The Park County Sheriff’s Office urged people to follow water safety advice after two drownings at Eleven Mile Reservoir within nine days. The warning came on Saturday, after a second man died there on Friday night.
Jen Plutt, a Park County Lt, said both victims were men, ages 67 and 28. In the first case, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said strong winds flipped the 67-year-old out of a kayak on Aug. 6. Bystanders pulled him from the water and got him and his friend to safety, but he was pronounced dead on scene after 30 minutes of CPR.
Park County Lt Jen Plutt
Plutt said the second man was paddleboarding when he fell into the water on Friday afternoon. Good Samaritans helped his friend get back to shore, while boats and dive teams searched for hours before recovering the body on Friday night.
The sheriff’s office said it was grieving the deaths and thanked Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and Hartsel Fire Protection District firefighters and responders for working through the incidents. Its Saturday post said, “Our hearts are heavy following two separate drownings at Eleven-Mile Reservoir within just nine days,” and added, “We also want to recognize and thank the Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and Hartsel Fire Protection District firefighters and responders who responded so promptly and worked through these difficult incidents. Their dedication and willingness to respond when others are experiencing the worst moments of their lives does not go unnoticed.”
The two cases point to the same hazard: light watercraft can become hard to control fast when wind and water shift. The sheriff’s office urged people to wear life jackets, stay sober, respect the weather and the water, keep an eye on one another, have a way to call for help, and know their limitations. At Eleven-Mile Reservoir, both victims were out on the water with friends before the emergencies turned fatal.
Eleven-Mile Reservoir safety
For anyone heading out there, the practical step is simple: treat the reservoir as changing conditions, not steady water. A life jacket, a sober plan, and a backup way to call for help are the measures the sheriff’s office put at the center of its warning after two men died in the same place in just over a week.
