Flooding in Washington Township, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
This page is about the Township of Washington in Bergen County, the Pascack Valley township between Hillsdale and Westwood, not the other Washington Townships in New Jersey. Its flood story is a modest one, and most of it follows a single brook.
FEMA counts 60 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Bergen County's Washington Township and lists five repetitive-loss properties, one of them severe. The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 7.46 per cent of the township's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, much of it along the Musquapsink Brook. That is a small record next to Westwood or Hillsdale. Here is where the water goes, what the township is doing about the brook, and why basement water is the more likely problem for most homes.
The short version
- FEMA records 60 flood insurance claims in Bergen County's Washington Township, with five repetitive-loss properties.
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 7.46 per cent of the township's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone.
- Most of that zone follows the Musquapsink Brook on its way from Hillsdale to Westwood.
- The township plans to stabilise an eroding riverbank near Pascack Road and Dartmouth Drive.
- For most homes, groundwater, sump failures and drain backups are the likelier sources of water damage.
A quieter record than its neighbours
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data record 60 claims in the Township of Washington over the life of the programme. The busiest year was 2011, with 13 claims, followed by 2021 with 11, 2007 with 9 and 1999 with 7. FEMA ties 10 claims each to Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Ida, 9 to the April 2007 nor'easter and 7 to Hurricane Floyd. The US Census Bureau counts 3,331 housing units, so by our arithmetic that is about 18 claims per 1,000 homes, against roughly 163 in Westwood next door. FEMA's multiple-loss data, as of 2 August 2026, list five repetitive-loss properties in the township, one of them severe. Those few houses are where the repeated damage concentrates.
The flood zone follows the Musquapsink
Table 4.6-1 of the Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan measures 143.35 acres of the township, or 7.46 per cent of its land, in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area, and 8.29 per cent once the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone is added. The main source is the Musquapsink Brook, which rises in Woodcliff Lake, crosses Hillsdale and runs south through the township, by way of Schlegel Lake, before reaching Westwood and Pascack Brook. FEMA restudied the Musquapsink and a bypass channel for its 2005 countywide flood maps, and the Flood Insurance Study also maps Pine Brook in the township. The USGS has gauged the brook at Pascack Road; its largest recorded peaks there came in November 1977 and September 1971.
What the township is working on
Washington Township's entry in the county plan is practical. It records a completed flood education project in which the township handed out American Red Cross flood recovery kits to residents of flood-prone streets who opted in, and used the visits to hear how flooding had changed over recent years and to explain how to follow forecasts. One of its priorities for the next five years is to shore up the riverbank near Pascack Road and Dartmouth Drive, which the plan says is eroding because of silt build-up. The township also bought a light tower generator and an electronic message board for use during storms.
Why basements are the likelier problem
Most homes in the township sit well away from the mapped brook corridor, and for them river flooding is a remote risk. The US Census Bureau puts the median year built at 1962 and counts only about 3 per cent of households as renters, so most residents are owners of post-war houses with full basements. In heavy rain those basements take water in more ordinary ways: through foundation cracks and the joint between wall and floor, from a sump pump that fails when the power goes out, or from a floor drain that backs up when the sewer is overloaded. None of those is a flood in the insurance sense. FEMA notes that standard homeowners policies do not cover flood, and seepage and sewer backup are usually treated separately again.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; if you are near the Musquapsink or Pine Brook, a flood policy is worth pricing, and FEMA states a new policy normally takes 30 days to take effect. The county plan counts just 26 active flood policies in the township as of October 2024. Sign up for township alerts and follow National Weather Service flood watches. If you are away from the brook, put the effort into the basement: keep gutters clear and downspouts discharging well away from the foundation, test the sump pump before storm season and consider a battery backup, and read your homeowners policy for its sewer backup endorsement. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Washington Township, NJ flood?
Some streets do. FEMA counts 60 flood insurance claims in Bergen County's Washington Township, mainly from Irene, Ida, the April 2007 nor'easter and Floyd, and the county plan puts 7.46 per cent of its land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, largely along the Musquapsink Brook.
Which brook floods in Washington Township?
The Musquapsink Brook, which runs south through the township from Hillsdale toward Westwood. FEMA's flood study also maps Pine Brook in the township.
Is a wet basement in Washington Township a flood claim?
Usually not. Water seeping through walls or backing up from drains is generally not covered by flood insurance, and homeowners policies treat seepage and sewer backup in their own ways. Check your policy wording, and ask your insurer.
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