This Is Why Drowning Is So Common In Oklahoma

All across Oklahoma, summer means lake days. Whether you're an angler, noodling, water skiing, wakeboarding, out on the jet skis, etc... the lake is where a large portion of Okies find relief from the heat.

With that comes a staggering statistic. Oklahoma ranks 8th in the nation in terms of drowning.

Many wonder how that's possible.  

Of course, the usual suspects are a combination of pools and bathtubs, particularly when parents lose track of their children. It's horrible, but it happens.

Hot tubs are another shockingly common source. After all, what's more relaxing than soaking the day away with a cocktail or a couple of beers?

Above all, the unassumed threat to life in the water is the lakes across the Sooner State.

What lies beneath. 

Maybe you've heard this before, but all of Oklahoma's lakes are manmade. In fact, we have more manmade lakes than any other state in the nation.

As a plains state, Oklahoma was (and is still) full of rivers and creeks that serve as lesser tributaries to the Mississippi River system. In a one-two punch to control the serious flooding issues and provide stable and reliable drinking and irrigation water to the masses, the state dammed up a ton of rivers starting back in the 1930s.

While hitting the waves on a mega-reservoir like Eufaula or Keystone is a blast, it comes with risks that still linger today.

When these lakes were created by damming up rivers, it flooded the river bottoms and forests. Almost 100 years later, without air, trees don't decay, so they stay put even inches below the water level.

Granted, with the drought/flood patterns Oklahoma sees, the great forests we flooded have dwindled over the decades, but the timber is still a common blame in lake-drowning reports. They can either be survivors from the creation of a lake or timber that came through during a flood and lodged itself below the surface.

If anything, as we head into what will be a stellar lake season, since they're almost all over capacity at the moment, always take the time to mix safety into your summer fun.