Let's Make Our Lakes Safer

Saturday's drowning of a 23-year-old man at the City Pier Beach should alert us to the potential dangers lurking in our lakes due to their present low lake levels.

Bobby Clark reportedly drowned after cramping up while swimming between a shallow area in the lake and a dredge hole. Unfortunately, he got a cramp while swimming in the 12-foot-deep dredge hole and died a needless death.

It appears the hole was dug up for sand during a time when lake levels were higher and the area was in a no-swim zone.

As the water receded, the hole came a few dozen feet from the beach. Now it poses a threat to swimmers, and the city of Sebring is trying to fill it up and reinstate warning signs around it.

Area municipalities should take this drowning as a cue to check their lake bottoms close to the shore and swimming areas.

Over time, dangerous drop-offs and dredge holes in area lakes may have inched closer to the beach. They need to be either filled up or marked with warning signs.

Swimmers should also be aware of the pitfalls of venturing outside of swim areas. The lower lake levels have made some complacent, and on and off, swimmers can be seen way outside areas marked by buoys and set aside for swimming.

Granted, it's impossible for adults to swim in some of these swim areas, which are deep enough for wading by children. But there's a good reason why safety signs and precautions are in place for all lake swimming. It's best for all swimmers to stay within that perimeter.

People tend to forget that our lakes have gators, dredge holes, drop-offs and God knows what not. Perhaps, it's also time local officials reiterate lake safety to residents, along with making their use safer for all.