rising. The county plan records that on 14 August 2001 heavy thunderstorm downpours left numerous cars stuck on Route 46 near Elmwood Park. Cloudbursts like that overwhelm street drains in a few minutes. For homes, the usual result is water at basement windows, stair doors and floor drains. The US Census Bureau puts the median year built at 1958 and the renter share at 42.5 per cent, so much of that water lands in older basements and rented flats.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and note whether you are in the 1 per cent zone, the 0.2 per cent zone, or neither. If you are in the moderate zone, no one will make you buy flood cover, so the decision is yours. Near the river, bookmark the Dundee Dam gauge and learn the stage at which your street appears in the impact list. A standard homeowners policy excludes flood; FEMA states that a new NFIP policy normally takes 30 days to take effect. Renters can buy contents-only flood cover, and the landlord’s policy will not protect their belongings. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Elmwood Park, NJ flood?
Parts of it do, mainly along the Passaic River. FEMA counts 99 flood insurance claims in the borough, led by Floyd and Irene, and the county plan maps about 22 per cent of its land as flood-prone, most of it in the moderate 0.2 per cent zone.
Which gauge should Elmwood Park residents watch?
The Passaic River at Clifton (Dundee Dam) on the National Weather Service water site. Minor flood stage is 4.5 feet, when River Drive in Elmwood Park begins to flood; major is 7 feet.
I am in the 0.2 per cent zone. Should I worry?
It means FEMA maps your land as flood-prone in a rarer, more severe event. Lenders do not require flood insurance there, and a homeowners policy does not cover flood, so whether to buy a flood policy is your own decision.
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