Politics & Government

Potomac River: Placid Surface, Deadly Currents

Undercurrents in the Potomac River—in which two people have drowned in the past two weeks—are stronger than an Olympic swimmer, a park official told Patch.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be wrung through a washing machine?

It’s a lot like swimming in the Potomac River in the few miles south of Great Falls, thanks to a strong undercurrent below the surface of the water, Jon James, Deputy Superintendent of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, said.

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Not convinced and want to give it a try yourself? You’ll be risking your life—two people have drowned in the Potomac River near Great Falls in the past two weeks, Patch reported on June 26 andJuly 1.

And, if you survive the swim but get caught by park or river police, you might be facing a fine and community service. It’s illegal to swim in the Potomac River—because it’s just that dangerous.

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“It looks safe and then there’s an undercurrent,” James told Patch.

“People are very lulled into complacency about the surface of the river.” At most of the locations below Great Falls, including the Potomac Gorge area—near where the two men recently drowned—“the river is deceptively calm looking. That doesn’t really show what’s happening in the water,” James said. 

U.S. Park Police have been keeping statistics since 1972 for river deaths around the Potomac Gorge area. Between January 2001 and September 2011, there were 674 river-related incidents (anything from pulling people out of the water to actual drownings).

That number includes 22 drownings, 109 near misses (meaning that those people very nearly drowned) and 543 illegal water entries, James explained.

In an exhibit on the Virginia side of the falls, a Fairfax County search and rescue worker is quoted likening being caught by the undercurrent to being thrown in a washing machine with an up-and-down agitating motion that “sucks you in and spits you out,” James said.

And, because the Potomac is a free-flowing river, the currents are changing continuously.

“People think that the water doesn’t have the power that it does,” but it’s more powerful than even an Olympic swimmer, James said.

How does one stay safe? Just stay out of the water.

Offenders are punished on a case-by-case basis, depending on where one is caught swimming in the river (in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC).

Offenders often must appear in court, and receive fines and sometimes even community service. A Virginia magistrate once saw a YouTube video showing people jumping off the cliffs at Potomac Gorge. After that, he started requiring community service along with the fines, James said.

But the initial choice is still yours to make: Would you rather go swimming and risk drowning? Or, would you prefer just to enjoy the scenery and keep on hiking?


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