Flooding in Woodland Park, New Jersey: the record, the rivers, and what to do
Woodland Park, called West Paterson until 2009, is where the Peckman River runs into the Passaic. Much of the borough is high ground, but the land near the two rivers has a long flood history, much of it sudden.
FEMA counts 661 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Woodland Park and lists 115 properties as repetitive-loss properties. That is fewer than its neighbours on the Passaic, but the borough's risk is concentrated along the lower Peckman River, which the Army Corps of Engineers describes as a flash-flood river also backed up by the Passaic. The Corps counts 558 buildings across Woodland Park and Little Falls in the Peckman's 100-year floodplain. A diversion project has been authorised and funded but not yet built.
The short version
- FEMA records 661 flood insurance claims in Woodland Park, 184 of them from Hurricane Irene.
- FEMA lists 115 repetitive-loss properties in the borough, 16 of them severe repetitive loss.
- The Army Corps describes the Peckman as a flash-flood river also backed up by the Passaic, with 558 structures in its 100-year floodplain across Woodland Park and Little Falls.
- Floyd in 1999, a flash flood in August 2018 and Ida in 2021 are the Peckman floods on record.
- A Peckman diversion project was authorised in 2020 and funded in 2022; construction has not been announced.
What the claim record shows
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data record 661 claims in Woodland Park over the life of the programme. Because the borough was West Paterson until 1 January 2009, older documents and maps may use that name. The heaviest year was 2011, with 236 claims, and FEMA attributes 184 of the borough's claims to Hurricane Irene. The next largest named events are the April 2007 nor'easter with 90 claims, the March 2010 nor'easter with 72 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999 with 56. FEMA's multiple-loss list, as of 2 August 2026, includes 115 Woodland Park properties, 16 of them in the severe repetitive loss category. The US Census Bureau counts 5,534 housing units and 13,355 residents. Much of the borough rises toward Garret Mountain, a county reservation, so the flood risk is not spread evenly: it sits with the homes and businesses on the low ground by the rivers.
Where the Peckman meets the Passaic
USGS traces the Peckman River for about seven and a half miles from Verona Lake Dam through Cedar Grove and Little Falls to its confluence with the Passaic in Woodland Park. It is a small river: USGS measures a drainage area of 7.82 square miles at its Little Falls gauge, compared with 762 square miles for the Passaic at Little Falls. The Army Corps of Engineers, in its feasibility study with NJDEP, describes flooding on the Peckman as primarily flash flooding together with backwater flooding from the Passaic. In practice that means two kinds of event at the same spot: a sudden rise on the Peckman during intense local rain, and a slower one when a high Passaic stops the Peckman draining. When both happen in the same storm, the lower river has nowhere to go.
The flash floods on record
The Corps names Woodland Park and Little Falls as the municipalities with the most significant flooding problems in the Peckman basin, and counts a combined 558 structures in the 100-year floodplain and 632 in the 500-year floodplain that are affected by Peckman flash flooding. Its study summary records one life lost in Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 and damage in both towns from a flash flood on 11 August 2018, a summer storm rather than a named one. The borough reports that the remnants of Ida in September 2021 caused significant damage and loss of life, and the mayor has said the project has been a priority since Floyd. On the Passaic, the Singac gauge upstream reached 11.45 feet after Ida, and set its record of 12.44 feet in December 2023.
The Army Corps plan for the Peckman
Congress authorised a study of the Peckman River in 2000. The plan the Army Corps recommended in 2020 has four main parts: a 1,500-foot double box culvert to divert floodwater from the Peckman into the Passaic; channel modification near its inlet; about 2,170 feet of levees and floodwalls around the inlet plus about 1,207 feet near Little Falls High School; and voluntary elevation or floodproofing of up to 58 buildings in the most frequently flooded area. The structural parts are designed for the 2 per cent annual chance flood. The Corps summary states that NJDEP, Little Falls and Woodland Park all support the plan, and that it will not eliminate all flood risk. Congress authorised construction in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, and in January 2022 the borough announced that the Corps would fully fund it. This guide has not found a published construction start date.
What this means if you own or rent here
On the high ground, basement water more often comes from a failed sump pump or a backed-up drain than from a river. If you live near the Peckman or the Passaic, plan for both kinds of flood. For the Peckman, a flash flood warning is the signal; there may be very little time, so move cars and valuables when intense rain is forecast and never walk or drive into moving water. For the Passaic, the National Weather Service forecasts for the Little Falls and Singac gauges give a day or more of notice. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, and FEMA states that a new flood policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase. According to the US Census Bureau, 37 per cent of Woodland Park homes are rented. A landlord's policy does not protect a tenant's belongings, and whether a given loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Woodland Park, NJ flood?
Parts of it do. FEMA counts 661 flood insurance claims in the borough. The risk is concentrated near the lower Peckman River and the Passaic; much of the borough is higher ground. Check a specific address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Why does the Peckman River flood so suddenly?
The Army Corps of Engineers describes Peckman flooding as primarily flash flooding from a small, quick-responding basin, made worse when a high Passaic River backs water up the Peckman. Intense local rain can raise it far faster than the Passaic.
Is the Peckman River project being built?
It was authorised by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, and the borough announced full Army Corps funding in January 2022. This guide has not found a published construction start date; the borough and the Army Corps New York District are the places to ask.
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