Flooding in Wayne, New Jersey: the record, the rivers, and what to do
Wayne sits where the Pompton River meets the Passaic, and the flood insurance record shows it. Here is what FEMA, the National Weather Service and the state have published about where the water goes and what has been done about it.
FEMA counts 6,318 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Wayne Township, the highest total of any town in Passaic County, and lists 476 Wayne properties as repetitive-loss properties. The flooding comes from two rivers: the Pompton along the township's western side and the Passaic, which it joins at Two Bridges. Since 2011 the state has announced two federal grants to buy flood-prone Wayne homes from willing sellers.
The short version
- FEMA records 6,318 flood insurance claims in Wayne, the most in Passaic County, including 1,543 in 2011 alone.
- FEMA lists 476 Wayne repetitive-loss properties, 229 of them severe repetitive loss, as of August 2026.
- The Pompton joins the Passaic at Two Bridges; a high Passaic backs water up the Pompton into Wayne streets.
- National Weather Service impact lists name Hoffman Grove, Two Bridges, Riverside Drive, Fayette Avenue and Route 46.
- The state announced FEMA grants to buy out about 56 Wayne homes in 2011 and about 114 severe repetitive loss properties in 2014.
The largest flood claim record in the county
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data, grouped by community, show 6,318 claims in Wayne over the life of the program. Many properties have claimed more than once. The worst single year was 2011, with 1,543 claims, a year in which the National Weather Service gauges around Wayne recorded major floods in March and again with Irene in August. The next heaviest years were 2010 with 624 claims, 1984 with 596 and 2005 with 571. By named event, FEMA attributes 803 Wayne claims to Hurricane Irene, 621 to the March 2010 nor'easter, 553 to the April 2007 nor'easter and 549 to late winter storms. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, list 476 Wayne properties as repetitive-loss properties, 229 of them in the severe repetitive loss category. The US Census Bureau counts 18,938 housing units in the township.
Two rivers, meeting at the township's edge
The Pompton River is formed just south of Pompton Lakes where the Ramapo and Pequannock meet, and USGS puts its drainage area at 355 square miles at the Pompton Plains gauge. It runs south for about eight miles with Wayne on its eastern bank and Pequannock and Lincoln Park on the other, then enters the Passaic at Two Bridges. By the Singac gauge beside Interstate 80 the Passaic drains about 740 square miles. When the Passaic is high it holds the Pompton back: the National Weather Service notes that at 8.5 feet on the Singac gauge, Fairfield Road, Fayette Avenue and Riversedge Road in Wayne can flood as water backs up the Pompton River. Streets near the confluence can therefore flood from a river they do not sit beside.
Which gauge describes which neighbourhood
The National Weather Service publishes stage-by-stage impact statements, and four gauges name places in Wayne. On the Passaic at Little Falls, where flood stage is 7 feet, parts of Hoffman Grove see nuisance flooding at 6 feet, low-lying areas near Two Bridges flood at 6.5, the "Old" Wayne area floods at 8, and at 9 feet the Weather Service expects widespread flooding throughout Wayne and Lincoln Park with many evacuations. At 9.5 feet Route 46 is subject to closures and Riverside Drive floods. On the Pompton at Pompton Plains, flooding reaches West View Road and the Lower Riverview community at 18 feet, when the first evacuations begin. On the Pompton at Midwood, Hoffman Grove in the Mountain View section begins to flood at 9.5 feet and the Fayette Avenue area at 12. On the Passaic at Singac, Hobson Avenue and Riverlawn Drive begin to flood at 8.5 feet and Finns Drive, Siesta Drive and Market Street at 10.
The floods on record
The highest crest on the Pompton at Pompton Plains is 25.24 feet on 29 August 2011, during Irene, against a major flood stage of 19 feet. The same gauge reached 24.47 feet in April 1984, 22.77 feet in March 2010 and 21.21 feet in December 2023. On the Passaic at Little Falls, Irene crested at 14.19 feet on 30 August 2011, more than five feet above major stage and a day after the Pompton peaked. The Singac gauge, which has run since late 2012, set its record of 12.44 feet on 20 December 2023, and reached 11.95 feet in January 2024 and 11.45 feet after Ida in September 2021. At 12 feet there Willowbrook Boulevard begins to flood as Naachtpunkt Brook backs up. These are slow, broad river floods, not flash floods.
Buyouts: homes returned to open space
Wayne has used federal mitigation money to buy and demolish some of its most often flooded homes. In December 2011 the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management announced a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant to acquire approximately 56 residences in Wayne, with the state's Blue Acres programme paying the local share. In October 2014 it announced a FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance grant to buy out approximately 114 severe repetitive loss properties in the township, with the grant covering the full acquisition cost. Participation is voluntary, and the land is kept as open space. This guide has not found a published total of completed Wayne buyouts, and FEMA still lists 229 severe repetitive loss properties in the township.
What this means if you own or rent here
Whether a particular Wayne address is in a mapped flood zone is shown on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; a large township on high ground and low ground does not have a single risk level. If you live near either river, bookmark the Little Falls, Singac and Pompton Plains gauge pages and learn the stage at which your street appears in the impact list. River floods here build over a day or more, which leaves time to move cars, lift belongings off the basement floor. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, and FEMA states that a new flood policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase. About 21 per cent of Wayne homes are rented, according to the US Census Bureau; a landlord's policy does not protect a tenant's belongings, so renters need their own contents cover. Whether a given loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Wayne, NJ flood?
Yes, repeatedly. FEMA counts 6,318 flood insurance claims in Wayne Township, the highest total in Passaic County. Most come from river flooding on the Pompton and Passaic.
Which parts of Wayne flood?
National Weather Service impact statements name Hoffman Grove, the Two Bridges area, "Old" Wayne, Riverside Drive, Fayette Avenue, Riversedge Road, Hobson Avenue, Riverlawn Drive, West View Road and the Lower Riverview community, along with Route 46 and the Willowbrook Mall area. For an individual address, check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Which river gauge should Wayne residents watch?
For the Passaic side, the Passaic River at Little Falls (flood stage 7 feet) and at Singac (minor flood stage 8.5 feet). For the Pompton side, the Pompton River at Pompton Plains (minor flood stage 16 feet). All three have forecasts on the National Weather Service water site.
Does Wayne still buy out flooded homes?
Wayne has taken part in FEMA-funded acquisitions announced by the state in 2011 and 2014, and New Jersey's Blue Acres programme buys flood-prone homes from willing sellers. Ask the township and NJDEP Blue Acres about current eligibility; participation is voluntary.
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