Health director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is receiving harsh criticism for sharing pictures of himself and his children swimming in Rock Creek, a waterway in Washington, DC that is legally prohibited from swimming because of high levels of bacterial contamination. On Sunday, Kendall posted the photos on social media, stating that he had hiked to Dumbarton Oaks Park on Mother’s Day and then “went for a snorkel with my children, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek.” In one photo, a 71-year-old was clearly playing in the creek with children who were also clearly visible in the water. Rock Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is known to be hazardous for any kind of waters email. The National Park Service has long been warning that” Rock Creek has large amounts of bacteria and other viral diseases that make swimming, swimming, and other contact with the water a threat to human ( and animal ) health.” These recommendations have been in place for more than five decades, and a proper float ban has been in effect since 1971, according to ABC News. The DC Water and Sewer Authority estimates that Piney Branch, which receives an estimated 40 million litres of untreated sewage and rainwater overflow annually, is located river of the location where Kennedy was. The creek’s spare flow is being reduced by a tunnel project currently live. A 2022 DC state bacteria report confirmed” serious increased rates” of E cholera in Rock Creek, per NBC News. The lake is also referred to as having “fecal pollution” from sewage discharge, which gets worse when it rains. Despite these instructions, Kennedy, who is now in the Trump administration, has a history of getting attention for his exploits outdoors. He previously admitted that a parasitic insect “got into my brain, ate a part of it, and therefore died,” according to The New York Times. He also described ridiculous encounters with useless animals, such as trying to skin a bear cub and bringing a dolphin carcass into the field. Concerns about Kennedy’s judgment and apparent disrespect for public health warnings rapidly grew. Stay away from the water to safeguard streambanks, plants, and other aquatic life, as well as your family ( including pets )! safe from illness,” the Park Service directly reprimands on its site.
