Four Safety Measures To Be Installed On Oswego River

Oswego Mayor Randolph Bateman announced Tuesday night that new safety measures will be put into place on the Oswego River. After several meetings with local fishermen and Oswego officials, Mayor Batement came up with the following plan:

• Install signs along the east side of the Oswego River saying that river levels can rise and fall rapidly
• Place depth poles at various points in the river to visually show the water levels in the river
• Place life rings on the west shore of the Oswego River to be thrown to fishermen in trouble
• Install distance markers along the river to help people calling 911 to identify the exact location of people in trouble.

The safety measures come following the death of two fishermen back in September. The two men were fishing on the Oswego River, when the Varick Hydro-Electric Dam released water, causing the men to be swept away.

Mayor Batemen said that the dam operators, Brookfield Power, will be working with the town to install the new safety measures and will fund most of the project.

David Turner, director of Oswego County Planning, Community Development and Tourism, said publicity about the safety measures is vital for the plan to work.

"Well I think general education is a key to anything you do over there," Turner said. "If people aren't informed about it and what it means, then it's not going to be succesful."

Oswego Officials will be working with local fishermen to identify the key locations to place these safety measures. Turner said that there are several areas that are very popular, where it is highly dangerous because some fishermen relax and forget about dangers on the water.

"Sometimes people get very comfortable out there," Turner said. "Things just happen, but constnatly reminding folks that there are dangers will be a lot safer than what we had before."

The changes will be worked on during the winter, and will be ready for fishing in the spring of 2011.

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