Drowning has claimed seven lives already this year at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recreation areas across the Midwest. A common factor in each of these incidents: none of the victims were wearing a life jacket.

This early spate of fatalities in the eastern footprint of USACE’s Northwestern Division is raising concerns amongst officials, as it’s still early in the recreation season. The division has documented two in Missouri, one in Kansas, two in South Dakota, and two in Colorado. There has also been other drownings in the region along the Missouri River.

“We urge everyone who is on or near water to wear a life jacket,” said Jonathan Carlisle, Northwestern Division Natural Resources program manager. “Many people never intend to be in the water, but if it happens unexpectedly, it can be catastrophic.” 

USACE data for its lands in 2024 shows that 91 percent of drowning victims are not wearing life jackets. That data also highlights that males are 94 percent of those who drown, and adults 18 and older are 87 percent of the victims. Notably, falling into water unexpectedly can cause involuntary gasping, injuries or disorientation, which make it more difficult to recover from the incident.

Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 35 drownings in 2024 with five already this year. South Dakota saw six accidental drownings in 2023, down from the past five years of double-digit incidents (no data for 2024). Colorado had 64 drownings in 2023, down from 81 in 2022, which was almost a 20-year high (no data for 2024). Drowning data for Nebraska and Kansas wasn’t easily available online.

USACE officials urge users to take precautions, such as:

• Wearing a life jacket: it will help you survive an unexpected fall into the water and can save your life if you become exhausted.
• Knowing your swimming abilities: swimming in natural waters is different from swimming in a pool, and your swimming ability decreases with age.
• Expecting the unexpected: if you fall or jump into water that is colder than 70 degrees, you can inhale water from involuntary gasping.
• Knowing about “boater’s hypnosis”: something that slow your reaction time almost like intoxication.
• Eliminating alcohol consumption: Alcohol induces an inner ear condition (caloric labyrinthitis) that can cause disorientation when underwater.

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From the appointment of the first uniformed Army engineers by the Continental Congress on 16 June 1775, over the last 250 years U.S. Army Engineers have evolved to encompass the twin pillars of modern engineer operations, providing engineering expertise to the Army, and responding to the nation’s toughest engineering and environmental challenges. Today, under the Chief of Engineers, there are approximately 91,000 Army Engineer Soldiers serving in active duty, reserve, and National Guard troop units and 38,000 largely civilian members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).