Second attempt at inaugural Anacostia River swim called off

For the second time this year, the inaugural Anacostia River Splash in Washington, D.C., has been postponed.

This marks the fourth time in two years the event has been postponed, with the first two instances occurring in 2023 due to heavy rain.

For over 50 years, nobody has been allowed to swim in the Anacostia River.

Originally scheduled for late June, organizers canceled the event due to high levels of E. coli in the river, prompting a rescheduling for this Saturday.

This time, Tropical Storm Beryl disrupted the weather forecasts, prompting organizers to once again postpone the swim, according to Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard.

“There’s thunderstorms predicted for all the end of this week, so it just didn’t look good for us,” Sherard told the Washington Post.

In 1971, pollution levels, primarily from human waste, were so severe that swimming in the Anacostia was banned.

Since then, nonprofit organizations and government agencies have been working to restore the ecological health of the river’s 8.4 miles.

The public swim was intended to temporarily lift the swimming ban to celebrate the river’s improved quality.

Their website promises to “provide a rare chance for residents to swim in and reconnect with the river.”

Sherard said a new date later this summer will be scheduled soon.

“This has been another little emotional roller coaster,” he said.

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Sherard also explained that Beryl’s landfall outside Houston is likely to affect the weather in the Washington region.

“Something the size of a tropical storm pulls water from the entire area around it,” he said, noting that such a disturbance affects weather patterns across hundreds of miles. “With our forecast, we’re seeing here now, it just wasn’t worth it to risk the splash.”