Officials are warning summer swimmers that a popular stretch of the Sandy River has gotten some new dangerous hazards.
On Tuesday, May 19, a coalition of safety organizations installed a pair of large “Danger, Stay Right” signs upstream of a newly-formed large sandbar between Oxbow Regional Park and Dabney State Recreation Area. The new hazard was created during a severe winter storm, and has a collection of fallen logs beneath the water’s surface.
Those fallen trees are called “strainers,” and the current now pulls watercrafts and swimmers directly toward them. Due to the combination of water depth, submerged rocks, and new tree hazards, the section now contains small rapids, making navigation difficult. People on the river may be unable to bypass the debris, potentially forcing them to abandon their crafts. River patrols have spotted several abandoned inner tubes caught in the debris jam…