This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A popular swimming area on the Fremont River in Capitol Reef National Park has been closed after three near drownings since June.
Scott Brown, chief ranger in the Wayne County park, said Friday that a section of river known as Fremont waterfall was closed to swimming on July 16 and will remained closed during the season after a 12-year-old California girl and a 32-year-old Logan man nearly drowned on July 15. A 6-year-old Wisconsin boy was the first to nearly drown at the same location on June 20.
The parking lot at the popular site has been closed and signs warning visitors not to swim have been posted until temperatures drop, making swimming impractical.
Brown said the 6-year-old, Cody Grundstrom, was swimming in the pool created by a waterfall plunge and was sucked under the water.
Jay Torgersen, a fire captain with the Unified Fire Authority in Salt Lake County who is trained in swift-water rescues, and his wife, Tali, were able to get Cody out of the water and perform CPR.
"I tried to hang onto rocks, but the waterfall took me toward it," Cody told The Salt Lake Tribune in a June 21 interview from his hospital bed at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
His cries for help couldn't be heard over the thundering water.
"All I could see was green," said Cody. "I closed my eyes, was just lying in the water and waiting. I knew my dad would come get me."
Brown said a 12-year-old girl was sucked under water on July 15 and a 32-year-old man nearly drowned when he tried to save her.
Other people at the site, including a doctor visiting from Germany, were able to resuscitate the pair. The man was flown to Provo Regional Medical Center and the girl to Primary Children's Medical Center.
All are reported in good condition, said Jeri Johnson, emergency services director for Wayne County, who helped revive and transport all the victims.
She said the Logan man was able to walk up the hill from the pool on his own. "But you could tell he had water in his lungs."
Brown said details of the near drownings are still being investigated and the names of the two most recent victims have not been released.
"They are truly lucky," said Brown. "It's fortunate one or more didn't perish."
He said the waterfall, which plunges about 12 feet into the pool, was created in 1962 during a realignment of State Route 24 that winds through the park.
Originally, the river dropped over a wider area, he said, but erosion of the sandstone has deepened the channel, increasing the velocity of the water into a pool that is 8 to 9 feet deep.
The faster water also creates a dangerous undertow, said Johnson, adding that the area is popular with visitors.
She and Brown attended a recent meeting with park officials, the county sheriff and county commissioners who support the temporary closure.
County Commission Chairman Thomas Jeffery said Friday that a long-term solution, such as using concrete to lessen the speed of the water's flow, is needed.
Brown said the solution could include putting the river back in its natural channel, but no decisions have been made.