Flooding in Wallington, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Wallington is small, and its flood record is not. Two rivers run along its edge and reach their peaks at different times, which is why the borough flooded twice in one week during Irene.
FEMA counts 724 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Wallington, the fifth-highest total in Bergen County, from a borough the county measures at about 671 acres. Hurricane Irene alone accounts for 303 of them. The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan places 17.58 per cent of the borough in the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone and 31.46 per cent once the 0.2 per cent zone is added. The source is the Passaic River and the Saddle River, which the borough's own history describes as meandering along its northwestern boundaries.
The short version
- FEMA counts 724 flood insurance claims in Wallington, fifth in Bergen County, about 15 for every 100 homes.
- Irene accounts for 303 claims; 2011 as a whole for 312.
- The county plan puts 17.58 per cent of the borough in the 1 per cent flood zone and 31.46 per cent including the 0.2 per cent zone.
- The Saddle River crested at Lodi on Sunday 28 August 2011 and the Passaic at Dundee Dam on Tuesday 30 August; Wallington flooded on both days.
- FEMA lists 106 repetitive-loss properties in the borough, 23 of them severe repetitive loss.
A one-square-mile borough between two rivers
The Borough of Wallington describes itself as about one square mile, with the Passaic and Saddle Rivers meandering along its northwestern boundaries. The US Geological Survey places the mouth of the Saddle 1.1 miles downstream of its Lodi gauge, which brings it to the Passaic at Wallington's edge. The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan measures the borough at 670.57 acres and puts 117.85 of them, 17.58 per cent, in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area. The less familiar figure is the next band out. Another 93.14 acres, 13.89 per cent of the borough, lie in the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone, so 31.46 per cent of Wallington is in one flood zone or the other. Only Elmwood Park has a wider 0.2 per cent band in the county. A 2014 draft of the county plan classed all of Wallington's mapped flood zone as riverine, with no coastal share. That is the difference between Wallington and the towns further down the Passaic: its flooding is river flooding.
What the claim record shows
FEMA's NFIP data, grouped by community, show 724 claims in Wallington over the life of the programme. That is about 15 claims for every 100 housing units the US Census Bureau counts in the borough, one of the highest ratios in Bergen County. The busiest year by far was 2011, with 312 claims, followed by 2021 with 118, 1999 with 109 and 2012 with 91. By named event, FEMA attributes 303 claims to Hurricane Irene, 116 to Hurricane Ida, 108 to Hurricane Floyd and 91 to Hurricane Sandy. Our Wallington help page quotes a ZIP code count, 732 claims, which is compiled differently and so differs slightly. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, list 106 repetitive-loss properties in the borough, 23 of them severe repetitive loss.
Irene: flooded on Sunday, flooded again on Tuesday
Irene shows how the two rivers combine. The Saddle is small and fast, and the National Weather Service gauge at Lodi crested at 13.50 feet on Sunday 28 August 2011, the day the storm passed. The Passaic drains a far larger basin and is slow; at Dundee Dam, just upstream of Wallington, it did not crest until Tuesday 30 August, at 5.9 feet, the highest reading there since 1977. CBS New York reported on 31 August that Wallington was swamped on the Sunday, began to recede, and then flooded again on the Tuesday when the Passaic overflowed its banks, forcing new evacuations. FEMA's Individual Assistance records list 471 valid owner-occupant registrations from Wallington after Irene, with 201 approved, more than for any other storm in the borough's record and more than in Garfield or Lodi, both much larger.
Ida, Floyd and Sandy
The other big years follow the same two-river pattern. Floyd in September 1999 set the record of 13.94 feet on the Saddle River at Lodi, and Ida in September 2021 reached 12.57 feet there, rising more than nine feet overnight according to the Weather Service's own warnings. Both were rain storms that hit the fast river hardest. Sandy in 2012 was different: a surge with little rain in Bergen County, which still produced 91 Wallington claims. The county plan's storm surge analysis finds one of the borough's critical facilities exposed in a Category 3 hurricane and five, 71 per cent of those assessed, in a Category 4. On the Saddle side, a federal Lower Saddle River flood protection project was authorised in 1986 to study the problem. Testimony to Congress by the district's representative in January 2024 noted that contaminated sites in the project area must be addressed before any construction can take place; nothing has been built.
What this means if you own or rent here
In Wallington, a flood can come twice from one storm, so keep watching after the first crest. Follow the Saddle River at Lodi for the fast rise, often overnight, and the Passaic at Dundee Dam for the slower one a day or two later; both have National Weather Service forecast pages. Check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for your address, and remember that nearly a third of the borough is in the 1 per cent or 0.2 per cent zone. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, and FEMA states that a new policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase. About 62.5 per cent of Wallington homes are rented, according to the US Census Bureau, one of the higher shares in the county; a landlord's policy does not cover a tenant's belongings, and contents-only flood cover is available. If you rent a basement or ground-floor unit, report water in writing to the landlord at once. Whether a given loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Wallington, NJ flood?
Yes, often. FEMA counts 724 flood insurance claims in the borough, most from Irene, Ida, Floyd and Sandy, and the county hazard plan places nearly a third of its land in a mapped flood zone.
Which rivers flood Wallington?
The Passaic and the Saddle, which the borough describes as meandering along its northwestern boundaries. The Saddle rises fast, often overnight; the Passaic crests later, sometimes two days after the rain, so one storm can flood the borough twice.
Which river gauges should Wallington residents watch?
The Saddle River at Lodi, where major flood stage is 8 feet, and the Passaic River at Dundee Dam in Clifton, where major flood stage is 7 feet. Both have forecasts on the National Weather Service water site.
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