Keeping It Safe on Carlyle Lake: Coast Guard Joins Corps to Promote Safety at Lake
By Jennifer A. Bowen, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.
Sep. 2–With many people celebrating a final summer hurrah this weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Clinton County Sheriff’s deputies are putting in extra time to assure a safe holiday at Carlyle Lake.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary performed boat safety checks Saturday morning, and plan to continue the checks through the Monday holiday at Carlyle Lake. The guard will also patrol the lake, said George D. Mokriakow, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary based at Scott Air Force Base.
“The initiative is the first combined effort of many major U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary missions in support of the Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake,” Mokriakow said. “Carlyle lake on average experiences two fatalities a year with many more individuals receiving injuries related to over consumption of alcohol and unsafe vessel operation. We want everyone to enjoy recreational boating and the Labor Day weekend.”
The lake has experienced no drownings yet this year, Clinton County Sheriff’s Detective Charlie Becherer said.
Members of the sheriff’s department and park rangers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will join the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary to patrol Carlyle Lake during the Labor Day holiday. They will be watching for reckless boat operators, for drinking and driving and will be performing safety checks throughout the weekend.
“Labor Day is probably the slowest of the holidays for us,” Becherer said. “The more people we have on the water, the more eyes we have and the more aware people are that we are out here for them, watching out for them.”
Campgrounds at the lake already were full Saturday morning, and the overflow camp grounds were being used. All boat ramps are expected to reach capacity by Monday, said Kathy Apple, a park ranger with the U.S. Corps of Engineers at the lake.
“We’re proud to work with the Coast Guard in their efforts to increase safety at Carlyle,” Apple said. “Our prime concern is the safety of our visitors and we’re here to help any way we can.”
The Coast Guard Auxiliary will check boats for working equipment, the correct number of flotation devices, fire extinguishers, proper registration, a horn or whistle and other required safety items.
“We see a lot of life jackets that are too big for a child and they can slip right through them,” Mokriakow said. “We also see a lot of boats that are overloaded with too many people.”
About 95 percent of the boats undergoing a safety check before launching into the lake pass the safety check.
Contact reporter Jennifer A. Bowen at jbowen@bnd.com or 239-2667.
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