{"id":272394,"date":"2026-08-26T06:20:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T06:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/272394\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T06:20:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T06:20:07","slug":"crackdown-at-devils-pool-amid-petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/272394\/","title":{"rendered":"Crackdown at Devil\u2019s Pool amid petition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation and the Police Department started cracking down on illegal activity in Devil\u2019s Pool<\/a> on the weekend of Aug. 14, days after a Change.org petition<\/a> began circulating around Northwest Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

The petition, created two weeks ago, demands that the city increase the presence of law enforcement along Wissahickon Creek to reduce littering, swimming, loud music and open-flame barbecuing. More than 1,500 people have signed it as of Monday.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the creek, which runs through Wissahickon Valley Park, becomes a popular swimming hub during the warm months. Many people venture to places like Devil\u2019s Pool to get a free reprieve from the heat. But the petition\u2019s creator, Jennifer Cass, says the amount of illegal activity has taken a toll on the creek. She consistently spots litter such as broken glass and bottle caps, and visitors post videos on social media of swim parties and barbecues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese activities are not harmless,\u201d Cass wrote. \u201cThey are unlawful, unsafe, and environmentally destructive. They violate park regulations, threaten public health and safety, endanger wildlife habitats, and cause severe, potentially irreversible damage to one of Philadelphia\u2019s most historic and fragile natural spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parks & Recreation<\/a> and the police issue fines for these behaviors, but Cass argues they\u2019ve had little effect due to the lack of enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cApplying these penalties consistently is essential to stopping the ongoing destruction of the Wissahickon Creek,\u201d the petition reads.<\/p>\n

On the weekend of Aug. 14, a few days after the petition was created, Parks & Recreation and the police \u201cincreased patrols [and] expanded enforcement at Devil\u2019s Pool,\u201d a Parks spokesperson told the Local last week. Officials also plan to add signs to raise awareness about the safety regulations, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Police spokesman Eric Gripp told KYW Newsradio<\/a> that there will be fines of $300 for swimming or open flames, $100 for loud noise and $50 per item for littering. Gripp said their focus is safety. A fatal drowning<\/a> occurred at Devil\u2019s Pool in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to ruin anyone\u2019s good time. We\u2019re just trying to make sure everyone goes home alive,\u201d Gripp told KYW.<\/p>\n

That same weekend, Cass announced on Change.org<\/a> that Parks & Recreation is forming a plan to address the issues over the course of this year and early next year. The Local has asked the department for specifics.<\/p>\n

Cass said on Change.org<\/a> that she noticed more park rangers and temporary signage in the area that weekend. On Aug. 18, Devil\u2019s Pool was the cleanest she\u2019s seen it since before the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote. She said park rangers and police officers have continued to patrol the area.<\/p>\n

But still, there are people swimming in the creek despite the presence of law enforcement, Cass said Sunday on Change.org. She reported a group of swimmers to 311.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be vigilant, but we do not want this to turn into a \u2018witch hunt\u2019 in which people begin to be targeted,\u201d she wrote. \u201cReporting the incidents is necessary, however, so that Parks & Rec and the PPD understand that we are not overreacting \u2014 but that this remains a chronic problem despite their current efforts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to increasing the presence of law enforcement, the petition calls for City Council to install clearer signage at entry points warning visitors of the prohibited activities, as well as coordinate on enforcement with Parks & Recreation, the police and environmental organizations. The Local has asked Councilmember Cindy Bass for comment. Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr., deferred to Parks & Recreation.<\/p>\n

Wissahickon Valley\u00a0Park, which records more than 2 million annual visitors,\u00a0was named a\u00a0littering hotspot\u00a0<\/a>by the nonprofit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown. Volunteers say<\/a> peak littering occurs around summer holidays. Swimming is prohibited by Parks & Rec<\/a> due to risks of drowning, injury from sharp objects, strong currents, exposure to bacteria and other hazards.<\/p>\n

Friends of the Wissahickon<\/a> has thousands of volunteers that clean up the parks and collaborate with the city on environmental restoration. The nonprofit installed signs around Devil\u2019s Pool last summer, telling people to pick up their trash. But only park rangers and police officers have the authority to issue fines. Advocates say Parks\u00a0& Rec is underfunded and reliant on nonprofits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In November, Mayor Cherelle Parker and the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives launched a task force<\/a> that includes park rangers to combat illegal dumping and install more surveillance cameras across the city. But it\u2019s unclear how often these employees survey parks. The few surveillance cameras in Wissahickon Valley Park are not monitored<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFOW doesn\u2019t generally sign petitions like this one as an organization, but we are working with city partners to explore creative solutions to such longstanding issues as this,\u201d FOW executive director Sara Stevenson said in a statement to the Local. \u201cWe recommend that people reach out to their City Council person to advocate for increased funding for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation so they can hire more rangers throughout the park system. This is key to the change we hope to see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked if FOW would be interested in installing more cameras, Stevenson said \u201cany tools that keep our visitors safe are worth exploring.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we hope that personal interactions and education will help change the culture at Devil\u2019s Pool, so that everyone who uses the park takes responsibility for carrying out what they bring in and for enjoying this resource safely. We believe that building a culture of stewardship is the first priority.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at abby@chestnuthilllocal.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Department of Parks & Recreation and the Police Department started cracking down on illegal activity in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[69,71,70],"class_list":["post-272394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}