Why Police Are the Answer at Devil's Pool - At Least for Now: A Response to the Philly Mag Article.

I would like to begin by stating how truly appreciative I am of the well-written and thoughtfully examined article by writer Kyle Bagenstose of Philly Magazine, "Police Are Not the Answer at Devil's Pool," on the current situation in Wissahickon Valley Park, particularly in the Devil’s Pool area. 

I value his perspective and point of view, and although not entirely neutral, he presents a balanced argument after considering both sides of the debate.  

Philly Magazine has published articles on Devil’s Pool numerous times over the past decade plus, including Claire Sasko's 2015 piece, “The Eternal Lure of Devil’s Pool,” and her 2018 piece, "City To Block Weekend Access To Devil's Pool In The Wissahickon," and there has been additional coverage by other writers, specifically on Wissahickon Valley Park as a whole.  The Chestnut Hill Local frequently publishes coverage on the Wissahickon and environmental issues, and writer Abby Weiss has reported on this petition because it raises a clear and urgent environmental concern. 

 In July 2026,  BillyPenn at WHYY published an Investigative Report for Philly Magazine, titled “Devil’s Pool Attracts Swimmers Trying to Beat Philly Heat. But Is It safe?”  In that piece, writer Julia Binswanger opens with the description, “Devil’s Pool has long been a legendary natural swimming hole and oasis in the middle of Wissahickon Valley Park.”  She continues, “Every summer, locals descend with floaties, pups, grills, snacks and speakers to escape the oppressive summer sun. The brave ones cannonball from a 15 foot rock, making a giant splash.”  

The article goes on to cite the pollution, trash problem, volunteer clean-ups, and the crowds who disregard the risks and garbage to continue swimming as a means to cool off during the summer heat.  

While this article is written with neutrality acknowledging the dangers, pollution, the trash problem, and even the fact that swimming is illegal, it is still - through no direct fault of the writer - framed in such a way that romanticizes, encourages, and invites, continued swimming and partying at Devil's Pool. 
A fifteen-foot rock to leap from into the water; "Every summer, ... floaties, pups, grills, snacks and speakers";  "a legendary natural swimming hole and oasis"  - all of these paint Devil's Pool as an inviting destination to "beat Philly heat." And although the article directly cites the Philadelphia Water Department's warning that it "does not recommend swimming in any river or creek in Philadelphia," it also quotes swimmers and partygoers who indifferently shrug off the pollution and potential health hazards, saying they simply "take a shower" when they get home. 

Readers are drawn far more to her beautifully eloquent and inviting opening description of the area than to the remainder of the article that address the trash problem and the cleanup efforts of the FOW and volunteers.  It seems as though hundreds of people follow suit with blinders on when reading nearly every article written about the Wissahickon, Devil's Pool, and the ongoing trash and pollution issue. 

Yes, the Devil's Pool is a natural enclave that is breathtakingly beautiful. Wissahickon Valley Park as a whole is one of the most scenic natural areas in the city of Philadelphia, which is precisely why it is one of the most highly visited parks within the Fairmount Park System.  Its natural beauty, challenging hiking trails, historic landmarks, and variety of wildlife make it a major draw for both residents and visitors.  However, the unlawful swim parties nearly triple the number of visitors, overwhelming the area and disrupting the very qualities that make it such a treasured place.

Because it is such a treasured place, there are rules.  

Wissahickon Valley Park spans more than 2,000 acres of Philadelphia's natural greenspace - a protected watershed and habitat for hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. A respite for hikers, cyclists, anglers, and birders. 
The Wissahickon Creek was listed as an impaired waterway by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2003; however, swimming in the Wissahickon Creek has been unlawful since 1963.

Swimming is explicitly prohibited at 89 of Pennsylvania’s 124 state parks. The Commonwealth maintains 35 designated beach areas and 15 state-operated pools, yet prohibits swimming in most natural waterways for safety and environmental reasons.  Pursuant to 17 Pa. Code § 11.217,  entering the water (e.g. swimming) is strictly illegal and subject to fines - unless a park features a designated beach bounded by green buoy lines or an authorized public pool. 

Fairmount Park – of which Wissahickon Valley Park is a part - is a municipal park, and while regulations vary across municipalities, many cities, including Allentown and Reading, issue fines for swimming in creeks and rivers not designated for that activity. 

So why, then, are residents of Roxborough and Manayunk cast as “the bad guys” for objecting to these unlawful swim parties, and “ruining the end of summer” with this petition a little over four weeks ago? 

The goals outlined in our petition relevant to unlawful behavior that contribute to the increase in pollution – repeatedly noted in various articles by Philly Magazine, BillyPenn at WHYY, The Chestnut Hill Local et al -  are not exclusionary, nor are they aimed at any specific group of people. Nevertheless, some partygoers who were removed from the area, or who may have seen the TikToks I posted while volunteering to clean up garbage – one specifically that currently has over 18.4K views in which I am complaining about the loud music coming from Devil’s Pool that could be heard several hundred feet away on the Forbidden Drive side of the Creek – have attempted to portray our efforts as intentional targeting.  This framing appears designed to deflect attention away from the actual issue and, in doing so, to back Parks & Rec and the PPD into a corner by suggesting discrimination where none exists. 

Despite over a decade of coverage from Philly Magazine, BillyPenn at WHYY, The Chestnut Hill Local et al,  and close to two decades of complaints from the neighbourhood - this petition was launched only last month - in August of 2026. 

One might reasonably infer that it would be a stretch to claim that our concerns suddenly emerged out of nowhere, given that these articles span from 2012 to 2026 and even reference a 2013 double drowning near the Livezey Dam. 
So if crowds of people have been swimming and partying in Wissahickon Valley Park for over fifteen years - especially at the Devil’s Pool area – why launch this petition now? If people are willing to assume the risk – then what’s the problem? 

The problem is – I am tired. The community is tired, and the residents of Philadelphia who cherish Wissahickon Valley Park are tired. 
The problem is – I am fed up. We, the people of Philadelphia, are fed up. 

We are fed up with the trash – trash that further pollutes the creek and strips the area of its natural beauty.
We are fed up with the crowds, the noise, and unreasonably loud music that echoes across the water and ricochets off the rocks like an amphitheater.
We are fed up with the barbeque smoke, the open-flame grills that pose a real wildfire risk, the smell and sight of human feces and urine on our hiking trials, the dirty diapers, used contraceptives, and used feminine hygiene products strewn along the paths and floating in the water.
We are fed up with the leftover alcohol and food containers carelessly discarded onto our hiking trails and tumbling into the creek that attract vermin and endanger local wildlife.
We are fed up with being robbed of peace and quiet.
Fed up with unnecessary confrontations with drunk and disorderly individuals.
Fed up with having to avoid our own community park for months at a time – during prime hiking and fishing seasons – because it has been invaded and overtaken by large crowds engaging in environmentally destructive and disruptive behavior that prevents others from enjoying the park.

We are fed up – truly, completely, absolutely without a doubt, fed up - with everything. 

This petition is not the first time that residents in Roxborough and Manayunk have publicly addressed the chronic unlawful partying in Wissahickon Valley Park and the environmental damage it causes. 
In 2020, three local residents launched the “Bring Back Our Park Rangers” campaign for the very same reason. 

During the pandemic, visitation to the Wissahickon nearly tripled. Groups traveled from as far as Ohio, and large crowds primarily from New York and New Jersey flocked to the park – some even renting tour buses – specifically to swim and party all day. Many of these groups were not Philadelphians at all. 

Parks & Recreation and the Philadelphia Police Department responded at the time, and the situation temporarily improved – but by 2021, the crowds, the noise, and the garbage increased exponentially, and continued to increase every year subsequent. There is a direct correlation between these unlawful gatherings and the surge in trash and pollution in the Wissahickon Creek. The data supports it. 

Last year, the FOW and volunteers removed 16 tons of garbage from Wissahickon Valley Park -  SIXTEEN TONS – from a single park.  This figure does not represent the amount of trash from the Fairmount Park System as a whole – it only represents Wissahickon Valley Park. 

While the totals for 2026 are not finalized, FOW staff report that there is “slightly less” trash so far this year, though the amount remains substantial.

In 2025, 16 tons of trash were removed.
In 2024, 17 tons of trash were removed.
In 2023, the numbers weren’t fully finalized but estimates range between 17-19 tons.  
In 2022, 20 tons of litter were removed.
In 2021, 13.7 + tons were removed, plus an additional 5,000 pounds collected by volunteers like Wissaheros.
In 2020, 8.9 tons of trash were removed, with Wissaheros collecting an additional 7,000 pounds. 

This is a clear, consistent pattern: as unlawful swim parties and large gatherings increased, so did the volume of trash and pollution. The data shows it plainly.

Despite this year seeing "slightly less" garbage, there is still a lot. So, if the amount of trash is slowly decreasing, what’s the problem?  Some of the partygoers have responded to videos that I posted – videos documenting just one day of the issue – with comments loosely paraphrased as, “Well, if there was no trash, then there would be nothing to volunteer for.” 

Are you kidding me?  This nonchalant attitude suggests that trash is somehow “good for business,” as if it provides the FOW, volunteers, and Wissaheros with something to do.  The implication is as absurd as it is repugnant. 
No one is hoping for pollution. No one is hoping for litter. No one is rooting for environmental destruction. No one is volunteering because they want the Wissahickon to be trashed so they have something to do on a Saturday afternoon. 
The idea that litter is a necessary evil or beneficial byproduct – or worse, that it justifies unlawful swim parties – is not only misguided, it’s insulting to the people who spend their free time cleaning up after others. 

Even the writers of miscellaneous articles on the subject acknowledge the trash problem, the noise problem, the environmental damage and dangers to wildlife - which shows that public awareness extends far beyond the tight-knit communities of Roxborough and Manayunk. 
It reaches East Falls, Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Germantown, and Lafayette Hill beyond Philadelphia – all neighborhoods that border Wissahickon Valley Park, whose residents regularly use the park for hiking, cycling, running, fishing, and other recreational activities.  But public awareness doesn’t stop at the bordering neighborhoods. Residents from across Philadelphia visit the Wissahickon: Overbrook, Wynnefield, Lemon Hill, Old City, Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Northern Liberties, Chinatown, Bella Vista, University City, Spruce Hill – nearly every neighborhood in the city. And beyond Philadelphia, visitors come from Bala Cynwyd, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Upper Darby, Prospect Park, Lafayette Hill, Conshohocken, Miquon, Plymouth Meeting – and dozens more. 

Wissahickon Valley park is not a local park used by only a handful of adjacent communities – it is a regional destination whose environmental health affects residents across the entire city and surrounding counties. 

Though Wissahickon Valley Park is only one small section of the larger Fairmount Park System, it receives a disproportionately high amount of foot traffic because of its natural beauty, its dramatic topography, and its scenic, challenging hiking trials. But with that beauty comes a level of visitation that the park simply cannot sustain when the rules are ignored.  So yes – the trash problem and ongoing pollution of the Wissahickon Creek are well known. But the issue extends far beyond trash. 

The recent Philly Magazine article, Bagenstose argues that the police and park rangers “put off” visitors, claiming that “Philadelphia can do better,” and even suggesting that people in other countries swim in polluted water, so Philadelphians should be able to do the same. He – along with the hundreds of people who engage in unlawful swimming – insist that the city should simply “meet people where they are.”  The TikTok comments echo the same sentiment: “It’s a public park for public use,” “Mind your own business and enjoy the park your way,” “Just ask people to clean up after themselves.” 
Some have even suggested hiring lifeguards or allowing people to “swim at their own risk.”
This “Open Swim” policy is allowed at 33 of the 35 Pennsylvania State Parks. The DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) lists two exceptions: Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA, and Pine Grove Furnace State Park, in Gardners, PA. The other 33 are open and available. 

If groups of people can travel from New York City or New Jersey, or even across Philadelphia, why can’t they go to one of the PA State Parks that allow swimming?  Why come to the Wissahickon where it is prohibited?

But their stance is:  if people are willing to assume the risk, then what’s the problem?

The Philly Magazine article even goes as far as to argue that anglers and dog walkers also discard garbage, and that horses leave manure on the trails – implying that everyone contributes to the problem so perhaps we should simply, “meet people where they are.” 
The suggestion is that allowing large crowds to swim and party could generate “much needed revenue” for a Parks & Recreation department that is “woefully underfunded.” 

But even setting aside the pollution – even ignoring the fact that “swim at your own risk” rules apply only at designated public beaches and creeks in Pennsylvania where swimming is permitted (and Wissahickon Valley Park is not one of them) – these unlawful swim parties are not just environmentally destructive, they are environmentally DISRUPTIVE. 

Wissahickon Valley Park is a respite from the hustle-and-bustle of the city. It contains more natural landscape than many other areas of the Fairmount Park System, which is precisely why it draws nature lovers from across Philadelphia and beyond.  Visitors come for quiet, restorative experiences, to have a quiet break from city life: fishing, birdwatching, hiking, walking, running, cycling, and quiet meditation. These are the activities the park provides for thousands of residents and visitors who trek from all over the region specifically to enjoy the Wissahickon’s tranquility. 

So “meeting people where they are” – meaning simply allowing large crowds to swim and party – would require thousands of Philadelphians to forfeit their right to enjoy nature as it is meant to be enjoyed. It would require the majority to surrender their access to peace, quiet, and safety, so that a minority can continue to disrupt the area. 

We would be expected to resign ourselves to avoiding the park from April through October – the prime hiking and fishing seasons – just to accommodate people who prefer our creek over a free public pool. We should all “mind our own business,” “keep it moving,” and accept that rules are optional. We, the majority, should acquiesce to the minority, because, after all, it’s a public park and “rules are meant to be broken.”  

Then there is the issue of revenue. There is absolutely no revenue to be generated for Parks & Recreation or for the City Of Philadelphia by allowing people to swim at Devil’s Pool or anywhere in the Wissahickon Creek. None. In fact, it would cost the department more money – money it already does not have – because Parks & Rec is stretched far too thin as it is.  The department does need revenue, which is precisely why permits are required for large groups who wish to use one of the 20+ designated, permit eligible picnic areas and pavilions throughout the Fairmount Park System. 

Swimming in Philadelphia’s waterways is prohibited by state law, pursuant to regulations that apply across Pennsylvania. It is not – as some have underhandly tried to disingenuously imply - a matter of Roxborough and Manayunk residents targeting specific groups of people simply because those groups happen to be the ones most frequently engaging in unlawful partying.  Our petition is not about keeping anyone out. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the park – provided the rules are followed. 

And Philadelphia has other alternatives. The city has over 60 free public pools, including the John B. Kelly Pool within Fairmount Park.  Crowds who wish to swim have ample legal options. Using these pools would even generate revenue for local businesses, as visitors purchase beverages and snacks on their way to and from the pool. 

Beyond the city, Pennsylvania has numerous legal swimming areas – places where people may “swim at their own risk” because they meet the state’s requirements for designated swimming locations. By law, these areas must include a beach or clearly defined swimming zone. Wissahickon Valley Park does not meet those criteria. 

Likewise, Parks & Recreation maintains dozens of pavilions and designated picnic areas across the Fairmount Park System where large groups can gather for a day of barbequing, loud music, and recreation – with a permit. These permits generate revenue for Parks & Rec and for the city. But bypassing the law and park rules to hold large, unpermitted parties on the Wissahickon Creek – simply to avoid paying for a permit – only costs Parks & Rec, the PPD, and the City of Philadelphia more money, because additional Park Rangers and Police must be deployed to manage the crowds.  

Unlawful swimming does not generate revenue. It drains it.

Some partygoers are of the opinion that instead of utilizing a free public pool or paying for a permit to utilize one of Fairmount Parks Pavilions, Parks & Recreation should simply hire lifeguards and let people swim.  If you scroll through the TikTok comments on some of my videos, you'll find plenty of people insisting that the solution is simply for us to "stop complaining" and let the parties continue.  The real problem isn't the unlawful behavior or the exorbitant amount of trash left behind - it's us for objecting to it. 

Ah. I see where this is going.  According to this logic, I – and the thousands of Philadelphians who utilize and enjoy the park, including the petition signers - are just being crybabies and refuse to “compromise.” 

Compromise. 

I must forfeit my right to hike in peace and take scenic photographs so that others can swim and barbeque? 
Anglers must forfeit their rights to fish from Opening Day to the end of season so that others can splash in the water and blast music that scares the fish away?
Bird watchers must forfeit their rights to observe a variety of species in a designated  Audubon Bird Area during the spring and summer months so others can swim, fill the woods with barbeque smoke,  and host loud parties that drive the birds of their nesting sites?  
Cyclists – apparently - are only passing through, so their rights or opinions don’t matter either.
Diners at the Valley Green Inn must simply enjoy the “free noise pollution” from loud radios and the sound of shouting and splashing echoing from the creek 500+ feet away, carried by sound waves – or maybe magic  – straight into the Inn. 
Dog walkers, nature enthusiasts, photographers, and families out for a quiet excursion to “see the ducks and picnic” must forfeit their right to enjoy a peaceful day outdoors so that others can swim, splash, and toss their garbage into the creek. 
Hey mom, look - that goose is eating out of a bag of potato chips floating in the water!  Yes, son, and that duck is picking at a dirty diaper! Oh look! Someone has lost their underwear!  How awesome!  Kodak moment! 
The list could go on.

While I can be objective and understand the opposing argument in favor of allowing these parties to continue, the entitlement - and the audacity - to assume, presume, or even suggest, that I and thousands of Philadelphians, must simply acquiesce and forfeit our rights to enjoy nature and Wissahickon Valley Park responsibly (within park rules) in order to  “meet people where they are” and quietly allow others to swim and party (against park rules) is as ridiculous as it is reprehensible. 

The point of Bagenstose’s article is not “let people swim and to hell with the environment.” On the contrary, he proposes that allowing swimming - and perhaps mild partying  -  would generate revenue for for Parks & Recreation and the City. For the reasons already stated in my response, it would not. It would be an unnecessary expense. 

Yet he opens with the bold title “Police Are Not The Answer At Devil’s Pool.” This is a direct  response to the petition’s demand that the city enforce the law, which necessarily includes police presence. The suggestion is that we could simply ask people nicely to clean up after themselves ignores reality. We have done that. It results in either blatant disregard or someone spray-painting over the “No Swimming” and “Carry In, Carry Out” signs. 

Historically, the city once favored warning signs over arrests due to jurisdictional questions involving federal waterways like the Delaware River. But the policy became permanent under Parks & Recreations regulations, which govern the land surrounding park waterways. The official code strictly mandates that no individual may bathe, swim, or wade in any park waterway. These rules have been in place for over half a century. 

We have tried asking nicely.

We have tried warnings.

We have tried everything.

This is why the petition clearly states, “warnings do not work.”  

Police are necessary – at Devil’s Pool and throughout Wissahickon Valley Park – at least temporarily. 
I agree that Parks & Rec needs revenue. I agree that the department needs to hire and authorize more Park Rangers across the Fairmount Park System, with particular focus on Wissahickon Valley Park,  since it is the area where park rules are broken most frequently. 

We addressed our petition to City Council because the budget in in their hands. They have the authority to allocate funding to Parks & Recreation, so that the department can retain, train, and dispatch more Park Pangers. 

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has championed the Clean & Green Initiative.  She openly rejects the phrase “Filthadelphia.”  And sometimes I wish I could say to her: Mayor Parker, have you been to Wissahickon Valley Park during the height of one of these party days?  Not the when Parks & Rec and the PPD responded to this petition – when crowds were smaller, scattered, and manageable – but on a day when multiple large parties stretch from Bells Mill Road to the Walnut Lane Bridge, when the music and shouting echo through the valley like an amusement park, and smoke from firepits and grills drifts up onto the high cliffs of the White Trail and across the creek onto Forbidden Drive.   Have you hiked the Orange Trail and caught the stench of human waste in your nostrils?  Have you seen piles of dirty diapers, loose clothing, discarded trash, broken glass, and debris so scattered that one wonders whether to call the Friends of the Wissahickon or CSI because it looks like a crime scene.  Have you nearly tripped over garbage while trying to enjoy what should be one the most beautiful natural spaces in Philadelphia ? 

I am fairly certain that if the Mayor had taken a walk in Wissahickon Valley Park during the height of one of these party days this past summer, she would have added her name to the petition. 

And this is precisely why police presence at Devil’s Pool – at least temporarily – is necessary. 
Not because we want a militarized park.
Not because we want to punish people. 
But because every other method has failed – for over a decade. 
- Asking nicely has failed. 
- Warnings have failed.
- Signs have been ignored, vandalized, or spray-painted over.
- The limited amount of Park Rangers alone cannot manage crowds of hundreds.

This petition does not call for permanent policing. It calls for permanent enforcement - but temporary policing until the city can fund and staff Parks & Recreation adequately. Enforcement requires people, and right now Parks & Rec does not have enough Park Rangers to manage the volume of violations occurring in Wissahickon Valley Park. Temporary police presence is necessary only until more Park Rangers can be hired, trained, and deployed throughout the Fairmount Park System, especially in the Wissahickon, where violations are most frequent. 

It also calls for permanent signage to be installed throughout the park, particularly in problem hotspots like Devil’s Pool, where temporary signs are routinely removed, vandalized, or spray-painted over. And it calls for consistent enforcement of park rules and state law – because issuing fines for violations sends a clear message that the behavior will not be tolerated. Over time, consistent enforcement will substantially reduce the number of violations. 

City Council controls the budget. 
City Council can allocate the funding.
City Council can give Parks & Recreation the resources it needs. 

Until then, police presence is not only a reasonable request – it is the only effective tool that we have left. 

Photo:  Along the Orange Trail, 7 September, 2026. A reminder of how beautiful the Wissahickon is when it is respected.