A new report released by the statewide nonprofit group PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center showed that the Delaware River and streams throughout the Philadelphia region regularly test positive for harmful levels of bacteria.
Along the Philadelphia section of the Delaware River, tests showed elevated fecal bacteria levels at 37 of 43 testing locations. Twelve of the 43 locations exceeded unsafe levels on 100% of the days tested. At the Pennypack Creek, Poquessing Creek and Schuylkill River, potentially unsafe levels were found on 73% of days, 57% and 55% of days tested, respectively.
“From the tiniest tributaries of the Schuylkill to the mighty Delaware, Philadelphians love to walk, hike, boat, fish and even swim in and around the region’s amazing waterways. But too many days a year, the places where we want to cool off, paddle or cast a line are unsafe,” said Stephanie Wein, clean water and conservation advocate for PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center.
Harmful levels of bacteria were also often found in some of the Philadelphia suburbs’ most popular waterways. Chester County, the parts of the Brandywine Creek and of Big Elk Creek showed potentially unsafe levels of fecal bacteria 100% of days tested. In Delaware County, Crum Creek had unsafe levels of bacteria on 66% of days tested and Ridley Creek on 53% of days tested. Bucks County’s Neshaminy Creek had potentially unsafe bacterial levels on 26% of days tested.
Across Pennsylvania, the study finds that 55% of the 653 monitoring locations experienced at least one day when E. coli bacteria reached potentially unsafe levels for swimming during 2024 and 2025. Thirty-nine percent of these monitored locations had potentially unsafe levels of fecal contamination on at least one-quarter of the days on which testing took place in Pennsylvania.
Common sources of fecal indicator bacteria such as E. coli in waterways include sewage spills and overflows, stormwater runoff and failing septic systems. Each year, Americans suffer an estimated 87 million cases of illness associated with swimming, paddling, boating or fishing in U.S. waterways.
The new report’s findings come on the heels of a 2025 report by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center that showed that the Philadelphia Water Department averages dumping 12.7 billion gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater into the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers and their tributaries.
“Other communities swim in their waterways, but Philly’s rivers are so polluted that most of us forget that this is something we should be able to do here,” said City Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier, chairwoman of Council’s Committee on the Environment. “Swimming is good exercise. It’s a way to see your community differently, to cool down in the summer and, for some, a path to scholarships and opportunity. I’ll keep working with the Philadelphia Water Department to make our rivers safe for recreation, and advocate for the federal and state investments we need to accomplish this.”
“The contamination levels shown in our report underscore once again the need for bolder action by the Philadelphia Water Department and local leaders to keep our streams and rivers clean,” Wein said. “Our study shows that many Pennsylvania waterways are safe for swimming and fishing. Philadelphians deserve the opportunity to enjoy clean water, too.” ••
