The second annual Harbor Splash — a public plunge into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor scheduled for Saturday morning — was postponed until later this summer after heavy rains Thursday deteriorated water quality.
The event, meant to showcase the harbor’s safety for swimming and recreation, will instead take place July 19. Waterfront Partnership, the downtown benefits group that organizes Harbor Splash, said registrations for the 200 people who signed up will automatically transfer to the new date.
Though a smaller group of influencers and city boosters swam at Harbor Splash’s Fells Point location last Friday, Waterfront Partnership also had to cancel a float event last week because of storms.
“This has been an unusually rainy spring,” said Adam Lindquist, Waterfront Partnership vice president. “We remain fully committed to the continued restoration and activation of the Baltimore Harbor as a place for recreation, celebration, and connection.”
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Last year, more than 150 people participated in the Harbor Splash, the first public swim in the harbor in more than 40 years.
The event is part of a larger push to improve the water quality in the Inner Harbor, which has long had a reputation of being polluted. For decades, the harbor suffered due to industrial contamination as well as sewage and trash finding its way into the water.
Over the last 15 years, the Waterfront Partnership has led an effort to make the harbor swimmable with support from other nonprofits and community leaders. The city has also taken steps to curb pollution, including investments in the regional wastewater system.
Despite these efforts, and the city touting last year’s Splash as a success, some environmentalists aren’t convinced the harbor is ready for swimming yet.
Results from Blue Water Baltimore’s 2025 Water Quality Report Card released in May weren’t as encouraging. The report, which measured the harbor’s health for underwater life as opposed to human recreation, showed that water quality in the harbor and its watershed have declined since 2013.
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Earlier this month, scientists with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the estuary a C grade, down slightly from a C+ last year, but said long-term trends are still positive.
Rain, which drives urban runoff and exacerbates sewage overflows, remains one of the biggest challenges to the harbor’s health. It rained through much of this week, and testing has shown it typically takes 24 to 48 hours for bacteria levels in the harbor to subside after storms.
Still, the Waterfront Partnership maintains that the water is safe enough for swimming in dry weather.
Spots for this year’s Splash filled up quickly with lucky Baltimoreans getting another chance to jump in the harbor.
Swimmers in costumes and Baltimore swag were cheered on by many onlookers last year. The event even featured a DJ with and an aquatic-themed playlist that pumped up the festivities.
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Participants said the water was refreshing, and a Banner reporter who participated in the plunge said it was invigorating.
Although he said the water tasted a little briny, he was happy to swim in the harbor and is alive and healthy, which seems to be the case for those who joined the swims.
However, officials encourage people not to swim in the water outside of organized events due to concerns like boat traffic and polluted sediment. Swimming or jumping in the harbor are also illegal in some spots.
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