Millions of litres of sewage spills into this creek every year. RFK Jr just went swimming in it
Washington: US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr posted photos on the weekend of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a contaminated Washington creek where swimming is not allowed because it is used for sewer run-off.
Rock Creek, which flows through much of north-west Washington, DC, is used to drain excess sewage and stormwater during rainfall. The creek has widespread fecal contamination and high levels of bacteria, including E. coli. The city has banned swimming in all of its waterways for more than 50 years because of the widespread contamination of Rock Creek and other nearby rivers.
'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 National Park Service wrote in an advisory on its website, adding 'All district waterways are subject to a swim ban – this means wading, too!'
But Kennedy over the weekend shared photos of himself swimming in Rock Creek, with one image showing him completely submerged in the water. Kennedy said in the social media post that he had gone for the swim during a Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with his family – including his grandchildren, who are also seen in the photos swimming in the contaminated water.
Dumbarton Oaks Park is downstream from Piney Branch, a tributary of Rock Creek that receives about 150 million litres of untreated sewage and stormwater overflow each year, according to the DC Water and Sewer Authority. City authorities are planning to build a tunnel that will reduce the amount of sewage that flows into Piney Branch and Rock Creek.
Loading
A spokesperson for Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment.
It was the latest in a series of peculiar incidents related to Kennedy's outdoorsman persona.
As a teen in the 1970s, Kennedy earned a reputation as a reckless adventurer, eating bushmeat and enduring disease on trips to South America and on African safaris. He later earned notoriety for his handling of the carcasses of dead animals, including a whale and a baby bear.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
4 days ago
- ABC News
A Premier ousted, life in Gaza right now + banning e-scooters
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has been forced out of the top job and will request a snap election. And as pressure mounts on Israel to allow more aid to reach those at risk of starvation in Gaza, we hear a first-hand account of what life's like in the war zone. Plus, a fatal collision has prompted Perth to suspend e-scooter hires. Should they be banned everywhere? Listen now: 01:03 - Tasmania's political upheaval 04:35 - Inside Gaza 17:08 - Are e-scooters worth the dangers? Guests: Josh Duggan, reporter, ABC Hobart Josh Duggan, reporter, ABC Hobart Abeer Abou Mutlak, aid worker in Gaza Abeer Abou Mutlak, aid worker in Gaza Anna Lindstedt, injured by e-bike Anna Lindstedt, injured by e-bike Madison Bland, PhD candidate, Griffith University's Cities Research Institute Get the whole story from Hack:

ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Death of Perth pedestrian in e-scooter crash sparks calls for overhaul of rules
Pressure is mounting for a major overhaul of Western Australia's e-rideable laws following the death of a pedestrian in Perth's CBD on the weekend after he was hit by an e-scooter. It is alleged British tourist Alicia Kemp was three times over the legal blood alcohol limit when her rented e-scooter ploughed into a 51-year-old man at the weekend. Thahn Phan suffered critical injuries and later died in hospital. Ms Kemp has been charged with causing death while driving dangerously under the influence of alcohol. The incident has sparked debate about e-scooter regulations in WA, with Mr Phan's family calling for a review of safety measures for hired e-rideables. Pedestrian Council of Australia chief executive Harold Scruby said pedestrians had been left out of the conversation of e-scooter safety. "The whole thing is upside down," he told ABC Radio Perth. "Number one, they've put the pedestrians last. Number two, they've invented some penalties which are a joke. Number three, there's absolutely no enforcement." Mr Scruby said introducing a ban on e-scooters on footpaths was one way to prevent further harm. "Very few other states or territories allow [e-scooters] on a footpath or even a shared path," he said. "In the old days … [footpaths] were there to protect people from vehicles. Now we're inviting vehicles onto them, and they're high-speed vehicles." He said another solution could be to implement bans in the Perth city centre and other areas of high pedestrian traffic. WA's Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said it was clear not everyone was following the rules. "We have very strict regulations about the speed of e-scooters … and power of e-scooters, but its obvious we need to do more on compliance," she said. But Ms Saffioti said of equal concern was the modification of private e-scooters. "We have rules and regulations in relation to using e-scooters, but it's clear that some are modified and that they're roaming the streets," she said. "I'll talk to the minister for road safety [about] how we can do a joint compliance blitz, in particular in relation to the modification, because that seems to be the real issue." It comes after WA's Road Safety Commission last month released a review of the state's e-rideable road rules. It found that crash rates were relatively low, but many pedestrians felt unsafe using footpaths after experiencing near-misses. The report stated there was a "concerning" lack of compliance with e-rideable road rules, noting incidents of speeding, riding without a helmet and failing to give way to pedestrians. It recommended increased enforcement to encourage compliance on the roads, and a review of penalties for e-rideable offences, which were found to be weak in comparison to other states and territories. According to data from Royal Perth Hospital, between 2017 and 2022, 74 people either suffered a major head injury resulting from an e-rideable that requiring hospitalisation for more than 24 hours or died. In WA, e-scooters are permitted to reach up to 25 kilometres per hour on shared paths, bicycle paths and roads with a speed limit of 50 kph or less, but only 10 kph on footpaths. They are banned from pedestrian malls, on roads with a speed limit above 50 kph or roads with a median strip, and any road or carriageway with a 'no bicycles' sign. Only one rider can use the scooter at a time, and they must be over the age of 16. There is little consistency in e-scooter laws and penalties across Australia. In Queensland, the ACT and Tasmania, riders can be fined up to $150 if they are caught without a helmet, but in WA the penalty is just $50. Queensland also slashed the maximum speed limit for e-scooters on shared paths from 25 kph to 12 kph in late 2022 following concerns about pedestrian safety. Overseas, Korea, Spain and Sweden have banned e-rideables from footpaths completely. Only hire scheme e-rideables are permitted in the UK, while in Paris it is the opposite, with only private devices allowed.


Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
Son's intuition reveals Aussie Olympic gold medallist's pregnancy
Australian Winter Olympic gold medallist Torah Bright has announced she is pregnant with her third child. The 38-year-old former snowboarder has two sons with husband Angus Thomson — and she says it was their eldest who first revealed the latest addition. Bright said they are 'so excited' to become a family of five. 'The boys are hyped and so sweet with their baby growing in my belly!' she wrote. On Wednesday, Bright said they are not learning the gender until the baby arrives. 'But I'm feeling a third boy,' she said. The dual Olympic halfpipe medallist also shared that son Flow 'knew I was pregnant before I actually was'. 'A whole month before I conceived, he was telling people I had a baby in my belly,' Bright wrote. 'Maybe he already knows who this little soul is.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Bright said younger son Halo has also connected with the baby. 'Every night, Halo falls asleep holding my belly — and every morning, he wakes up and kisses it,' she said. 'Our hearts are expanding, and so is our family. So deeply grateful for this growing love. #PregnancyMagic #IntuitiveKids.' Bright made headlines in 2021 when she uploaded a photo of her breastfeeding baby Flow while performing a handstand to celebrate her first Mother's Day. 'Becoming a mother has unleashed something inside of me,' she wrote in the caption. 'It's deeply spiritual. It's primal. It's raw. it's fierce. It is pure.' The post immediately went viral, prompting Bright to address the negative reaction in a video. Bright shared an Instagram story clarifying the post. Credit: Instagram She said it was 'just a little bit of pure fun' and 'celebrating the bond between mother and child'. She also said she could 'understand how it's not everyone's taste' but lamented the judgement. 'Mothers, we need to encourage each other,' she said in the Instagram video. 'We need to lift each other up. We need to pay each other compliments. 'We need to support each other. We need to be each other's biggest cheerleaders because motherhood is so beautiful, but the reality is we are the only ones who know just how hard those hard moments are. 'And we need to have each other's back. Not compare each other and judge each other, because we all do think so differently. That's why it's so beautiful.' She finished the video by asking: 'But did anyone really think that's how I breastfed?'