A crowd lined the perimeter of Bond Street Wharf as about 150 people plunged into the Baltimore harbor on Sunday during Harbor Splash — the first public harbor swim event in decades.
Hosted by Baltimore nonprofit Waterfront Partnership, the event was a celebration of decades’ worth of progress made in improving water quality in the harbor.
“There is still work to be done, and I don’t expect everyone to change their mind overnight, but today, I urge us all to reconsider our relationship with the Baltimore harbor and acknowledge that things have changed,” said Adam Lindquist, the director of Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative.
The event resembled a block party with attendees dancing around in beach-inspired attire. Some participants — like Charles Village resident Peter Jackson — even brought inflatables to enjoy while swimming off the Fells Point floating pier.
“Today is incredible,” said Jackson, with an inflatable flamingo around his waist. “I spent my entire life here, and a lot of my time has been spent right along this water, and I never had the opportunity to go in — and all of that changed today.”
Each swimmer was equipped with a life vest and given a few minutes to swim and relish the water before the next group of swimmers was called to jump in.
Mayor Brandon Scott took a dip but said there is “much more” work to be done in improving the water quality,
“I have been kayaking in the Harbor for like six years, and I am still alive, so we will be OK, everybody,” he said. “We will get even better water quality in our harbor by working together each and every day.”
Harbor Splash follows decades of restorative practices in the city like the 2014 installation of Mr. Trash Wheel, which has removed hundreds of tons of debris from the harbor. Three years after the installation, the city invested over $1 billion in sewer infrastructure, upgrades and repairs.
Sewer overflows that have been identified as key pollutants to the Baltimore harbor were reduced by 76% over the past five years, and five million pounds of trash have been removed from the water.
The Waterfront Partnership aims to make the harbor swimmable and fishable within 10 years, through collaborations and the installation of now four trash wheels, over 10,000 square feet of floating wetlands and the production of over 300,000 oysters grown in the harbor each year. Some residents say they are optimistic for the future.
“When I was a kid, the harbor was black water that smelled like fish, and it doesn’t anymore, so today is a big day,” said Katie Wychgram, 41, of Rosedale. “I am so excited and optimistic about the future of the harbor, and I look forward to swimming here again.”
Maryland’s comptroller, Brooke Lierman, attended Harbor Splash to celebrate the environmental improvements.
“This water centers the city and gives us a unique place on the Eastern Seaboard,” she said at the event. “We must have clean water, greenspace and healthy trees to ensure an ecosystem healthy for humans above the water and beneath it, and we will.”
During her time as a state delegate, Lierman sponsored a 2019 bill banning foam food containers from being used for restaurant and takeout purposes.
This weekend is Harbor Splash. What does the data show about water safety?
Lierman emphasized the importance of the harbor to not only Baltimore but the state as a key contributor to the region’s success.
“Maryland can never be a truly great state until Baltimore City reaches its full potential, and here today, we are taking another step in reaching that full potential,” Lierman said.
In 2023, scientists with the Waterfront Partnership conducted over 700 water samples to build a comprehensive data set. The data showed that when it does not rain, the Baltimore harbor meets the state standard of swimming beaches close to perfectly, according to Lindquist.
Lindquist, along with numerous other researchers and Waterfront Partnership personnel, jumped in the harbor from a Bond Street Wharf pier in September to build awareness of the harbor’s improving quality. Harbor Splash then sold out in 10 minutes.
Prior to his own swim, Lindquist held up the award that the film “A More Swimmable Baltimore Harbor Arrives Today” won during the Capital Emmy television awards.
Highlandtown resident Nick Henninger-Ayoubm, 30, attended Harbor Splash with his wife and 13-month-old daughter. He was the only one from his family to jump in but said he did it to show his support for the city’s initiatives in improving water quality.
“I think jumping in the harbor was a cool way to show solidarity and to raise awareness for the water and the fact that we need to keep it clean and preserve it for future generations,” he said, nodding at his daughter. “Today was a really cool moment for Baltimore.”
