Washington, D.C., is in no hurry to make swimming in the Potomac River legal despite significant improvements made in the river’s water quality and bacterial levels. 

Under Washington law, swimming in the Potomac River has been illegal since 1971. At the time, Washington enacted a swimming ban to prevent illness due to concerns about high amounts of bacteria in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek. However, a new report from a coalition of environmental groups says that bacterial concerns are no longer a concern. The coalition’s three-year study determined five locations along the Potomac River tested for bacterial levels passed water quality standards more than 80% of the time.