'Chronic E. Coli' in Rock Creek—RFK Jr. Still Went Swimming
United States: US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is receiving heat after publishing pics of him and his grandchildren swimming in a decadent creek for a prolonged time.
NBC News reported that water at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., is under an official health advisory due to increased bacterial content.
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When Kennedy posted this picture on X Sunday, he was fully submerged. The National Park Service has issued a warning to the public to avoid getting in contact with water.
As the advisory stated, “Stay out of the water to protect streambanks, plants and animals and keep you and your family (including pets!) safe from illness,” US News reported.
“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,” it continued.
Furthermore, on X, Kennedy wrote that he had enjoyed “a swim with my grandchildren” during a family hike.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing criticism after posting photos of himself and his grandchildren swimming in Rock Creek Park on Mother’s Day. Swimming has been banned in Rock Creek since 1971. https://t.co/6vxoA9Qgp5
— HealthDay News (@HealthDayTweets) May 14, 2025
Swimming Ban Ignored
Swimming in the Rock Creek, the Potomac River, and adjacent waters has been banned since 1971 because of pollution, said NBC News.
A 2022 report from the DC Water and Sewer Authority showed “chronic elevated levels” of E. coli in Rock Creek.
Sewage and stormwater also contribute by adding dangerous bacteria to the waters. HHS has not issued comments to NBC News’ request for comment.
This is just one more of many episodes that have questioned Kennedy’s judgment.
Last year, the National Marine Fisheries Institute opened an investigation, according to the Associated Press, after they found out about Kennedy, who had allegedly cut off the head of a dead whale 20 years ago and took it home, US News reported.
Kennedy himself revealed the information at a Trump campaign event last year. He also claimed he used to pick up an injured bear cub in New York City with the intent to skin it and then abandoned it in Central Park, NBC News said.
