Jordanelle death prompts safety reminder ahead of summer boating season

A death at Jordanelle Reservoir is now forcing a hard look at how well the lake’s safety message reaches people before the summer rush. The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office said a 24-year-old Salt Lake City man, identified in reports as James A. Singer, died after a water emergency that was reported around 7:45 a.m. on April 13.

Deputies, Wasatch County Fire District crews and the Utah Division of Natural Resources all responded. Authorities said preliminary information indicated Singer may have been paddleboarding alone and was wearing a life jacket. Investigators said no foul play was suspected and the death appeared accidental.

The incident places renewed attention on a reservoir that is one of the region’s busiest recreation sites and a critical water source. Jordanelle State Park says the reservoir is filled by the Provo River and, along with Deer Creek Reservoir, helps provide culinary water to users in Wasatch, Utah and Salt Lake counties. Its Hailstone, Rock Cliff and Ross Creek access points draw boaters, paddleboarders, campers and other visitors throughout the warm season.

Officials have been pushing life-jacket use more aggressively in recent years, and the timing matters. Utah’s Division of Outdoor Recreation said Governor Spencer J. Cox declared May 16, 2025, as Life Jacket Safety Day in Utah. Utah State Parks says nationally 80% of people who drowned in boating accidents would have survived if they had been wearing a life jacket.

State health data also show why the warning comes before peak season rather than after it. One Utah drowning fact sheet says 70% of child drownings in the state occur from May through August, while a newer fact sheet says 58% occur from June through August. Those numbers put Jordanelle’s spring and summer traffic in the same window when drownings rise fastest across Utah.

The death adds to the pressure on local officials to make sure warnings are visible where people actually launch, paddle and swim, not just on paper. At a site that serves Summit County and surrounding communities, the next round of visitors will be met by the same open water, but with a fresh reminder that one life jacket and one bad decision can still turn a day on the reservoir into a fatal call for help.