Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted photos of himself swimming with his grandchildren in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek on Sunday, May 11, despite long-standing advisories regarding high bacteria levels that render the waterway unsafe for humans.
Kennedy shared images on social media showing him fully submerged in the creek during a Mother’s Day outing with family at Dumbarton Oaks Park.
The 71-year-old official captioned the photos: “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.” One image depicts Kennedy completely underwater in the shallow creek, while others show him interacting with family members near the polluted waterway.
The National Park Service strictly prohibits swimming and wading in Rock Creek due to significant health concerns. The agency informs visitors on its website: “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 clearly states that all District waterways are under a swim ban, which includes wading.
Washington, D.C. has restricted swimming in all of its waterways for over 50 years due to extensive contamination. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Rock Creek contains “fecal contamination” from sewage and elevated bacteria levels, including E. coli, making water contact potentially hazardous.
The situation is particularly concerning at Dumbarton Oaks Park, located downstream from Piney Branch, a tributary that receives roughly 40 million gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater overflow annually, according to the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. In 2015, the D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment found bacteria levels in Rock Creek that were 2,420 times the most probable number of colonies in 3.4 ounces, significantly exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 410.
It remains unclear whether Kennedy was aware he was violating park rules or if he knew about them at all.
Kennedy’s choice to swim in these waters is notable given his role as the nation’s top health official. President Donald Trump appointed Kennedy to head the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year, amid concerns from lawmakers across the political spectrum about his unconventional health views. The Senate confirmed his nomination in February 2025.
In a recent Fox News interview, Kennedy described himself and his key allies at HHS as “renegades” and “juggernauts against convention.” His swim in Rock Creek seems to align with this self-characterization, as he ignored clear public health warnings about the water’s contamination.
This incident is one in a series of unusual outdoor episodes that have attracted public attention to Kennedy’s actions. Last year, he disclosed that he once transported a roadkill bear cub from upstate New York with plans to skin and consume it, before eventually abandoning it in New York City’s Central Park. His daughter has also recounted how Kennedy once used a chainsaw to remove the head of a dead whale that washed ashore in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, before driving back to New York with it secured to the roof of his minivan.
During his teenage years in the 1970s, Mr. Kennedy became known for his daring exploits, which included consuming bushmeat and facing illnesses while traveling through South America and embarking on safaris in Africa.
Kennedy has been open about his personal health struggles as well. Court documents revealed that doctors informed him in 2010 that a parasitic worm had entered his brain and died there. The condition, known as neurocysticercosis, is linked to larvae from pork tapeworms and can cause seizures, headaches, blindness, blurred vision, dizziness, psychosis, or memory loss. A spokesperson for Kennedy told The New York Times in 2024 that the issue had been resolved more than a decade ago.
The secretary has also discussed experiencing mercury poisoning, which he attributed to consuming fish with high mercury levels. Kennedy stated that tests showed his blood containing “sky-high” levels of mercury, requiring chelation therapy to remove the metals from his body. He has maintained that he has fully recovered from these health incidents.
The contamination in Rock Creek arises from Washington, D.C.’s aging sewer system, which in some areas is more than 200 years old. According to reporting by Marchant Wentworth of Wentworth Green Strategies, many of Rock Creek’s tributaries run close to century-old sewage pipes that are cracked and leaking. The problem worsens after heavy rainfall but remains dangerous even during dry periods. The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority recently discovered a 200-foot-long fracture in the ceiling of a sewer tunnel adjacent to Rock Creek.
City officials have plans to construct a tunnel that will reduce the amount of sewage flowing into Piney Branch and Rock Creek, though this project has not yet been completed. Despite posted signage detailing the risks and federal warnings, people occasionally still swim or wade in the contaminated waters.
Kennedy’s office did not respond to multiple media outlets’ requests for comment about his decision to swim in Rock Creek or potential health concerns related to the contaminated water.
Kennedy’s decision to immerse himself and his grandchildren in activities like swimming in contaminated waters is as perplexing as his recent approach to addressing the worst measles outbreak in 25 years by having government health agencies explore alternative treatments for the disease, such as Vitamin A.
