Flooding in Park Ridge, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Park Ridge has its own Pascack Brook gauge, a high hazard dam at Mill Pond and a borough hall that has needed flood gates. Its insurance record, though, is among the lightest in the Pascack Valley. Both things are true, and the difference is where the water goes.
FEMA counts 25 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Park Ridge and no repetitive-loss properties. The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 5.81 per cent of the borough's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone. Pascack Brook can still rise sharply here: during Ida in September 2021 the USGS gauge at Park Ridge read 7.44 feet, above the National Weather Service's major flood stage. The borough's recorded problems centre on Mill Pond, Davies Field and borough hall rather than on rows of flooded homes.
The short version
- FEMA records 25 flood insurance claims in Park Ridge and no repetitive-loss properties.
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 5.81 per cent of the borough's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone.
- Ida pushed Pascack Brook at Park Ridge to 7.44 feet in 2021, above the 7.2-foot major flood stage.
- The borough has fitted flood gates at borough hall and plans to dredge Mill Pond.
- The county plan counts 104 active flood policies in Park Ridge, more than four times its lifetime claim count.
Few claims, no repeat losses
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data list 25 claims in Park Ridge over the life of the programme, with 2011 and 2021 tied as the busiest years at 6 each, followed by 2007 and 2005 with 3. FEMA attributes 6 claims to Hurricane Ida, 5 to Hurricane Irene and 2 to the April 2007 nor'easter. FEMA's multiple-loss data, as of 2 August 2026, show no repetitive-loss or severe repetitive-loss properties in the borough. Set against the 3,416 housing units the US Census Bureau counts, that is about seven claims per 1,000 homes by our arithmetic. One detail stands out: the county plan counts 104 active flood policies in Park Ridge as of October 2024, more than four times the borough's lifetime claim count.
Pascack Brook and Mill Pond
Pascack Brook flows south through Park Ridge and is dammed in the borough to form Mill Pond, also known as Silver Lake, before continuing south toward the Woodcliff Lake reservoir. The state lists the Mill Pond Dam as a high hazard potential dam, a rating that describes what a failure could affect downstream, not the dam's condition. Table 4.6-1 of the Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan measures 97.76 acres of the borough, or 5.81 per cent of its land, in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area, and 6.28 per cent including the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone. FEMA's flood study also maps Hillsdale Brook in Park Ridge and Bear Brook along the borough's line with Montvale.
What the Park Ridge gauge has recorded
The US Geological Survey gauge on Pascack Brook at Park Ridge is younger than the one in Westwood; when FEMA prepared its flood study it had only nine years of record, so FEMA estimated flows upstream of Woodcliff Lake by regression. The record has filled in since. USGS lists Hurricane Floyd's 5,730 cubic feet per second in September 1999 as the largest peak, followed by Ida at 4,750 cubic feet per second and a gauge height of 7.44 feet. Irene reached 6.72 feet in 2011, a January 2024 storm 6.48 feet and an April 2022 storm 6.37 feet. The National Weather Service sets flood stage at 5.2 feet, moderate at 6.2 and major at 7.2, so the brook has reached moderate or major flooding here several times in recent years.
Where the damage has fallen
Park Ridge's entry in the county plan describes flooding at Davies Field, which it says has had repeated problems because it sits near Mill Pond. The borough has installed flood gates and water barriers to protect borough facilities, specifically borough hall, and is planning to dredge Mill Pond, which it expects to help with flooding in tropical storms and hurricanes. That pattern, high water at a park and public buildings beside the pond with few insured homes affected, suggests that relatively little housing sits in the brook's path. It is why a gauge reading above major flood stage has not turned into many flood claims here.
What this means if you own or rent here
If your home is near Mill Pond, Pascack Brook or Bear Brook, look it up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and keep the Pascack Brook at Park Ridge gauge page bookmarked; it gives forecasts and the stages above. Elsewhere in the borough, water damage is likelier to come from heavy rain on the house itself: overflowing gutters, a failed sump pump or a backed-up floor drain. The US Census Bureau puts the median year built at 1966, and about 19 per cent of households rent; a landlord's policy does not cover a tenant's belongings. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, and FEMA states that a new one normally takes 30 days to take effect. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Park Ridge, NJ flood?
Pascack Brook does rise into flood stage here, but few insured homes have been hit: FEMA counts 25 flood claims and no repetitive-loss properties. Problems recorded by the borough centre on Mill Pond, Davies Field and borough hall.
What is flood stage for Pascack Brook at Park Ridge?
The National Weather Service sets the action stage at 5 feet, minor flooding at 5.2, moderate at 6.2 and major at 7.2. USGS recorded 7.44 feet during Ida in September 2021.
Is Mill Pond Dam dangerous?
The state classifies the Mill Pond Dam as high hazard potential, which describes the consequences if it were to fail, not its condition. If you live downstream, ask the borough how residents would be notified in an emergency.
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