New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘An extremely dangerous situation’
With lake beaches closed, officials warn against swimming in some areas
With state inland beaches closed this summer, some swimmers are turning to reservoirs, boat ramps and other nontraditional places to cool off.
But officials say this can be dangerous and illegal.
This has been a problem in Danbury, where there is an increase in people swimming in reservoirs, such as one off of Long Ridge Road.
“It’s just a new phenomenon,” Mayor Mark Boughton said. “We’re seeing it in other parts of the city and other parts of the state.”
This is true at Aquarion Water Company’s reservoirs and at state boat ramps.
Officers with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are “strictly” enforcing the “no swimming” rules and posting signs at many of the “problematic” launches, said Will Healey, spokesman for DEEP.
“It is an extremely dangerous situation to have anybody, let alone small children, in the water anywhere near the boat ramps,” Healey said. “The facilities are designed for use by large vehicles, trailers, and motor boats. With courtesy docks in the water adjacent to many launches and with vehicles and trailers backing onto ramps, swimmers are not easily seen and tragic results could occur.”
Instances of people swimming in “non-traditional” areas have been growing in recent years and further accelerated this year, he said.
“How much of that is due to the general annual increase in this activity versus closure of inland swim areas is hard to know or quantify,” Healey said.
Problem spots in previous years include Bulls Bridge in Kent, Scantic River in Enfield, Nepaug Forest in New Hartford and Wadsworth Falls in Middlefield, he said.
Additional signage has been posted, but DEEP has not been able to increase enforcement in those places, Healey said.
“This is due to increased demand on staff as a result of the increased use we’ve been experiencing,” he said.
Reservoir swimming
On Long Ridge Road, people have ignored signs warning people not to park or swim at the reservoir and then left garbage, clothes, diapers and other debris, Boughton said.
Bethel, not Danbury, owns the reservoir and Eureka water tank.
Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said he had not heard of an increase of trespassers on the property this summer, but has received complaints before.
He said the Public Works Department installed barriers to prevent people from parking on the property. He recently asked the utilities department to put up “no trespassing” signs, so Danbury police could ticket parkers.
“We will work with Danbury authorities as best we can to discourage and put an end to it,” Knickerbocker said.
Not only are there no lifeguards, but it is illegal to swim in a public water supply.
“That’s a major no-no,” Boughton said.
Bethel would need a permit from DEEP to allow people to use the reservoir for recreation purposes, Knickerbocker said.
The reservoir is only used for backup water supply, and the town does not need to treat the water if people are caught swimming there, he said.
“There is nothing we need to do with the water, but we can’t allow people to be there,” Knickerbocker said.
Aquarion described “rampant trespassing and unauthorized activities” on its watershed land and reservoirs in recent months. Swimming may contaminate the water, the company said.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our properties open while ensuring public safety during the pandemic,” Ralph Fensore, Aquarion’s chief of law enforcement and security, said in a statement. “Along with general trespassing and swimming, we’ve found children unaccompanied by adults, littering, people walking dogs, fire pits, ATV and dirt bike activity, and more.”
Aquarion police work with local and state law enforcement agencies, with fines being issued to rule-breakers.
While several of the company’s properties are not open to the public, three reservoirs are open to shoreline fishing for those with a license. They include Saugatuck Reservoir in Redding and Weston, Far Mill Reservoir in Shelton, and West Pequonnock Reservoir in Monroe.
In Danbury, Boughton said the evenings and weekends are the busiest times.
“Hot days tend to draw more people than cooler days, but it’s an ongoing issue,” he said.
If people are caught multiple times, they may be fined or arrested, Boughton said.
“We always start out with a warning and try to reason with people,” he said.
The culprits have been all ages.
“We’ve had families,” Boughton said “We’ve had teenagers, pretty much people of all ages.”
Limited places to cool off
Boughton said the closure of inland beaches, including the city’s town park, is likely a factor in driving people to the reservoirs.
But the city had issues last year with people from other communities swimming in streams.
“It’s probably not the best place to swim,” he said. “Some of these waterways, the sediment has a lot of containments in it. It is not something you want to do.”
Brookfield has had problems in previous years with swimmers at boat ramps and other locations where swimming is not permitted, but this has not been an issue this summer, First Selectman Steve Dunn said.
Brookfield is one of a few local towns that has opened its beach. Like previous years, the beach is only open to Brookfield residents. Staff are enforcing social distancing.
“It seems to be working pretty well,” Dunn said.
Bethel does not have access to a lake and there are no streams or other places where people could swim, Knickerbocker said. Bethel residents usually go to the Long Island Sound or Squantz Pond, which is closed for swimming this summer.
Danbury’s town park is closed this summer due to challenges in finding lifeguards and maintaining social distancing requirements.
The splash parks are the only city-sponsored ways to cool down.
“Unfortunately it’s just one of those things where we just don’t have areas where people can go and swim,” Boughton said. “It’s one of the sacrifices we’re all having to make in a pandemic.”