NEW HARTFORD, Conn. — In response to the tragic incident out of Sprague, officials reminded everyone to take precautions in and on the water with hopes to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
"When you add current to water, it’s extremely powerful," said Capt. Kevin Manzolillo of CT State Police.
When it came to the extreme heat, it was tempting to take a dip in a nearby river, but this year has been a different story.
With the extreme flooding and heavy rain lately, most river levels have been at an all-time high.
"There is so much debris right now. Water levels are just so high. At least in my career in my 13 years in Connecticut, I can’t really remember a time where we’ve had river levels in the rivers at this height," said DEEP Conservation Police Officer Elise Bouthillier.
At Satan's Kingdom in New Hartford, they are known for tubing down the Farmington River, but for the past two weeks, they have closed out of safety for everyone but it has been tough for their business.
"These currents move boulders, trees, they sweep out the sand, they carve out holes that were never there, they move entire sandbars," added DEEP Conservation Police Officer Elise Bouthillier.
Even if it is a spot you are familiar with, Captain Manzolillo said looks can be deceiving.
"A river’s very different than a swimming pool. There’s a lot of stuff you may look at it and it doesn’t look like there’s a lot going on on the surface but once you get low the surface, there could be currents you’re not aware of," added Capt. Manzolillo.
If for whatever reason you are swept up by the current, he recommended swimming on your back with your toes up and picking an opportunity to escape.
Your best bet, for now, is to avoid swimming at any of the rivers until levels return to normal.
"You might say well I haven’t had any rain where I live, well maybe 50 or 100 miles up the river, they have. All those floodwaters are coming down from Vermont," added Bouthillier.
Officials added if it is a very hot day and the rivers still have not leveled down, residents should go swim at a pool or cool off at a splash pad instead.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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