(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing backlash after revealing he let his grandchildren swim in a Washington, D.C., creek known to be heavily contaminated with sewage runoff and dangerous bacteria levels.
In a post to X on Sunday, Kennedy shared that he had spent Mother’s Day enjoying nature with his family, including a dip in Rock Creek with his young grandchildren.
“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,” he wrote.
However, critics quickly pointed out that Rock Creek is far from safe for human contact. The waterway, which runs through Washington, D.C., has been flagged for years as a health hazard due to untreated sewage flowing directly into it.
“[O]n July 14, 2015, the D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment found bacteria levels over 2,420 times the most probable number of colonies in 100 milliliters (MPN),” environmental consultant Marchant Wentworth warned in a Washington Post opinion piece. “This is far in excess of the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 410 MPN.”
The National Park Service explicitly prohibits any form of swimming or wading in Rock Creek. Its official website cautions: “Swimming and wading are not allowed due to high bacteria levels. Stay out of the water to protect streambanks, plants and animals and keep you and your family (including pets!) safe from illness.”
The agency further warns that the creek contains “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.” It urges all visitors to stay on trails and out of the creek, emphasizing that a swim ban applies to all D.C. waterways.
Kennedy, known for his environmental activism, did not respond publicly to the criticism following his post. The incident has drawn renewed attention to both the condition of urban waterways and the importance of heeding public health advisories—even from those in charge of enforcing them.
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