KING COUNTY, WA - Most kids are now out of school and the summer recreation season is upon us. Public Health - Seattle & King County reminds you to be safe while you have fun in the water.

"With all the water in the area--lakes, rivers, and swimming pools-- it is very important that all children learn to swim and learn about water safety," says Tony Gómez, Manager for Violence and Injury Prevention at Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Every child also needs a lifejacket of the appropriate size and type so that when they go to the beach or out on a boat they are prepared. At $15 to $25 each, lifejackets make excellent gifts."

Several factors should be considered while swimming in open water, including the depth of the water, any current, water temperature, and your ability to swim. You may wish to get your swimming skills evaluated by a professional. Most local pools will let you try on your lifejacket in the pool and help check its fit and function. The following "safe practices" are recommended for protection:

• Wear a lifejacket when swimming in open water. Swimming with a lifejacket and a buddy will save lives. This is especially true in areas without a lifeguard.
• Wear a lifejacket while in small boats, rafting, inner tubing, water skiing or on a personal watercraft.
• Children under 12 must always wear a lifejacket while in any boat. It's the law.
• Drowning statistics show that "midnight swims" and swimming in unsupervised areas are especially dangerous for young people ages 12 to 24.
• Make sure that children are supervised when swimming. Lack of supervision is the most common cause of drowning.

"Parents would not think of letting their child play on the freeway but yet when they go to a beach or pool, the kids are often left to run around and swim without supervision," adds Gómez. "This is every bit as dangerous as letting them play on a freeway, and the proof is the number of kids who end up in area hospitals."

Bacteria are present in all lake-water. Sometimes there are enough bacteria and other organisms (e.g. viruses) to make people sick or at least uncomfortable. You can lower your risk and the possible risk to others by following these simple steps:

• Keep lake-water out of your mouth.
• Do not let children wearing diapers go into the lake unless they are wearing leak-proof plastic pants.
• Do not swim in the lake if you have had a fever or experienced nausea or diarrhea within the last 48 hours. You can spread disease.
• Do not feed the ducks and geese. Their droppings are the cause of swimmers itch, and they cause fecal coliform contamination of the lake water and foul the beach areas.

Algae and lakeweeds such as milfoil occur naturally in some lake waters. These can present a hazard to swimmers if an algae bloom or lakeweed growth become so excessive that they entangle someone or hide a struggling swimmer.

A toxic blue-green algae bloom creates other health concerns. In this case, Public Health and the Seattle and King County Parks Departments would advise swimmers of the risk.

Recent water quality results at all the public beaches that were tested showed fecal coliform levels well under the standard of 200 being used by Public Health. Water quality testing will continue on a weekly basis throughout the summer.

Lifeguards are now on duty at the five King County Parks Department swimming beaches, which officially opened last Sunday, June 18, 2000. These beaches will operate daily between 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM, through Labor Day. King County beaches are located at Juanita Beach Park (Kirkland), Luther Burbank Park (Mercer Island), Pine Lake (Sammamish), Lake Wilderness Park (Maple Valley) and Five Mile Lake Park (Federal Way).

In Seattle, five public beaches are now open and will operate seven days a week from 11:00 AM to 8 PM, until Labor Day. Those beaches are Matthews, Madison Park, Mt. Baker, Seward Park and West Green Lake. An additional four beaches will open this Saturday, June 24, 2000, and be open the same hours and days, but will close on August 27, 2000. They are Magnuson, Madrona, Pritchard and East Green Lake beaches.