District Digest News Stories

Boating + life jackets = free entry on 'Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day'

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District
Published July 26, 2016
A visitor to Hurricane Bridge Recreation Area at Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tenn., receives free entry after displaying her life jacket on "Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day" July 23, 2016.

A visitor to Hurricane Bridge Recreation Area at Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tenn., receives free entry after displaying her life jacket on "Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day" July 23, 2016.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 26, 2016) – The  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District offered free entry into participating day use areas Saturday at Center Hill Lake, Cordell Hull Lake, Dale Hollow Lake, and J. Percy Priest Lake during “Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day." 

“Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day” is a local event held each year by USACE to emphasize the importance of wearing a life jacket when around water.  During this year’s event more than 450 visitors brought their life jackets to 11 participating Nashville District day use areas.  Presenting a life jacket, each visitor enjoyed a free one-day admittance to the area.

“This was a twofold event,” explained Park Ranger Ben MacIntyre at J. Percy Priest Lake.  “It allowed the public an opportunity for a free day at the lake, plus by having boaters show us their life jackets, they then have them out, inspected, and ready to use, as opposed to keeping the life jackets stored or hidden away.”

As always, USACE park hosts and park rangers encouraged visitors to not stow their life jackets away, but instead keep them out, or better yet, wear them.  Many boaters do not plan on swimming and statistics show that most drowning victims had no intention of being in the water, and were often within 10-30 feet of safety.  Wearing a life jacket could make the difference between drowning or returning to shore and family.

Nashville District parks participating in 2016’s “Life Jackets Saves and Pays Day” included Floating Mill Park, Hurricane Bridge Recreation Area, and Ragland Bottom Park at Center Hill Lake; Defeated Creek Park, Roaring River Park, and Wartrace Creek Recreation Area at Cordell Hull Lake; Lillydale Recreation Area, Obey River Park, and Pleasant Grove Recreation Area at Dale Hollow Lake; and Anderson Road Park and Cook Day Use Area at J. Percy Priest Lake.

For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District, visit the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps