I feel like there is something deeply wrong with the way we build cities, especially when our rivers are paying the price for their expansion. As metros keep pushing outward into open land, they leave behind more & more pavement that change what happens to cities when it rains. Instead of soaking into the ground and filtering through soil, rainwater hits these hard surfaces and rushes into the nearest stream which leads to the water picking up oil, heavy metals, fertilizers, and trash along the way.

Stormwater runoff, the term given to this phenomenon, is one of the biggest threats to waterway health in the country with numbers that back up these claims. According to Smithsonian Magazine, roughly 860 billion gallons of sewage overflow into U.S. waterways every year from failing sewer infrastructure. On top of that, urban stormwater washes a bunch of contaminants like gasoline, pesticides, and animal waste directly into rivers and lakes, poisoning the species and habitats that are located in these bodies of water. A dramatic example hit close to home when a sewer valve in Maryland burst in January 2026, dumping over 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River, one of the largest discharges in the country’s history.

The good news is that cities are starting to fight back. One such example is through a global coalition called “Swimmable Cities” which now represents over 100 cities working to make urban waterways clean enough to swim in. As Intelligent Living recently reported, urban areas are investing in massive actions towards reviving the environment like capture-and-storage systems, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and green roofs to slow runoff and filter pollutants at the source. We see now that this technology exists. What is needed now is the will to invest in smarter development and modern infrastructure that can bring our rivers back to life.

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/would-you-jump-into-your-local-river-swimmable-cities-may-be-within-reach-as-once-polluted-waterways-are-restored-180988317/https://www.intelligentliving.co/swimmable-urban-rivers-safe-water/

https://www.intelligentliving.co/swimmable-urban-rivers-safe-water/