Elephant Butte Lake emphasizes safety following drowning

ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. — Summer fun is just getting beginning, but the season isn’t off to a great start at Elephant Butte Lake.

Search and Rescue crews recovered the body of Kirtland Airforce Base Airman Me’lik Etienne Monday after he drowned at the lake.

After the drowning, people were quick to respond, calling Elephant Butte “deadly” and “dangerous.”

New Mexico State Parks Boating Manager for Elephant Butte, Erica Baker, said it can be.

“What I can say is any body of water is deadly, the river, a swimming pool, the lake, the ocean, it’s all about having respect for that body of water and knowing your limitations,” Baker said.

Baker said there have been 12 drownings at the lake in the last 10 years. They all had one thing in common, none of the people who drowned were wearing life jackets.

“A life jacket here on the water, anywhere on the water, is going to be your lifeline,” she said.

Baker is one of just two boating officers who patrol the 40-mile-long lake. It can make for some chaotic days, especially during holiday weekends.

“Last July, the estimated total number of people we had for the July Fourth weekend was 110,000,” said Baker.

That’s why she’s asking visitors to take matters into their own hands by wearing their life jackets.

State law requires people under the age of 12 to wear one on a moving boat. Everyone is required to wear one on any type of flotation device including canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, and rubber rafts.

Baker said the lake could be calm one minute, but change quickly.

“The weather, the wind, the boat traffic that really chops the water up, it pushes waves over so that can make it difficult to swim out into that type of water,” she said.

Another risk beneath the water is the undercurrent from the Rio Grande. The river feeds into the north side of Elephant Butte, which can make the waters rough in the main channel about 20 feet below the surface, according to Baker.

But what about the rumors of it sucking people under?

“It’s not going to suck you down, we don’t have school bus-sized catfish that are going to come grab your feet when you’re in the water, I’ve heard that,” she said.

Baker said if you get to the lake without life jackets, you can head to the Visitor’s Center for one. They have a life jacket donor program where visitors can be fitted for a life jacket to borrow then drop off when the weekend’s over.

Sierra Vista Hospital also hosts events near the lake, fitting and giving away free life jackets to families. Baker said they plan to do one this Fourth of July.

For all the laws surrounding boating, visit the state’s website here.