Cleveland residents and visitors were urged to familiarize themselves with safety protocols before heading out on the water during a riverfront 鈥渙pening鈥� press conference Wednesday, ahead of what promises to be another busy summer season on the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.
The Cuyahoga River isn鈥檛 just a recreational state water trail; it鈥檚 also an active transportation corridor for commercial freight vessels. The pandemic brought more boaters to the river last summer, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Maginot, along with higher rates of accidents and injuries.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e spent time investigating tragedies on the water, as many of us have, you鈥檒l see that some very basic tools like a life jacket could鈥檝e made a very unfortunate scenario a completely different situation,鈥� Maginot said.
Boaters should avoid alcohol and tell others where they鈥檙e going on the water, Maginot said, as well as when they plan to return. That information can help the Coast Guard if there is an emergency.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of pre-planning you can do before you get underway to enjoy our beautiful river system to ensure that while you鈥檙e out operating, you鈥檙e doing it safely,鈥� Maginot said. 鈥淎nd then while you鈥檙e out doing it, put protections in place to protect yourself and your family.鈥�
Because of the shared purposes of the river, kayaks and smaller boats should be aware of any approaching commercial vessels, said PHASTAR President & CEO Drew Ferguson. assists in rescues and other needs along the river and lakefront, he said, and saw a spike in the number of emergencies last year.
鈥淲e really tell people to have situational awareness of what鈥檚 going on around you. As people walk down the street with their cell phones out, so do they on their jet skis or their kayaks,鈥� Ferguson said. 鈥淪uddenly, they look up and here comes one of the inter-lake steamship vessels, and they don鈥檛 have any idea what to do.鈥�
Anyone in the water should stay vigilant and focus on their surroundings, he said.
The river offers a variety of environments that require different levels of skill to navigate, said Andrea Irland, an outdoor recreation planner with the National Park Service. As new visitors come to explore, she said, they should be aware of what level of difficulty they鈥檙e operating in.
鈥淭hey want to experience new places, not just in their own backyard,鈥� Irland said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 driving people to come up here to have the really different experience of paddling in the shipping channel.鈥�
Visitors should familiarize themselves with safety protocols before heading out on the water, Irland said, like checking the weather for coming storms and familiarizing themselves with the risks of the area.
Access to the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie was essential in helping Downtown Cleveland weather the pandemic, said Downtown Cleveland Alliance Interim President Michael Deemer. The water-side amenities helped to draw people to the area even as events were canceled, he said.
鈥淲hen we didn鈥檛 have the crowds in Downtown Cleveland we typically have, we didn鈥檛 have office workers because people were working remotely, one of the things that we did have was a residential population that swelled to over 20,000,鈥� Deemer said. 鈥淎nd one of the greatest assets for downtown residents over the last year were our waterfronts.鈥�
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