BOULDER CITY (KTNV) — With rising lake levels this year at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, National Park Service officials said more people have been visiting the site.
“We wanted to see how low it was and how much it’s come up in the last year,” said Tammy White, a visitor from Texas.
Lake Mead attracts both tourists and locals. But with the rise in visitation numbers, officials said there’s also been a rise in the average number of deaths this year. According to the National Park Service, there have been 19 deaths so far in 2023. Six of those were drownings. In 2022, there were 24 deaths at Lake Mead.
“It’s a very big park,” National Park Service public information officer John Haynes said. “It’s got a lot of areas, some are developed and some are not, and there are just huge numbers of people who come out here.”
Between 2014 and 2021, there have been a total of 145 deaths at Lake Mead. That makes it the highest number of fatalities at any U.S. National Park or Recreation Area. Grand Canyon National Park comes in second with 97 deaths during that time period.
Haynes said most of the drowning deaths come from a failure to adhere to safety protocols like wearing a life jacket and also sudden changing weather. Lake Mead is unlike many other places because of dangerous winds, especially during monsoon season.
“Most drownings that occur are people not wearing life jackets,” Haynes said. “They also don’t realize how unpredictable it can be. You think you’re jumping out of your boat for a quick swim and you’re going to swim back to your boat. But because of high winds, all of a sudden, your boat is drifting away and you’re stuck in the middle of the lake.”
Las Vegas local Donald Contursi said he comes back to Lake Mead every year to enjoy water sports but puts safety in the forefront.
“Everyone has to wear a life vest,” Contursi said. “I think people come out here to the lake to have a good time. If you’re traveling or even if you’re not a local, you’re in Las Vegas. You’re here to have a great time but the rules apply. Safety is serious. You can’t worry about everyone around you. You have to worry about your own safety.”
