Nine Drownings Worry Officials High River Flows Get Blame; Stronger Safety Measures Urged
Idaho recreation officials are looking for ways to increase boating safety as the number of drownings in the state reached nine.
That’s more than double the usual number for this time of year.
Many of the deaths were related to the high flows in rivers this season, according to Ann Van Buren, boating safety education coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department.
“Everyone needs to take stock,” Van Buren said Friday. “It’s affecting motorized users as well as floaters and paddlers, no matter their level of experience. There are a lot of surprises out there this year.”
Department officials gathered to discuss the problem on Thursday, a day after the ninth drowning.
Boating program supervisor Mark Brandt sent a memo to agencies that patrol waterways, or control access to them.
Brandt linked recent deaths to extremely high water levels, and said many could have been prevented if boaters had used caution or proper safety equipment.
He urged managers to take aggressive steps to reduce danger.
“This could include temporarily posting or closing boat ramps and other access points…to waters that are particularly hazardous, increasing law enforcement and rescue patrols over the next several weeks, and increasing public awareness of local hazards.”
Wednesday’s drowning occurred on a commercial raft trip on the South Fork of the Payette River. A New Hampshire man suffered a fatal asthma attack after falling into the water as the boat went through rapids.
Rivers have claimed six of the nine this year, as canoes and rafts were flipped by rapids roaring with heavy mountain runoff. All but one of the deaths have occurred since June.
In April, a 57-year-old fisherman drowned in a lake near Coeur d’Alene. The intoxicated man was not wearing a life jacket.
On June 8, a 41-year-old Boise rafter drowned in the Snake River’s violent Milner Stretch in southeastern Idaho. Sheriff’s deputies tried to talk him out of the trip.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Julie Titone staff writer The Associated Press contributed to this report.