The Jefferson County Council has officially banned swimming in the Big River at Rockford Park in House Springs through April 30, 2026.
The council voted 4-2 Oct. 14 to enact the ban. Councilmen Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) and Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) voted against the measure. Councilman Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) was absent from the meeting.
Councilman Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge) has attempted to pass legislation banning swimming at the park, which is in his council district, for the last three years. He said he is “extremely thankful” the ban was approved.
While the river at the Rockford Park access may look calm and inviting on the surface, officials have said powerful and strong currents underneath the surface can suck unsuspecting swimmers underwater, making it dangerous for swimming and wading.
Park visitors often try to swim across the Big River to a series of bluffs to jump off the rocks into the water. However, Haskins has said the swim across the river can be treacherous, thanks to a low-head dam directly upriver of the park’s access point.
The county-owned park has been the site of at least seven drownings in the last decade. The most recent incident occurred on June 28, when a 44-year-old man from Overland drowned on the Big River.
“I’m thankful we have a ban in place; however, the ban happens to be during the winter, so I would hope that, come this spring, we will make a permanent ban,” Haskins said.
According to the ordinance the council approved last week, the ban does not prohibit first responders from using the river access point for water rescue training.
Robert Hohmeier of Festus spoke against the ban at the Oct. 14 meeting. A self-proclaimed history buff, Hohmeier said the ban restricts personal freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
“I started studying history, and especially the founding of this country, and I realized suddenly that it’s those domestic enemies that are named in the Constitution that are all around us here in government,” Hohmeier said. “They’re constantly putting the squeeze on us, making rules and regulations, making it harder and harder for you to celebrate liberty or freedom.”
In a statement Groeteke made before the final vote was taken, he agreed with Hohmeier.
“After hearing the citizen speak this evening about this, I’m reminded that liberty means great responsibility,” he said. “This bill, although it will save lives, I will vote against it. My position on this is that liberty means more, and personal responsibility is something that citizens should enact themselves.”
Haskins said Groeteke’s decision “makes no sense.”
“You admit that you know your actions are going to create lives lost, but you’re going to vote for that anyway,” he said. “I think somebody who says that should give up their position and resign. Anybody who would say, ‘We could save lives, but we choose not to,’ should resign.”
Brown previously favored the ordinance when the council voted in September on preliminary versions of the bill but changed his mind for the final vote.
“As someone who strives to be the voice of reason on the council, seeking compromises to build common ground, I initially backed the bill, recognizing its good intent to avert tragedies,” Brown said. “But upon deeper reflection, I couldn’t support a complete ban on swimming; it’s classic government overreach that undermines personal choices and self-reliance. As a conservative dedicated to limited government, I voted no on the final version to safeguard our fundamental liberties.”