Hundreds of paddleboarders and kayakers showed their love of Maryland as they completed the five-mile round trip from Canton Waterfront Park to the Inner Harbor during the annual Floatilla.

Participants made the trek Saturday to show their support for a clean, accessible and recreational Baltimore Harbor. The intent of Floatilla is to raise awareness about water pollution. Registration for the yearly event sold out, with 350 paddlers from nine states, including New Jersey, West Virginia, Indiana, South Carolina and Georgia.

Waterfront Partnership is nearly at its goal of $25,000, with $23,300 raised.

Is the water safe and clean enough to swim and paddle in?

According to Waterfront Partnership, it is ... most of the time. After a decade of cleanup efforts and raising awareness, the harbor is seen as a recreational resource for the city. The only time safety is a concern is after a heavy rainfall because rain carries pollutants off the land and into the water. This can drastically change bacteria levels.

“Our work is far from over, we can’t yet swim in the harbor every day, but there are many days when the Harbor is as clean and as swimmable as any beach in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Adam Lindquist, vice president of Waterfront Partnership.

The health of the harbor has come a long way since the first Floatilla event. Baltimore City Department of Public Works has invested $1.6 billion in sewer repairs and upgrades, resulting in a massive reduction in sewer overflows. Foam containers and plastic bags have been banned.

Four trash wheels were born, and they have dramatically reduced the amount of litter and plastic in the harbor. In fact, everyone’s favorite harbor glutton, Mr. Trash Wheel, ingested 2,576 tons of trash in 2023 with 1,978,386 plastic bottles included.

“In 2016, if you told someone you wanted to kayak in the Inner Harbor, they’d think you were crazy. It just wasn’t something that was done very frequently. Today, we have multiple groups offering kayak tours, stand-up paddleboarding and more in the Inner Harbor. It’s hard to go out on the water and not see people paddling. The Baltimore Blueway effort has also brought new attention and enthusiasm around paddle sports in Baltimore City. So, basically, the water is cleaner and there’s more people looking to use the Inner Harbor for recreation than ever before,” Lindquist said.

Water samples from five sites — Canton Waterfront, Bond Street Wharf, the Inner Harbor, Downtown Sailing Center and Mr. Trash Wheel — are tested five days per week. Sewage overflows are down 97%, according to Waterfront Partnership’s 2023 Healthy Harbor report card.

This year’s focus wasn’t only on clean water but a topic close to home for many living near Maryland’s waterways. A portion of funds raised will go to support people impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. These funds will go to the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Fund managed by the Baltimore Community Foundation.

“The Baltimore Harbor would not exist were it not for the Port of Baltimore. Just like all Marylanders, after the collapse of the Key Bridge, we wanted to show our love and support for our city, our state and those impacted by this tragedy. Making Maryland Strong this year’s Floatilla theme and raising money for the relief effort just felt like the right thing to do,” Lindquist said.

The Floatilla is the first of several events hosted on the sparkling waters of the Inner Harbor. Lindquist added that Baltimore deserves a truly recreational waterfront and that, by paddling or swimming in the Baltimore Harbor, people are taking a stand and saying this is important.

“With a sold-out Harbor Splash and now a sold-out Floatilla, it’s clear there is demand for more water-based events and amenities in Baltimore. We must keep working to improve the health of the Baltimore Harbor so that we can host triathlons, stand-up paddleboard races, more open water swims and one day even have a swimming spot of our own,” he said.

The next recreational water event is Harbor Splash at 9 a.m. June 23. The event sold out within 10 minutes for participants, but spectators are welcome to watch at Bond Street Wharf in Fells Point.