{"id":122014,"date":"2025-08-05T22:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122014\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T22:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:30:12","slug":"12-fatal-drownings-reported-at-these-dfw-lakes-in-2025-heres-how-to-exercise-caution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122014\/","title":{"rendered":"12 fatal drownings reported at these DFW lakes in 2025. Here\u2019s how to exercise caution"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, 12 people have drowned at Dallas-Fort Worth lakes owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, prompting agency officials to urge caution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In recent years, the Corps of Engineers saw fewer drownings at its lakes. So far in 2025, drownings at agency lakes mirror last year\u2019s numbers for the area, said Tim McAllister, chief of operations at the Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District.<\/p>\n

Officials want lake goers to remain vigilant when using recreational areas because several factors can contribute to dangerous situations.<\/p>\n

In most of this year\u2019s drowning cases, protective equipment, such as a life jacket, wasn\u2019t used, McAllister said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want (visitors) to come out. We just want them to be able to go home as well,\u201d McAllister said of those who enjoy recreational time at the Corps\u2019area lakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Corps of Engineers sees fewer drownings when lakes experience drought or flooding, which typically limits access.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rangers notify park users when the lake could be dangerous due to weather conditions. Visitors should be aware that inclement weather can roll in at a moment\u2019s notice, warned Benbrook Lake Park Ranger Billy Jasper. Park rangers assess rising lake levels when severe weather is forecasted in case campsites must be evacuated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Built to collect overflow from the Trinity River, Benbrook Lake has a maximum depth of 69 feet<\/a>, but tree stumps break the surface in more shallow sections of the lake.<\/p>\n

If rain causes the lake levels to rise a foot, stumps could cause boating or swimming accidents at the lake, Jasper said.<\/p>\n

High winds also increase the likelihood of kayaks or paddle boards capsizing, potentially leading to fatalities, Jasper added.<\/p>\n

Although the lake has signs warning users about possible obstructions in the water and fluctuating levels, the public is encouraged to do their research and stay alert.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cautionary signs are stationed at boat ramps at Benbrook Lake, pictured Aug. 1, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere could be something underneath the water that you didn\u2019t realize was there, but you didn\u2019t get out that far last time because the water was up higher,\u201d McAllister said.<\/p>\n

Lake goers should lean into safe practices when using the Corps\u2019 lakes such as never swimming alone, using life jackets and limiting alcohol consumption, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing is making sure that everybody kind of understands not just what the dangers are but how to mitigate those dangers that are out here,\u201d Jasper said.<\/p>\n

McAllister recommends that along with being aware of lake levels and conditions, those using lakes should learn basic swimming techniques. Knowing how to float can be enough to self-rescue, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust learn how to do that, and that can save your life,\u201d McAllister said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be an Olympic swimmer. You don\u2019t have to be a competitive swimmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The levels of North Texas Corps of Engineers lakes can be found on the agency\u2019s Fort Worth Lakes and Recreation website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

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Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year, 12 people have drowned at Dallas-Fort Worth lakes owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":122015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,75623,7371,7372,358,41105,3187,66280,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-122014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-benbrook-lake","10":"tag-fort-worth","11":"tag-fortworth","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-trinity-river","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-u-s-army-corps-of-engineers","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}