Can You Swim In The Grand River Of Grand Rapids?

I'm not sure if it's because Michigan is surrounded by freshwater everywhere or if it's just a part of human nature, but whenever I see a body of water my gut reaction is to gauge how viable it would be to go swimming in it.

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Especially considering the river is called the Grand River, how "grand" is it? Is it grand enough that I could safely dip my toes in on a hot summer day, or should you continue to admire from afar?

Wait wait wait...is it even legal?

Before you even contemplate going in the Grand River, it's important to know what trouble, if any, you'll get for going in the Grand River. Turns out that, legally,  you should not be entering the Grand River, unless given special permission by the City.

According to Municipal Laws:

No person shall bathe, swim or enter the waters of Grand River, the canals on either side thereof, or any other public waterway within the limits of the City of Grand Rapids at any place, locality and time...

Although that being said if you were to find yourself in the water for whatever reason, is the water clean and safe?

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Despite the brown appearance, the Grand River is very clean. The City of Grand Rapids meets or exceeds all the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), according to the 2023 Water Quality Report. This is largely due to the 1991 decision to separate Grand Rapids' sewer system, eliminating all Combined Sewer Overflows throughout the city.

This means that sewage and storm drains flow separately, resulting in no sewage entering the Grand River. As of 2014, "zero gallons of raw, untreated sewage has flowed into the Grand River." The brown color is sediment from water runoff in nearby forests, yards, and fields.

So yes, while technically if you were to go into the Grand River you would be totally fine, entering the River is considered both dangerous and illegal and is not encouraged.