For one compelling account of why it’s a bad idea, just read the column on this web page by Emily Wilson, who recounts watching her son almost drown in the fast current.
The effort to create a kayak venue has had the unintended result of attracting a swarm of people who want to dive into the creek. Some of them are adding beer drinking and littering to the mix.
Here are just a few of the reasons to avoid swimming in the creek:
• It’s dirty. A heavy rain will fill it with sewage. The city has found up to a billion gallons of raw sewage and water flows into the creek each year during storms. That sewage contains bacteria, parasites and protozoa.
• It’s not safe. The recent work on the creek was designed to carry kayaks, not swimmers, swiftly down river. A thrill for a kayaker could easily be a terminal event for a swimmer.
• There are much better places to go swimming. The SplashZone offers a safe, fun place to cool off. Buck Creek State Park offers a free, sandy beach.
• Kids are swimming in the creek unsupervised. This is obviously something that shouldn’t be happening.
The swimmers are also discouraging the kayakers who must navigate around the people in their way. The two activities can’t coexist safely in Buck Creek.
There are signs to discourage swimmers, but they need to be better displayed.
If people continue to use Buck Creek as a beach venue, there could very likely be a tragic consequence. Just ask Emily Wilson.