Flooding in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
In Ridgefield Park the worst flood on record came with very little rain. The village sits where Overpeck Creek reaches the tidal Hackensack, and the tide decides more here than the forecast rainfall.
The Bergen County 2026 hazard mitigation plan maps 24.03 per cent of Ridgefield Park in the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone. FEMA counts 247 flood insurance claims in the village, a third of them from Hurricane Sandy, and lists 47 repetitive-loss properties. The flooding comes from the tide pushing up the Hackensack and Overpeck Creek, from rain arriving while the tide is high, and from a combined sewer system that has to overflow in heavy rain.
The short version
- The Bergen County 2026 hazard plan maps 24.03 per cent of Ridgefield Park in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone.
- FEMA records 247 flood insurance claims in the village; Sandy alone accounts for 85 of them.
- FEMA lists 47 repetitive-loss properties in the village, 4 of them severe repetitive loss, as of August 2026.
- Modest rain on a high tide stranded a car on Bergen Turnpike in 2018 and took out lanes of Route 46 and I-80 in 2022.
- Six combined sewer outfalls discharge to the Hackensack and Overpeck Creek; the village has begun separating the systems.
A record written by one storm
FEMA's OpenFEMA data show 247 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Ridgefield Park. FEMA files 244 of them under the village's own NFIP community and 3, from the village ZIP code, under the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission community. The single biggest year was 2012, with 85 claims, every one attributed to Hurricane Sandy. Next come 2011 with 50 (43 from Irene), 1992 with 18 (all from a December nor'easter) and 2007 with 12. The mix is telling. In most Bergen towns upstream, Irene is the largest event; here a surge storm and a winter nor'easter, both driven by the sea, sit at or near the top. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, list 47 Ridgefield Park repetitive-loss properties, 4 of them severe repetitive loss. That is a large number for a village of 5,377 housing units, as counted by the US Census Bureau, and it means the same addresses have flooded again and again.
A quarter of the village in the flood zone
Table 4.6-1 of the county hazard plan counts 295.63 of the village's 1,230.02 acres in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, or 24.03 per cent, rising only slightly to 24.92 per cent with the 0.2 per cent zone. The small gap between those numbers is typical of tidal flooding: the land is either below the reach of a 1 per cent tide or it is not, with little in between. The county plan lists portions of Ridgefield Park as subject to major flooding due to coastal surges, and names the village with Little Ferry, Moonachie and Lodi as low-lying, flood-prone areas especially vulnerable when hurricanes and tropical storms pass. The share is the highest among the river towns from New Milford down to Bogota, though Ridgefield, next door, is higher still.
River on one side, creek on the other
The Hackensack River runs along the village's western side, and Overpeck Creek joins it on the south side of Ridgefield Park. FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Bergen County states that the principal flooding in the southern county results from the tidal stages of Newark Bay, acting on the Hackensack and, in turn, on Overpeck Creek. The lower creek is controlled by tide gates between the northbound and southbound roadways of the New Jersey Turnpike, which a 2006 Meadowlands Commission inspection found fully automated and in excellent condition. Gates like these keep ordinary high tides out of the creek, but while they are shut, rain running down from Teaneck and Englewood has to wait behind them.
What the weather service has seen
The National Weather Service keeps a record of what given tide levels at Bergen Point have done. During Sandy, on 29 October 2012, the tide there reached about 14.6 feet above mean lower low water, and the weather service notes flooding all the way up the Hackensack to the Oradell Dam. Far smaller events still reach the village. On 27 October 2018, at 8.9 feet and with only half an inch to an inch of rain, a car was left stranded in floodwater at the river end of Bergen Turnpike in Ridgefield Park. On 23 December 2022, at 9.1 feet, one and a half to two inches of rain on top of surge up the river took out a lane of Route 46 eastbound and of Interstate 80 westbound in the village. Neither day looked dangerous on the rain forecast.
Combined sewers that are designed to overflow
Like Hackensack and Fort Lee, Ridgefield Park has a combined sewer system that carries sewage and stormwater in the same pipe. The village says it has six combined sewer outfalls, four discharging to the Hackensack River and two to Overpeck Creek. It explains why they exist plainly: the utilities authority's pipes and treatment plant in Little Ferry have limited capacity, and if the system were not allowed to overflow, the community would flood. The village takes part in a regional notification system that shows when an overflow may be occurring, and the county plan reports that it has started separating storm and sewer lines to reduce the stormwater that floods the village. Until that work is complete, water backing up into streets or basements in a heavy storm should be treated as sewage.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. If you are in or near the zone, the forecast to watch is the coastal flood one: a high tide with a strong south or south-east wind can flood low streets even when little rain is expected, and rain on such a tide is worse. Move cars from riverside streets and lift basement contents early. Never drive through water on Bergen Turnpike or the Route 46 approaches. Treat water from floor drains as contaminated, and stay out of it until the power is off. The US Census Bureau puts the median year built at 1948 and finds that about 40 per cent of households rent. Flood cover is a separate policy from homeowners or renters insurance, FEMA states that a new policy normally takes 30 days to begin, and a landlord's cover does not protect a tenant's belongings. Whether a loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Ridgefield Park, NJ flood?
Yes. About a quarter of the village is in the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, according to the county hazard plan, and FEMA counts 247 flood insurance claims there. Most serious flooding comes from the tide pushing up the Hackensack River and Overpeck Creek.
Why does Ridgefield Park flood when it barely rains?
Because the river and the lower creek are tidal. FEMA's flood study names the tidal stages of Newark Bay as the principal cause of flooding here. The National Weather Service recorded a car stranded on Bergen Turnpike in October 2018 with under an inch of rain.
What is a combined sewer overflow?
In a combined system, rain and sewage share one pipe. When heavy rain exceeds what the pipes and treatment plant can take, the excess is released to the river or creek; the village says that without those overflows, the community would flood. It also means storm water in the streets may contain sewage.
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