Yuma County launches third annual water safety campaign for summer drowning prevention
Yuma families face the highest water danger at pools, canals and the Colorado River, and the countywide campaign is adding lessons, CPR training and life jackets.
As summer heat builds across Yuma County, the places where children and teens are most likely to face water danger are already easy to name: neighborhood pools, canals, the Colorado River and any backyard water feature left without a second look. The Greater Yuma Water Safety Alliance is pushing a countywide response built around one simple message: preventable drownings can be stopped before an emergency starts.
The alliance launched its 2026 campaign in May, its third year, and the City of Yuma tied the effort to National Water Safety Month and the start of peak swim season. City officials said the campaign is built around the National Drowning Prevention Alliance’s Five Layers of Protection: barriers, supervision, swim skills, life jackets and emergency preparedness. The Yuma City Council was set to recognize the campaign with a proclamation on May 6, 2026.
The alliance was formed in the fall of 2023 and brings together the City of Yuma, Yuma County, the cities of San Luis and Somerton, the Town of Wellton, Onvida Health, Exceptional Community Hospital - Yuma, the Regional Center for Border Health, Sunset Health and the Prison Hill Liquid Foundation. That mix of local government and health providers matters in a county where drowning prevention is being treated less like a seasonal reminder and more like a public-health issue.
The City of Yuma says drowning is the single-leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4 and a top cause of death among teens. In 2024, the alliance used the tagline “Anyone can drown. No one should.” and rolled out a webpage, social media, digital billboards, print materials, posters, handouts, videos, public service announcements and interviews. That same year, it added an elementary school water safety curriculum, new warning signs and mile markers along the river, and distributed more than 100 swimming lesson scholarships.
The 2026 campaign is leaning harder into practical access. Swim lesson registration opened May 4, with classes beginning June 1 at Marcus Pool and Carver Pool. More than 300 scholarships are available for children ages 6 months to 5 years, and lessons cost $28 for city residents and $42 for non-residents. The National Drowning Prevention Alliance says formal swimming lessons can reduce drowning risk by up to 88% for children ages 1 to 4.
The campaign also includes free First Aid and CPR training at the Yuma Police Department Community Room on April 19, May 16, June 13, July 12 and August 8, along with Onvida Health water-safety workshops at the Onvida Health Administrative Building on May 11, June 11, July 2, August 3 and September 1. Water Safety Day is set for June 6 at Valley Aquatic Center, with a pre-pool party from 8 to 10 a.m. and free public swimming from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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