Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared images of himself swimming with his grandchildren in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek on Sunday, May 11. This occurred despite longstanding warnings regarding high bacteria levels that render the waterway unsafe for human contact. Kennedy posted images on social media showing him fully submerged in the creek during a Mother’s Day gathering with family members at Dumbarton Oaks Park.
The 71-year-old official captioned the images: “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 photo shows Kennedy entirely underwater in the shallow creek, while others capture him interacting with family members along the contaminated waterway.
The National Park Service explicitly prohibits swimming and wading in Rock Creek due to serious health concerns. On its website, the agency warns visitors: “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 subject to a swim ban, which includes wading.
Washington, D.C. has prohibited swimming in all of its waterways for over 50 years due to widespread contamination. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Rock Creek contains “fecal contamination” from sewage and high levels of bacteria, including E. coli, making any water contact potentially hazardous.
The issue is especially concerning at Dumbarton Oaks Park, which is downstream from Piney Branch, a tributary that receives about 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, far exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 410.
It is uncertain whether Kennedy knew he was violating park rules or even knew about them.
Kennedy’s decision to swim in these waters is noteworthy given his role as the nation’s top health official. President Donald Trump appointed Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year, despite concerns from lawmakers about his unconventional health views. The Senate confirmed his nomination in February 2025.
In a recent Fox News interview, Kennedy characterized himself and his top allies at HHS as “renegades” and “juggernauts against convention.” His swim in Rock Creek aligns with this self-description, as he disregarded clear public health warnings about the water’s contamination.
This event adds to a series of unusual outdoor activities that have attracted public attention to Kennedy’s behavior. Last year, he disclosed that he once transported a roadkill bear cub from upstate New York with initial plans to skin and eat it, before 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 tied 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 joining 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 associated with 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 results 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 authorities 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 questionable activities like swimming in contaminated water is just as perplexing as his recent move to tackle the worst measles outbreak in 25 years by having government health agencies explore alternative treatments for the disease, such as Vitamin A.
