photo courtesy of Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood, NJ – July 2025 – The Ridgewood Board of Education is considering its next steps after two high school sports fields sustained $50,380 in flood damage during the July 14 rainstorm.
While some areas of New Jersey saw over 6.6 inches of rain, Ridgewood recorded 1.86 inches, but it was still enough to cause the Hohokus Brook to overflow, inundating both fields.
🌊 Flooding Hits Stadium Field and Stevens Field
School Superintendent Mark Schwarz explained at the July 21 BOE meeting that preventative measures—such as a wind screen on the stadium fencing and flood-resistant plantings around Stevens Field—helped minimize damage compared to the September 2023 flood.
However, he cautioned that flooding remains an ongoing challenge.
“Flooding is not going away any time soon,” Schwarz said. “The Army Corps of Engineers has offered assistance, but that’s a very long process. And the DEP prohibits any changes that increase water flow downstream. The issue isn’t just water, but the debris and material carried with it.”
🚧 Storm Cleanup & Infrastructure Concerns
Before the storm, gates around the fields were closed in anticipation of flooding. Afterward, walkways were cleared of silt, debris was removed from a footbridge, and minor damage was found on ramps leading to the bridge.
While the bridge itself wasn’t damaged, it protects a gas line, which may require a redesign for better flood resilience.
Another unexpected issue? Air bubbles formed under the artificial turf, causing it to bow and bubble. Schwarz noted that detention ponds beneath turf fields are no longer allowed, and raising the fields and stadium seating would be “crazy expensive.”
Even the new windscreen system meant to strain debris is untested.
“Increased pressure could rip or damage the screen,” Schwarz warned.
💡 Exploring Solutions for Future Flooding
Business Administrator Richard Matthews said his office is researching:
✅ Installing a similar fence and windscreen around Stevens Field
✅ A cover system for the stadium field to help with quicker post-storm cleanup
However, drainage remains a key concern.
“The vendor will review the anchorage system after cleanup, but we still need to understand how water will drain when the cover is removed,” Matthews said.
🏗 Long-Term Flood Control Efforts Underway
The Water Resources Development Act authorized a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study in December to analyze flooding patterns along Hohokus Brook and Saddle River. This study will help design both short- and long-term flood control solutions for the village.
For now, cleanup is expected to continue through next week but will be completed in time for the fall sports season.
📌 Key Takeaways
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$50,380 in flood damage from July 14 storm
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Artificial turf bubbling and debris cleanup underway
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Bridge protecting gas line may need redesign
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Army Corps flood study pending for long-term solutions
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Cleanup will be finished before fall sports season
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Idiot Festival.
We don’t care.
We will keep paying.
We are
RICH and STUPID
Grass field
Can we please stop talking about the fake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study, which was just a campaign talking point. The entire Ho-Ho-Kus Brook lies in a flood plain. The only solution is to realize you are in a flood plain and build accordingly. This is not complicated stuff.
Fields would be in use now if they were grass. By fall we will likely have another heavy rain event that delays re-opening even further. Artificial turf is not cost effective in a flood zone and decreases playing time. It’s time for it to be removed.
It’s the only solution, to the chagrin of the sports parents. Don’t like it, move to Waldwick.
There is no solution, and there will never be one. Mitigation can only be achieved by planting a sod field.
here’s an idea…put in grass
I know you take control mother God, but this is getting to be ridiculous. Every time the storms look what it’s costing. Can you imagine if you put all the money spent on storm damage in the past 10 years it’s gotta be a half 1 million. Let’s request that because I’m sure many of us are very curious.
How much money has been spent in the last 10 years fixing this????
Are you people stupid or what????
talk about pissing down a rabbit hole
our turf fields flood every time there is 2 inches of rain….
solution: lets build another turf field. this time we will ask the green ctee to cut down 100’s of trees so kids can play baseball on the side of a highway…..stupid is as stupid does
What was the rain level of the areas feeding into the HoHoKus river.
There was a flash flood warning due to the amount of rain in a very short period of time.
Simply stating how much rain fell is not the critical measurement.
I would assume doing some of what is suggested would increase the flow downstream and would not be allowed.
Pretty sure when the turf was allowed to replace the existing weed and mud field it was stated the turf would hold as much or more overflow from the river.
The concrete flood mitigation wall around vets field has directed more water to the river..
Waldwick received close to 6 inches hence the HoHoKus Brook got inundated.
This is inaccurate. The concrete flood mitigation wall does not direct more water to the HoHokus brook. Stadium and Stevens fields flood before water ever reaches the wall.
So where does the water go that the concrete wall diverts?
The fields are on a flood plain. It was intended to be a sports field because no other infrastructure could be put there because it is a flood plain.
That means a home should not be erected there, nor should an expensive turf field be put there, because turf fields cannot be subjected to flood conditions.
Why do people in the 21st-century think that the government and taxpayer money should be used to spend millions of dollars to make something that is a flood plain not a flood plain? Are these people ignoring science?
Why have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers analyze flooding patterns along the Hohokus Brook and Saddle River? The solution is not to build anything on a flood plain because the flood plain itself is the solution to flooding risk.
The answer is to put a traditional field there and use it as best we can. Additionally, when we need to find an another town or Partner such as the Waldwick bubble to allow us to use their fields in an emergency situation. This might mean allocating money to that partnership rather than spending it on a wasteful turf field that cannot be erected on a flood plain.
Build the field on the tennis courts side and make the existing field area parking/tennis court
End all sports.
How about cleaning out all catch basins throughout the town. How many did they clean out so far this year.
Water finds it’s own level…
So does stupidity