Dangerous Waters

A Mandan man is in the hospital after nearly drowning in the Heart River yesterday He s still in ICU but his condition is improving Swimming in rivers can be dangerous Donnell Preskey tells you what you need to watch for Donnell Preskey Reporting On a hot summer day a dip in the water feels so good And it s easy in our area with the Missouri and other water areas so close But underneath the soothing water could be something turbulent Nathaniel Umphrey ND Game amp amp Fish Any time swim in body of water with moving water with current large lakes rivers you run a risk of having an under tow That risk is here on the Heart River Tuesday a man almost drowned at this spot Umphrey Low head dams are common area of danger as current rolls over obstacle creates turbulance in water and under current The current also can create deep holes - authorities say there s a quick drop here too Umphrey If you get close enough and caught in under tow of the low head dam it s similar to a water fall it s going to pull you under and if you go under you re going to tumble never be able to right yourself and have a tough time figuring out which way is up Dams like this are on many rivers Log jams can have the same affect And the Mighty Missouri s strong current all the time is another hazard Umphrey On the Missouri River have constantly changing channel with holes eddie currents and step side banks that can cause similar hazards There s a sign posted before the dike near the Heart River warning swimmers but don t expect that everywhere Nathaniel Umphrey There s no way we can warn against every given danger available on a river take away from astetics if had signs all the way from nd to sd beware of undercurrent It sounds simple but yet it s worth repeating The best defense against drowning is wearing a life jacket Umphrey also says there s another concern on the Missouri River don t swim in high boat traffic areas like ramps Fox Island he says is particularly dangerous