Fourth of July water safety

ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM ) –With the Fourth of July coming up, many people will be swimming in the Chemung River.

The Friends of the Chemung River Watershed is a nonprofit organization that relocated to North Main Street and will host a grand opening on July 11th. The organization works to protect and preserve the Chemung River.

“One person has tremendous power in changing the environmental landscape of our river and our community, so every single action that you do has an effect on what’s going on here in our community,” said Friends of the Chemung River Watershed executive director Elizabeth Zilinski.

Every year the organization goes to clean up trash and debris that people leave over large events like the Fourth of July holiday. Over time, the water has lost its color because of factors like the pollution left in the water.

“It’s different chemical compositions, it’s a lack of oxygen so there’s a whole bunch of different factors that could go into that. It’s not necessarily just pollution but one of the major factors and I would say yeah, the primary factor is going to be agricultural runoff,” Zilinski added.

But that doesn’t stop the community from swimming in the river. Whether you are a seasoned swimmer or just dipping your toes in for fun, there’s a few things to keep in mind.

“The danger is you can’t see the bottom of the river so you might be just fine in one spot and then you take a step and you fall into a hole or you might be playing around and you slip and you end up on a strainer or rock or something like that and it’s slippery it’s not safe if you don’t know what the bottom looks like.”

Alcohol consumption is also something you should worry about if you are on a boat. Between 2005 and 2022, intoxication was found to be the primary contributing factor in 79 fatalities, according to the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.

“If you are going to drink you cannot be boating. It’s just like driving a car and you would never get into a car after drinking and you should not be getting on a boat or kayak after drinking for the exact same reason because you’re not going to be able to react in time to an emergency situation.”

Another big way to stay safe is to always wear a life jacket. The Friends of the Chemung River Watershed will be giving away 200 free life jackets to the community. You can find more information on the group at Chemung River Friends | Home .

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