Dillon Reservoir is one of Colorado’s most picturesque waterside recreation spots, but it also boasts the coldest water in the state because it’s fed directly by alpine snowmelt.
“The water temperature on this lake is cold, in the upper 40s,” explained Kevin Koelble, a boat ranger with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
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Temperatures will eventually get warmer, but that means that if people fall into the reservoir, they’re going to get a shock — a cold shock.
“If there’s no (snow) runoff, you probably have a minute or two to survive before you can’t swim anymore,” Koelble said, detailing a condition called “cold shock.”
“It’s not hypothermia, but the water is so cold that you lose the ability to use your muscles and you sink like a stone.”
It’s a concern any time someone gets blown off a paddleboard or kayak, especially if they’re not wearing a life jacket (which is required by law). There have already been eight drownings in Colorado, six of which were recreational. Of those six, none of the victims were wearing a life jacket. Koelble said it’s terrible to see this trend so early in the season.
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“We have to stop this trend, and the best way to stop it is prevention,” Koelble said.
Just at the end of Memorial Day weekend, SCSO recorded multiple rescues from the reservoir following a sudden afternoon storm that caused winds and waves to increase dramatically within minutes.
“Suddenly the winds increased to 30 to 40 miles per hour and the waves were two to three feet high, so multiple rescues were happening at the same time,” Koelble said.
While the rangers were able to provide a life jacket to everyone that day, they hope that people will now realise the importance of life jackets and not just keep them close by but actually wear them.
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Koelble said he has seen multiple situations where the winds get too strong, people are thrown off boats and left stranded with no way to get back.
“If you try to put your life jacket on by tucking it under your canoe or kayak, it’s going to ruin the life jacket,” Koelble said. “The wind is blowing where the paddleboard is and you can’t swim out, especially on this lake, you lose your ability to swim and you drown, and that’s it.”
