Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made waves on by taking a dip in Rock Creek, despite bans against swimming in D.C. waters due to bacteria from sewage runoffs.
Mr. Kennedy — who made the equally curious decision to ditch his shirt but keep his jeans on for the swim — posted photos of two of his grandchildren joining him in submerging themselves under the water.
“Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,” Mr. Kennedy wrote Sunday afternoon on X.
Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek. pic.twitter.com/TXowaSMTFY
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 11, 2025
The National Park Service reupped an advisory in 2022 saying that swimming and wading are not allowed in Rock Creek because of contaminants in the water.
“Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health,” the advisory says.
“Please protect yourself and your pooches by staying on trails and out of the creek.
The NPS said all waterways in the city are covered by this swimming ban, which has been in place since 1971.
The District’s aging sewer system can be overwhelmed by rainstorms, which can cause untreated waste to run off into Rock Creek.
NPS said roughly 40 million gallons of sewage and stormwater flow from Piney Branch into Rock Creek during heavy rains each year. The bacteria travels from Rock Creek down into the Potomac River and even the Chesapeake Bay.
In 2022, pop star Lorde made headlines when she told a D.C. audience that she swam in the Potomac River before her show. The crowd responded with audible gasps and some uneasy chuckles.
