Storm Damage Forces Closure of Ridgewood School Fields: How Did Local Flooding Get This Bad?
RHS Field 1903 photo, other photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Following recent severe storms that swept across Bergen County, Ridgewood Public Schools announced the immediate closure of all Board of Education (BOE) athletic fields, including the High School Stadium, Stevens, and several non-turf properties.
Cleanup operations are currently underway, with all BOE fields closed through Monday, August 3rd, and Tuesday, August 4th. District officials plan to assess the full extent of the damage before releasing a complete timeline for safe reopening.
As crews work to restore the grounds, the closures have reignited a longstanding community debate: Why is flooding in Ridgewood reaching critical levels so frequently?
A History of High Water: The $48 Million Referendum
While recent weather patterns have been severe, local residents know that flooding at the high school field is far from a new phenomenon. Historical records show the area has flooded regularly during major rain events dating back as far as 1890.
Despite its location in a known floodplain, the site became the center of a major municipal decision in 2009, when voters approved a $48 million referendum to install artificial turf at the Ridgewood High School Stadium Field.
At the time, community members and environmental advocates fiercely debated the project, raising serious concerns:
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Paving over Natural Drainage: Replacing natural soil and vegetation with non-porous turf materials in a floodplain limits natural groundwater absorption.
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Downstream Runoff: Increased runoff from heavy rain events pushes excess water directly into surrounding infrastructure and nearby fields.
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Long-Term Maintenance: Turfed fields exposed to repeated flooding face frequent sediment buildup, requiring costly cleanup and emergency field shutdowns.
Looking Ahead: Addressing Infrastructure and Environmental Limits
As the Village of Ridgewood handles yet another round of storm cleanup and field closures, local leaders and taxpayers face ongoing questions about long-term stormwater management and land-use planning.
While field upgrades aim to expand athletic facility access, recent severe storms demonstrate that artificial turf in a natural floodplain comes with compounding environmental challenges.
District officials urge families and sports teams to check official Ridgewood Public Schools updates regarding field conditions and safety clearances before heading out.
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It is time for the artificial turf to be removed. It should never have been installed in a flood zone. Besides the environmental and health issues it is not feasible to continuously repair. If they were grass they would be playing on them today.
Hilarious !
If only someone had predicted this.
I did 15 years ago, and everyone told me to shut my mouth. You just listen to to us .I say, their plan is backfiring. They wanted to turf everything, so they can get rid of employees just like the board of Ed maintenance department, what a disaster.
How about putting out the vacuum truck to clean the basement in town. Can the village director tell us the taxpayers how many catch basins have been cleaned out this year. And what about how many person drainage pipes were cleaned out, because in the past six years, the same streets are flooding. I’ve been in town for 50 years and I don’t see the same maintenance being done. I used to see the vacuum truck out pretty much every day. And they will be sucking out catch basin, cleaning lines, cleaning ditches out they have fallen way behind.
Yes so very true. We need a list of all water ways that have been cleaned out this past year
To the thumb’s down 🖕🏼
We also a list of who is receiving stipends in the village.
1-stipend list of names
2-how much are they receiving in that stipend?
3-why are they receiving that typing?
4-who authorized the stipend
5-how long will babies be receiving that stipend?
6-is that stipend going into their pension.
7-and are they certified for their position meaning have they been tested, or just given the job.
I was living in Ridgewood during the TURF WAR, the proponents of artificial turf were very combative AND AGGRESSIVE. Frankly it was bullying. so now we pay more to fix it.
It was also the era of the flooded police cars following Million dollar post hurricane repairs.
rESIDENTS NEED TO ATTEND MUNICIPAL MEETINGS – N OT JUST COMPLAIN ONLINE
Now that there is 15 years worth of data let’s see the actual cost versus what was projected to be saved. Would also like to see how many more days the artificial fields were out of commission compared to the natural grass fields in town.