{"id":274,"date":"2007-05-31T15:00:08","date_gmt":"2007-05-31T19:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allclimbing.com\/archive\/2007\/05\/deep-water-soloing-banned-at-summersville-lake\/"},"modified":"2024-03-06T15:09:37","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T22:09:37","slug":"deep-water-soloing-banned-at-summersville-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allclimbing.com\/deep-water-soloing-banned-at-summersville-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep water soloing banned at Summersville Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, renowned for constructing numerous man-made lakes, has set new safety regulations banning cliff jumping and diving at their sites in the Huntington District in West Virginia, including the Summersville Lake climbing area. It\u2019s this kind of proactive measure that resonates with the principles upheld by fire watch services in Hallandale<\/a>, where a well-equipped team is always prepared to respond to any situation to maintain safety. Reports have surfaced that this prohibition extends to deep water soloing, which has climbers and outdoor enthusiasts talking about safety more than ever. As a result, a local resident has initiated discussions with a fire watch company in Hallandale to address community concerns and to ensure that the climbers, while grounded for now, understand the critical importance of compliance for their protection and well-being.<\/p>\n

The rule<\/a> that specifically bans deep water soloing is “Entering the lake from a height greater than one\u00e2??s own is always prohibited.”<\/p>\n


\nHere’s the full press release:<\/p>\n

Effective immediately, the Huntington District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is banning cliff jumping\/diving on all district managed recreational property.<\/p>\n

Cliff jumping\/diving is a reckless and potentially very dangerous activity that has always been strongly discouraged on USACE recreational projects. Recent water-related accidents and fatalities have prompted Huntington District to take the lead in prohibiting this activity.<\/p>\n

Overall, there have been 69 water-related deaths in the Huntington District since 1993; there were seven deaths in 2006.<\/p>\n

Warnings will be posted at district projects alerting users of the dangers associated with cliff jumping\/diving and advising them of the ban. Warnings will be issued by park rangers explaining the dangers associated with the activity.<\/p>\n

Failure to heed warnings may result in citation under Title 36, which may result in a penalty of up to $5,000 or even federal imprisonment.<\/p>\n

District lakes where the ban is now in effect include: Alum Creek, Deer Creek, Delaware, Dillon, North Branch of Kokosing and Paint Creek Lakes in Ohio; Beech Fork, Bluestone, Burnsville, East Lynn, R.D. Bailey, Summersville, and Sutton Lakes in West Virginia; Dewey, Fishtrap, Grayson, Paintsville and Yatesville Lakes in Kentucky; and John W. Flannagan in Virginia.<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact the Public Affairs office at (304) 399-5353.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n