ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – This weekend is the unofficial start of summer. As thousands of visitors plan trips to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Albuquerque District’s lakes during the 2025 recreation season, the Albuquerque District wants to remind the public about why it’s important to practice water safety in, on and around open water.
Tragically, people lose their lives while visiting USACE-managed lands and waters across the nation every year and most of these tragedies are water-related.
“Several fatalities on our waterways happen every year that could have been prevented if the person would have been wearing a properly fitted life jacket,” said Pam Doty, USACE National Water Safety program manager.
Statistics from the last five years regarding public recreation fatalities at USACE lake and river projects nationwide show that 89% were male, 89% were not wearing a life jacket, 82% were 18 or older, 47% were swimming in undesignated areas, 20% were from falls from boats, docks and shore, and in 21% alcohol was involved or suspected.
Within the Albuquerque District, Pam Bowie, park ranger at Abiquiu Lake, recently got candid about the challenges and importance of water safety at Abiquiu Lake.
There have been 13 documented recreational drownings since 1999 at Abiquiu Lake, and none of the victims were wearing a life jacket. The last recreational drowning at Abiquiu was in May of 2019. It was a young man, 19 years-old, who was swimming across the Canones creek inlet. The water was still quite cold, and he was not wearing a life jacket, Bowie said.
“In July of 2019 we had an adult male jump off of the rocks in the same area and break his back and most other bones,” said Bowie. He “was not wearing a lifejacket and confirmed that he had ‘a beer,’” she said. He was fortunate he survived.
“It didn’t help that there were YouTube videos telling people to come jump off the rocks at Abiquiu Lake,” Bowie said. “However, I think that they have diminished somewhat. Everyone wants to jump off of the rocks, so we are constantly reminding people of the dangers related to cliff jumping and advising them not to. We will often gently remind people not to once but if they do it again, we ask them to leave or write a citation or both.”
USACE-Albuquerque District lake staff engage the public year-round on the importance of water safety. According to Paul Schoeninger, lake manager at John Martin Reservoir in southeastern Colorado, when reminding people to wear a life jacket, a common response he gets from the public, especially adult males, is “I know how to swim.”
“Yes, many people know how to swim and that is a good thing,” said Schoeninger, “but it’s important to note people don’t swim when unconscious.” He said this can happen for many reasons such as having an accidental fall while working on their boat at the dock or getting overheated while on the water, fainting, and then falling overboard.
“We have had fatalities in the past that may have been avoided if the person was wearing a properly fitted PFD [personal flotation device] while on the water,” said Schoeninger. “They are designed to roll individuals, even unconscious, over on their back and keep the head out of the water, giving rescuers a chance of pulling them out alive.”
Changing weather conditions is also a safety concern at the lakes.
“Weather can change so quickly on our mountain lakes and reservoirs,” said Kim Falen, lake manager at Trinidad Lake in southern Colorado. “What starts out as a calm, peaceful day can quickly turn to thunderstorms and whitecaps. . .always be prepared and wear your lifejacket!!”
Before entering or being around open water (lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.), keep the following safety information in mind because it could save your life or the life of someone you care about:
- Expect the unexpected – Accidents can happen within seconds, so always be prepared for the unexpected. If you are ejected from a boat, fall or jump into water that is colder than 70 degrees, you can inhale water from involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, panic, and sometimes vertigo that can cause you to drown. You can also be knocked unconscious if you are ejected from your boat or fall into the water along the shoreline while fishing.
- Wear a life jacket – By providing time to be rescued, it will help ensure you survive an unexpected fall into the water. It can also save your life if you become exhausted due to fatigue, waves, or current while swimming.
An adult can drown in 60 seconds, and it takes a strong swimmer 10 minutes to put on a life jacket after entering the water.
While boating, if you are not wearing a life jacket when an accident occurs and you unexpectedly enter the water, you will not have time to access a life jacket to save your life if needed.
- Wear an Engine Cutoff Device While Boating – If thrown out of a boat, there is always the danger of being struck by a spinning propeller, especially since an unoccupied boat can often start traveling in circles after the operator is ejected.
Wearing an engine cut-off switch lanyard or electronic fob immediately stops the engine after ejection so that the operator can regain control of the boat.
- Know your swimming abilities – Be aware that swimming in open water is different from swimming in a pool, and your swimming ability decreases with age. It is never too late to take swimming lessons and learn to swim well. Several people every year drown while swimming to retrieve boats, hats and toys. Let those things go because they are not worth losing your life over.
- Alcohol and water are a deadly combination – Alcohol induces an inner ear condition (caloric labyrinthitis) that can cause you to become disoriented when underwater and not realize which way is up. If you jump or fall in the water, you can become disoriented and swim down instead of up to safety, causing you to drown. This is more likely to happen if you have been consuming alcohol.
- Understand “boater’s hypnosis” – This is a condition brought on by the effects of sun, wind, noise, vibration, and motion experienced during a day of boating. Boater’s hypnosis can slow your reaction time almost as much as if you were legally intoxicated. Adding alcohol to this condition intensifies the effects.
- Be Aware of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Boating - Carbon monoxide poisoning is not limited to boats with enclosed cabins. It has proven to be deadly on open motorboats too.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas produced when a carbon-based fuel burns, such as gasoline, propane, charcoal and oil. Carbon monoxide can kill you while you are on or in the water near a boat, so use a marine carbon monoxide detector; always maintain fresh air circulation; seat children in the forward-most seating on a boat; shut off boat motors to avoid unnecessary idling; be aware of emissions from other boats; and seek medical attention immediately if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Watch Your Children – Constantly supervise your children whenever they’re in, on or near open water. To keep them safe, keep yourself safe by ensuring you and they wear properly fitted life jackets whenever enjoying your favorite outdoor water recreational activity.
- Air Temperature and Water Temperature are not the same – The water temperature in rivers and lakes can be significantly colder than the air temperature and jumping or falling into cold water can be a dangerous shock to your body, so it’s important to wear a properly fitted life jacket to increase your chances of survival. Keep in mind that although the air temperatures are rising, water temperatures are slow to rise, and some lakes and rivers have cold water temperatures year-round.
Learn more water safety tips by visiting www.PleaseWearIt.com and following Please Wear It on Facebook and Instagram.
The Albuquerque District has six lakes which provide water-based recreation: Abiquiu, Cochiti, Conchas, and Santa Rosa lakes in New Mexico, and Trinidad Lake and John Martin Reservoir in southern Colorado.
Visit: https://www.spa.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/ for more information on all the district’s lakes.
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