Alexander Mackenzie’s Landing on the Williston Reservoir – a popular recreation site with area visitors  photo courtesy BC Hydro

Prince George, BC – BC residents are being reminded of the need for extra vigilance as they continue to take to the water to beat the ongoing summer heat.

The BC Coroners Service says August is historically the month with the highest number of drowning cases.  Five accidental drownings in the third week of July gave the impression of a particularly tragic year, but Coroner Barb McLintock says the total number of accidental drownings from January 1st to July 29th of this year was 45 – exactly the average of the past five years and a slight decrease from last year.

McLintock says a new review of drowning deaths in the province has found boating to be the highest-risk activity for drowning among recreational water users.  She says slightly more than 37-percent of drowning victims over the past five years were engaged in some type of boating activity.  The second highest-risk activity is swimming, accounting for 28-percent of drowning deaths between 2008 and July 29, 2013.

To raise water safety awareness once again, BC Hydro is urging visitors to its recreational sites to pay particular attention to hazards in the area.  Hydro operates 16 such sites throughout the province on reservoirs and rivers that are part of its hydroelectric generation facilities.  Hydro’s Community Relations Manager for the North, Bob Gammer, says the often remote and pristine areas make them a popular draw with the public, including Alexander Mackenzie’s Landing, near Mackenzie, at the south end of the Williston Reservoir.

But Gammer is reminding visitors to the sites to be aware of the associated hazards – water levels can be extremely deep in the reservoirs and can change suddenly; as can water flow levels downstream from release facilities.

The public is also reminded to avoid designated danger zones around the reservoirs and to obey all posted signs.