Despite a mostly cool and damp Memorial Day weekend in the forecast, many pools and lakes are opening throughout the region, and an accident prevention and safety expert urges caution in the water.<\/p>\n
Kathryn Bommer, prevention outreach coordinator Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, noted statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention in a recent interview estimating about 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings annually (an average of 11 per day) and 8,000 non-fatal drownings (roughly 22 per day) in the United States, with most of them in the 1- to 4-year-old age group.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing that we want folks to know is, you need to know how to swim. A lot of folks depend on those float buoys or those water wings, which are great, they\u2019re fashionable, but if they get punctured and you\u2019re in deep water and you don\u2019t know how to swim, that becomes a life-threatening emergency,\u201d said Bommer, who has worked numerous accident scenes as a paramedic and is also a registered nurse.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, somebody who knows how to swim or has access to emergency equipment now needs to get to you, because you\u2019re in the water, you\u2019re panicking, you don\u2019t know how to swim, and bad things can happen from that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children in the 1- to 4-year-old age group and the second-leading cause of death in the 5-to-14 age group, followed by vehicle crash, Bommer said.<\/p>\n
![\"Kathryn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CVC-L-SWIMMINGBOMMER2-0523.jpg\")
Kathryn Bommer, prevention outreach coordinator at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, says an average of 11 people per day die of drowning in the United States and has many recommendations for water safety now that the 2026 swimming season has begun. (Courtesy of Geisinger)<\/p>\n
Drownings in the youngest age group include children who were left unattended, even if only for a short time, in a pool, hot tub or bathtub, or even with a bucket of water, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a pool in your backyard, the best prevention to make sure nobody gets injured by the water is having a fence that\u2019s at least four feet tall and has a lock on it or a latch that a child can\u2019t reach up and undo,\u201d Bommer said.<\/p>\n
Other tips include:<\/p>\n
Use the buddy system when swimming (don\u2019t swim alone).
\nDon\u2019t drink alcohol when swimming or boating.
\nLearn CPR.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf somebody you know is unconscious, unresponsive, doesn\u2019t have a pulse due to the fact that they were in the water, CPR is going to buy time to get that ambulance there,\u201d Bommer said. \u201cThe other thing is, you know, common sense. Don\u2019t push people around, don\u2019t pretend that you\u2019re drowning, Don\u2019t do things that can potentially cause you harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CVC-L-HEAT-0625-6.jpg\")
People gather at the Kingston Community Pool to cool off on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (FILE)
\nDon\u2019t take chances<\/p>\n
Also, Bommer said, don\u2019t swim or dive where it\u2019s prohibited or where the water is murky or there could be currents.<\/p>\n
She noted an incident at the Francis E. Walter Dam in Bear Creek Twp. on May 17, after a teenage boy entered the reservoir along with four other people but failed to resurface. Dive teams found him and pulled him from the water. He was rushed to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp. and later transferred to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, where he died early Monday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of ponds, rivers and lakes. So, as the weather gets hot, people are going to the water. But, you always want to make sure you know what\u2019s in the water before you get into it. We have heavy rains and now you\u2019ve got muddy water or murky water, you don\u2019t know what\u2019s below the surface. there could be any sort of debris in the water,\u201d Bommer said.<\/p>\n
She warned that currents in local rivers can pull a swimmer to the middle of a river so, anyone swimming in one should be sure of their ability to swim in swift-moving water currents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you want to be cautious if you\u2019re going to be doing what they call cliff diving. \u2026 If that water is only a couple feet deep, you\u2019re going to end up with serious injuries if you\u2019re going in head first or feet first because, according to my American Trauma Society information, approximately nine out of 10 diving injuries occur in less than six feet of water,\u201d Bommer said.<\/p>\n
She re-emphasized that learning to swim is the best protection against drowning.<\/p>\n
![\"Lizzy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HZS-L-pool-0523-20.jpg\")
Lizzy McGran cleans the Conyngham Valley Civic Organization pool on Friday, May 22, 2026. (John Haeger \/ Staff Photographer)
\nLocal pools get ready<\/p>\n
Lizzy McGran, executive director of the Conyngham Valley Civic Organization and pool manager, agreed that knowing how to swim is important and said the CVCO is offering swimming lessons at the pool this summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019re really excited about,\u201d McGran said on Friday while taking a break from cleaning the pool for opening day on Saturday. \u201cThey\u2019ll be learning not just the skills of swimming, but also a lot of safety tips.\u201d<\/p>\n
McGran said she hopes the weather isn\u2019t too cold or rainy over the weekend, but the pool will open regardless.<\/p>\n
Some other pools in the region won\u2019t be opening for Labor Day or soon after, including the Borough of Forty Fort\u2019s pool and the pool at McDade Park in Scranton, which are still undergoing repairs.<\/p>\n
PLACES TO SWIM<\/p>\n
While there are places to swim year-round in the region, such as YMCAs, there are several public pools and lakes available to swimmers this summer beginning Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n
Public pools<\/p>\n
Lackawanna County<\/p>\n
Connell Park, 800 Gibbons St. \u2013 opens June 13.
\nLackawanna State Park, 1839 Abington Road, North Abington Twp. \u2013 pool opens Saturday.
\nMcDade Park, 100 Bald Mountain Road \u2013 splash pad opens around June 1, swimming pool will open when repairs are complete later this summer.
\nNay Aug Park, 500 Arthur Ave., opens after school lets out in June.
\nWeston Field, 982 Providence Road \u2013 opens June 13.
\nWeston Park, 100 Spring St. \u2013 opens Monday.<\/p>\n
Luzerne County<\/p>\n
Conyngham Valley Civic Organization, 311 Main St., Conyngham \u2013 opens Saturday.
\nFrances Slocum State Park, 565 Mount Olivet Road, Kingston Twp. \u2013 open Saturday through Monday, then on weekends until mid-June, when the pool will be open daily.
\nKingston Community Pool, 400 Lathrop St., Kingston \u2013 opens June 6.<\/p>\n
Lakes<\/p>\n
Carbon County<\/p>\n
Beltzville State Park, 2950 Pohopoco Drive, Lehighton (Franklin and Towamensing townships) \u2013 the lake at the sand beach opens Saturday for swimming at your own risk.
\nHickory Run State Park, 3 Family Camp Road, Kidder Twp., Carbon County \u2013 Sand Spring Lake open for swimming at your own risk.
\nMauch Chunk Lake Park, 625 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe \u2013 beach opens Saturday, with swimming permitted only while lifeguards are on duty, between 11 a.m. ad 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
Lackawanna County<\/p>\n
Aylesworth Park, 511 Hudson St., Jermyn
\nCovington Park, 139 Sanko Road, Covington Twp.
\nBoth lakes are open for swimming at your own risk, with water quality testing to be complete by the first weekend of June and lifeguards scheduling later in June.<\/p>\n
Luzerne\/Columbia\/Sullivan counties<\/p>\n
Ricketts Glen State Park, 695 State Route 487, Benton \u2013 Lake Jean is open for swimming at your own risk from the sandy beach.<\/p>\n
Schuylkill County<\/p>\n
Tuscarora State Park, 687 Tuscarora Park Road, Barnesville (Rush Twp.) \u2013 the lake is open for swimming at your own risk.<\/p>\n
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