About 70,000 people live in just over three square miles here, making this one of the most densely populated cities in New Jersey. Its eastern edge is the riverbank itself, with Wallington, Garfield and Rutherford on the far side and Clifton wrapping around the other three sides. Below the old Dundee Dam the river is tidal, and the city grew up along that water in the nineteenth century, when the Dundee Canal fed textile, rubber and wire factories.
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Apartment Towers and Walk-Ups: Leaks That Cross Unit Lines
Housing in the city ranges from large older homes to mid-rise and high-rise buildings such as the 21-story Carlton Tower, Passaic Towers and Presidential Towers. In stacked housing, one failure tends to become several people's problem. A toilet supply line that bursts on an upper floor sends water down through ceilings, light fixtures and wall cavities, and a clogged main stack can push sewage into ground-floor units.
- Shut off the water at the fixture or the unit valve if you can reach it, then alert building management or the superintendent.
- Unit owners in a cooperative or condominium should check their association's rules on which repairs fall to the building and which to the owner.
- Renters should report damage to the landlord in writing and document their own belongings for renter's insurance.
- Ask that the units below the leak be checked, even if no water is visible yet.
The Riverfront, Route 21 and Buried Weasel Brook
Route 21 runs along the east side of the city, partly on the filled bed of the old Dundee Canal. Weasel Brook, which rises in Clifton and travels much of its length through underground pipe, empties into the river near the highway. When heavy rain coincides with a high river, local drainage has nowhere to go quickly, and water can collect in low streets and seep into basements near the riverfront.
The larger river floods come from upstream. When the remnants of Irene stalled over North Jersey in August 2011, rivers across the basin rose to record or near-record levels, and Passaic County recorded more claims for federal disaster aid than any other county in the state. Ida's downpours in 2021 brought a different hazard, flash flooding of streets and basements across the region within hours.
Old Industrial Buildings and Mixed-Use Properties
The city's population doubled between 1860 and 1880 and reached about 25,000 by 1900 as mills such as Botany Worsted and the Okonite wire works expanded. Where brick buildings from that era survive as warehouses, shops or apartments, their age shows up in water problems. Older masonry absorbs water and releases it slowly, roofs on large flat buildings pond after storms, and decades-old drain lines are prone to blockages.
For storefronts and mixed-use buildings, quick water extraction and a documented drying plan help limit business interruption and keep stock off wet floors. Owners should photograph damage and keep receipts for any emergency work.
When Old Sewer Lines Push Back Into Basements
In a dense city with older sewer connections, a heavy storm can push wastewater back up through basement floor drains, toilets and laundry tubs. That water carries bacteria and should not be mopped up like a clean leak. A provider handling sewage cleanup will remove contaminated porous items, clean and disinfect hard surfaces, and dry the area with the space closed off from the rest of the building. Keep children and pets out, wear gloves and boots, and discard any food the water touched. Afterward, ask a plumber whether a backwater valve on your building's sewer line makes sense.
Mold in Crowded, Humid Housing
Summers here are humid, and the county's wettest month on average is September. Apartments with limited ventilation, bathrooms without exhaust fans and basements that flooded before are where mold most often takes hold. Clean small spots on hard surfaces promptly, use bathroom and kitchen fans, and keep a dehumidifier running in below-grade rooms. If growth returns after cleaning, spreads across drywall or keeps coming back in the same corner, the moisture source needs to be found and fixed; professional mold remediation deals with both the growth and the cause.
Neighborhoods and Nearby Communities
Calls come in from across Passaic, including:
- Passaic Park
The same line also serves nearby communities such as:
Passaic Water Damage Questions
Water from the apartment above damaged my unit in Passaic. What should I do first?
Make sure the source is being stopped, which may mean getting the superintendent to shut a valve in the other unit. Turn off power to wet light fixtures if you can do so safely. Photograph the ceilings, walls and your belongings, and notify the landlord or association in writing. The building owner is usually responsible for drying and repairing the structure.
Is the riverfront side of Passaic more likely to flood?
Properties near the river and in low spots close to Route 21 face more risk from both river flooding and slow storm drainage, especially when heavy rain arrives while the river is high. Elevation varies block to block, so look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and keep an eye on National Weather Service flood warnings for the area.
Is a sewer backup covered by insurance?
Many standard homeowners and renters policies exclude sewer and drain backup unless a specific endorsement was added, and flood insurance treats it differently again depending on the cause. Check your policy for a water backup rider and call your insurer before major cleanup begins, while documenting everything with photos.