I’ve been sounding the alarm for a while now, and I’ll say it again: Don’t let your children, your dogs, or yourself swim, wade, play, or otherwise come into contact with the waters of Rock Creek and tributaries including Soapstone, Reservation 630, and Broad Branch. On a good day, they are polluted with bacteria and other nasties. On a bad day, such as after a rainstorm, the pollution can be off the charts.
In a way, Robert F. Kennedy Junior performed a public service when he posted on X about his Mother’s Day swim in the creek running through Dumbarton Oaks Park. It even made national news, and the reports rightfully pointed out the District’s prohibition on recreating in the waters of these streams, for the reasons above.
But the news reportage missed a key point: Rock Creek and its polluted tributaries have poor – if any – signage warning about the dangers.
In January 2023, I stumbled upon a pair of U.S. Geological Survey water technicians collecting samples from Rock Creek. One told me the E. coli levels were dangerously high, and asked me to warn people. Then I wondered: Where were the public health warnings?
As for warning signage, Rock Creek NPS first forwarded my question to Rock Creek Conservancy, which sent me an example of a sign the organization has placed at some locations:
“Stay safe while enjoying Rock Creek Park. Swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels.”
There’s also a warning online, if you know where to look for it, and know to scroll past the other National Park Service alerts.
But compare this to the warning signage posted by Montgomery County.
In the two and a half years since I started asking NPS and DC agencies about more prominent signage, no changes have been made in the parks, or in DC public space such as trailheads on Albemarle Street, Windom Place, and Broad Branch Road.
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Dan says
Thank you for raising awareness about this important issue. I found it especially ironic that a man who has endeavored to “protect” children from the alleged harms of vaccines would swim in polluted waters in front of small children.
Eric says
I found it Ironic too. But although the author of this opinion piece made a good point about the signage and I am not saying anything bad about her opinin piece but I would like to add that anyone with of rank as RFK Jr who has a whole security team, media team and has safety briefings anytime he goes into public means he would have been told about the pollution in the creek. Not to mention public visits of people of his rank who brings a whole top level and armed security team would most likely notify the Park service of his visit. But that is just my opinion. lol
Marchant Wentworth says
Ms. Berlin: Thanks for renewing the call for the need for more polluted water signs on Rock Creek and throughout the area. It provoked me to search through my archives and found a pic of a hairy hippy and one of the polluted water signs installed during friendlier times in 1972. The NPS is obviously not much help. The Conservancy’s signs, while nice, fail to convey any where near the urgency as you mentioned in your post. Cheers, Lucky
Leslie says
In general, Rock Creek Park is showing signs of deep neglect by the NPS. Weeds are waist high on previously mowed areas, broken railings (especially on the parkway) stay strewn posing a hazard for runners and bikers, busted bike shares left by the trails seem to be permanent fixtures, and trash now seems to have nobody to clean it up. I can only imagine the decline in the water quality, which is impossible to see with the naked eye. It seems as if the budget cuts have already taken maintenance and upkeep to zero. Sad since the park is a real treasure for the city.
Dallas Cook says
People complain about not enough signage to warn about the polluted Creek but, what efforts are being made to clean up the pollution in the creek? That’s where RFK Jr might help. He forced the big polluters to clean up the Hudson River.
Marchant Wentworth says
Mr. Cook: Thanks for your post. RFKs work on forcing GE to clean up was certainly stellar. Circumstances are different in Rock Creek. Here, leaking sewers from a more than century old system plague the Creek. I have detailed the problem in my report “Leaking Sewers on Rock Creek” available to download from my website: http://www.wentworthgreenstratrgies.com.
Robert J Parker says
Four words: Ganges River Swim Club.
Unclutch your pearls,
Did RFK Jr die? Did he get sick? Ear infection?
Grandkids OK?
Focus all of your hysterics on cleaning up the creek.. That’s the issue.
Gawain Kripke says
I agree the signage could be better, but I tend to agree that this is an opportunity to look toward cleaning up Rock Creek. I’d love to swim in the creek and have that as.a bucket list goal. There are actions happening to improve things – the Piney Branch tunnel should have a postiive impact. And a new renovation of Normanstone Run – a very dirty tributary – might improve things. I wrote a little blog: https://open.substack.com/pub/niawag/p/a-swimmable-creek?r=9kmoz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false.
FHC says
This is great, Gawain. And to the rest of our readers, Gawain Kripke serves on a downstream ANC: 3C. We recommend that you read his blog post if you’d like to know more about potential pollution sources and the challenges of cleaning it up.