Montgomery County, Maryland, officials are weighing stronger enforcement against swimming in the Potomac River following a pair of drownings.
“We’ve had conversations about what we can do with additional signage or enforcement. Obviously, it’s tricky because the Potomac River is quite long and people can enter at various stages, but we have had a discussion about what we can do to try and address this issue in concert with U.S. Park Police,” Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard said in a media briefing Wednesday.
The county has jurisdiction over parts of the river, while the National Park Service oversees others, including Great Falls Park in Virginia.
Park officials say on the park’s website that swimming is banned and that violators can be punished with “a $200 or more fine and appearance in federal court or even formal arrest.”
The consideration of stricter enforcement comes after two people drowned recently after swimming in the Potomac.
A 16-year-old boy, unnamed by authorities, went missing in the river on the morning of July 2. His body was recovered on July 3, the Montgomery County Police Department said in a release.
Police spokesperson Degan Bartels confirmed to Bethesda Today that the boy died due to drowning. He had entered the river near Great Falls, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service public information officer David Pazos said on social media.
Towson University student Nazir Bell, 20, went missing while swimming in the river near Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park on June 13, with his body recovered on June 16, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service public information officer Pete Piringer said on social media.
Great Falls Park officials said on its website that although the river looks placid, it has invisible currents and whirlpools that can drag people underwater or trap them under rocks.
Around 72% of all river incidents involve people who waded in or slipped off rocks, and 51% of all injuries sustained in the Potomac River Gorge are fatal, park officials said.
Although signs are posted along the Potomac’s length to inform people that swimming there is illegal, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Chief Dan Ogren told Bethesda Today that many people tell the service’s crews that they didn’t know it was forbidden.
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