MONETA, Va. – In the blink of an eye, a dip in the water this summer could turn deadly. It can happen when swimmers get an electric shock from devices in the water.
“Stray voltage in the water, you can’t see it, feel it, and you have to have some way to test for it,” said Neil Harrington, Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue crew member.
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In an effort to help prevent electric shock drowning, Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue has purchased four additional detectors. It is offering its services to residents of the lake.
“In some of the docks that I have checked there have been some stray voltages coming into the water, typically off of the boat lifts and due to how the docks are grounded,” said Harrington.
Harrington says these cases only required minor fixes.
Karl Martin, district supervisor with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said many of the docks around the lake were wired more than 50 years ago. He says they need to be updated to meet code.
“Have someone from a licensed firm come and look at the wiring around the docks. There are a lot of outlets that are buried go from a residence to the water or near the water,” said Martin.
SML Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue crews are encouraging lake residents to have their docks tested for stray voltage in the water, and to keep metal boat lifts out of the water.
"People ask what level of voltage is acceptable in the water. As a diver who is going into the water, it's zero,” said Harrington.