Safety in Swift Waters

KSL CrimeWatch

It’s summer time in Utah, and with it comes the raging waters of record snowfall runoff in the mountains. Former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder gives a strong caution to us approaching and testing the water in the swollen rivers and streams. *** It’s summer time in Utah, and with it comes beautiful weather. With that beautiful weather also comes raging water. This past year, the Wasatch Range received a record amount of snowfall. And now that that snowfall is coming into our valley, we see water rates that are unbelievable. It’s beautiful to observe, and often encourages people to get close as they’re amazed at the power of the hydraulics. It’s important to understand, however, though getting too close can cause you and your family significant danger. All it takes is a slippery rock or an unstable log, that an individual can fall into a hydraulic that no man can escape from. What we often see, also, is friends or family will sometimes think it’s safe to enter in and extract that individual. This often results in a double tragedy. Every year here in Salt Lake County, we rescue—and unfortunately sometimes recover—individuals who feel that they can enter in to this water, or get close enough. It’s imperative that during this season of high water that you refrain from getting close to rivers and streams, even if you think they are safe. Remember, those waters bring lifesaving measures, but they can also take a life.