Flooding in Maywood, New Jersey: a small flood zone, and where the water really comes from
If you are asking whether Maywood floods like its Saddle River neighbours, the short answer is no. River flooding barely reaches the borough. What does reach homes is heavy rain, carried by brooks that now run underground.
The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts only 3.17 per cent of Maywood’s land in the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, or 3.85 per cent including the 0.2 per cent zone. FEMA records 50 National Flood Insurance Program claims for the borough over the life of the programme and five repetitive-loss properties. Its worst year was 2021, when Hurricane Ida’s rain produced 13 claims.
The short version
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan maps only 3.17 per cent of Maywood in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone.
- FEMA records 50 NFIP claims in the borough, and five repetitive-loss properties; the largest year is 2021, with 13 claims from Ida.
- Westerly Brook runs under Route 17 in a culvert and Lodi Brook mostly through a storm drain system, according to the US EPA.
- Heavy rain overwhelming drains, not a rising river, is the main flood risk for most Maywood homes.
One of the smaller flood zones in the area
Maywood covers about 825 acres, and the Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan (Table 4.6-1) counts only about 26 of them in the Special Flood Hazard Area: 3.17 per cent. Adding the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone brings the figure to just 3.85 per cent. Rochelle Park next door has almost a third of its land in the zone. Maywood lies east of the Saddle River rather than on it, and most of its 3,969 housing units, counted by the US Census Bureau, are well away from a mapped zone. The county plan counts 20 active NFIP policies in Maywood as of October 2024.
Brooks that went underground
Maywood drains west toward the Saddle River, according to a US Environmental Protection Agency review of the area, but its own streams are largely out of sight. The EPA describes Westerly Brook passing under Route 17 in a concrete culvert on its way to the river, and most of Lodi Brook’s original channel replaced by a storm drain system beneath the surface. When rain falls faster than those pipes can take it, the water backs up at inlets, runs along the streets and collects in the lowest places: driveways, window wells and basement stairs.
What the FEMA claim record shows
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program data, grouped by community, show 50 lifetime claims for the Borough of Maywood. The largest year is 2021, with 13 claims, all of them attributed to Hurricane Ida. Next come 2011 and 2007, with 10 each. FEMA’s Multiple Loss Properties data, as of 2 August 2026, list five repetitive-loss properties in Maywood and no severe ones. The Maywood hub page’s figure of 41 is a ZIP-code count; this is FEMA’s community total. Ida topping the list is telling: it was a rainfall event, not a river crest, and the county plan notes that it caused widespread basement flooding and sewer infiltration across Bergen County.
Old houses, finished basements
The US Census Bureau puts the median year built of Maywood homes at 1951. Houses of that age commonly have basements built as utility space and finished later, floor drains connected to old sewer laterals, and foundations without modern waterproofing. None of that makes a given house wet. But FEMA’s FloodSmart service notes that nearly a third of NFIP claims from 2014 to 2024 came from outside high-risk areas, which is where almost all of Maywood sits.
Telling the kinds of water apart
The cause decides both the fix and how an insurer is likely to treat it. Water coming in over a sill or down basement stairs during a cloudburst is surface water, the kind a flood policy addresses. Water rising from a floor drain, often dirty, is usually a backup from the sewer or storm system, which homeowners policies typically handle through a separate endorsement, if at all. Water weeping through a wall a day after rain is groundwater, often excluded. Photograph where it appeared before cleaning up.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; most Maywood homes will be outside the mapped zone, which means flood cover is optional rather than absent as a need. Check gutters, downspout outlets and the slope by your foundation, and ask a licensed plumber whether a backwater valve suits your sewer line. If you decide to buy flood cover, FEMA states that a new NFIP policy normally takes 30 days to take effect. About 31 per cent of homes are rented, per the US Census Bureau; tenants should report water to the landlord in writing, with photos, and need their own contents cover. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Maywood, NJ flood?
Not much from rivers. The county plan maps just over 3 per cent of the borough in the high-risk flood zone, and FEMA records 50 flood claims in total. The bigger risk is heavy rain: Hurricane Ida produced the borough’s worst year of claims in 2021.
Why does my Maywood basement take water in heavy rain?
Usually because rain arrives faster than local drainage can carry it away and collects against the foundation, or because a floor drain backs up.
Do I need flood insurance in Maywood if I am not in a flood zone?
It is not required, and the choice is yours. A homeowners policy does not cover flood, and FEMA notes that nearly a third of recent NFIP claims came from outside high-risk areas. A new NFIP policy normally takes 30 days to take effect.
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