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By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

 

NORCO – Park Rangers and members of the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be performing boat safety inspections Sunday at the Bonnet Carré Spillway launch area as part of a push to increase water safety, according to a release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The agencies will be performing inspections and staffing a water safety booth at the launch, located near Airline Highway, in an effort to bring awareness and reduce water-related accidents as the summer boating season kicks off this weekend. 

The corps and the Coast Guard will be focusing on five specific water safety tips when boating or swimming at the Bonnet Carré Spillway:

• Wear a life jacket: Spillway rules require everyone to wear a life vest regardless of age and boat length. Loaner jackets are available at several locations around the Bonnet Carré Spillway.

• Don’t drink alcohol while on the water: More than half of all drowning deaths are related to alcohol consumption.

• Be mindful of children: It only takes a child an average of 20 seconds to drown. Be a water watcher and designate someone to always watch children or any person with special needs while on or around the water.

• Know your limits: Do not jump off objects or swim farther than you should. Recognize your limitations and stay within them.

• Practice safe boating: Take a boating safety course at www.wlf.louisiana.gov or www.Boat-Ed.com. Know the law and rules of the water before getting out on the water. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the majority of boating-related fatalities involve operators who have not received any boating safety instruction.

For more information and other tips on safety, visit the New Orleans District’s Recreation website, http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/recreation, and click on the water safety information link.