Fewer public swimming pools, lakes in Lackawanna County could cause more visits to deadly swimming areas

Jun. 11—Playful shrieks and emphatic splashes charged the atmosphere recently at Nay Aug Park's gorge. Dozens of revelers, including small children, sat on the rocks overlooking the treacherous falls or swam in Roaring Brook, while others in sandals or barefoot walked along the narrow precipice.

Rocky, dangerous and officially forbidden, the gorge lures scofflaw swimmers seeking a cool dip and dash of adventure.

As the number of outdoor public swimming areas dwindles and forecasters anticipate a scorching summer, officials fear more people could be lured to dangerous swimming areas like the gorge.

"If somebody goes there on a regularly hot day, and now we have more of those regularly hot days ... they're going to frequent that spot more," Scranton Fire Chief John Judge said. "Which is obviously a problem for us."

Long-range forecasts predict an unseasonably hot summer this year, with a good chance for above-normal temperatures, said Michael Kistner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Binghamton forecast office.

In Lackawanna County, the gorge, the Step Falls, both in Scranton, and the Dunmore Reservoir are popular illegal swimming spots for thrill-seekers but challenging for first responders.

While the waters look inviting, many don't understand its depth and currents, suffering neck or leg injuries. The wet and slick terrain can lead to slips, trips and falls. The water can also be cold.

"It's extremely dangerous for our crews to work there," Judge said.

Bill White, president of Dive Rescue Specialists of Scott Twp., said the heavy equipment makes rescues particularly challenging.

"It's just a very unsafe place to swim," he said. "It consumes a lot of our resources."

Rescues have taken up to four hours to complete, White said, depending on the location, with first responders carrying up to 100 pounds of equipment.

In Scranton, they take up to half a shift, involving as many as 18 firefighters, along with police and emergency medical services personnel, Judge said.

Dunmore Fire Chief Chris DeNaples said rescues take a tremendous amount of specialty resources. They also divert resources, making them unavailable during other incidents, County Emergency Management Director Thomas Taylor said.

Anticipating rescues

Seven water rescues were called in to Lackawanna County 911 dispatchers in 2022, Taylor said. Scranton firefighters rescued six people from the gorge last year, Judge said. The last fatality in the gorge happened in 2020, when a 23-year-old New Jersey man drowned.

Anticipating calls, firefighters visited the gorge this spring to familiarize themselves with it and cleared spots for easy access of emergency personnel and equipment. So far this year, several people called for help but were able to get themselves out, Judge said. White foresees Dive Rescue Specialists will get several calls this year.

While the Scranton Police Department does a good job watching the gorge and enforcing trespassing laws, Judge said, people need to know the dangers.

'Taking a risk'

Despite the danger, gorge swimmers weren't deterred on Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer and outdoor swimming.

"Why not?" 15-year old Rocquel Williams asked. "We're taking a risk."

The Middletown, New Jersey resident visited the gorge with her sisters, Shay Goss, 22, and Seasons Johnson, 11. Goss first visited in 2019, and on Memorial Day, brought her younger sisters for their first time. While the water was cold and the rocks slippery, they said the scenic spot was worth the two-hour drive.

Kevin Keating, of Philadelphia, and his girlfriend, Carly Belles, of Berwick, dipped their feet in the water, finding it safer than jumping in.

"It was probably fine," Keating, 21, said.

The out-of-town visitors, who discovered the gorge through social media and friends, found the gorge's scenery appealing.

"It's beautiful," Goss said.

'Hard to find'

The newspaper found just seven outdoor public swimming areas in Lackawanna County, serving a population of around 216,000. Comparatively, Erie County, with a population of about 266,000, has nine.

The lack of options surprised Marywood University student Trey Watson, who spent Memorial Day at the Covington Park lake with his friend, Claire Cituk.

"It was hard to find some," he said.

Scranton has three city-owned pools: Connell Park, Weston Park and Weston Field. The other locations — McDade Park pool in Scranton, the Merli-Sarnoski Park lake in Fell Twp., the Covington Park lake in Covington Twp. and the Aylesworth Park lake in Archbald — are run by Lackawanna County.

The closure of the pool complex at Lackawanna State Park this year removed a popular swimming option.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources decided not to open the pool and splash pad at the park in North Abington Twp. to replace the pool lining with advanced plaster. The pool and splash pad opened in 2016.

Park Manager Robert Barrese said the enhancements will make the pool more durable and easier to maintain. He expects repairs to be completed ahead of the 2024 swimming season.

Scranton officials have debated what to do with the Nay Aug Park pool complex, last open in 2019. Both pools are filled. The public has called for a new pool on the site.

Parks and Recreation Director Art Moran predicts the loss of the Nay Aug and Lackawanna State Park pools, and hot weather could bring more traffic to the county's existing swimming spots.

"I'm expecting a huge turnout," he said.

Moran anticipates overflow crowds at the McDade Park pool, which has a capacity of 120 people. The pool's location is ideal for West Scranton, which doesn't have a public swimming spot, and nearby Taylor, Old Forge and South Abington Twp., he said.

The pool is being renovated and a splash pad installed. Moran expects the pool to open in mid-July and the splash pad to be ready by mid-June. Crews have also poured sand on the beaches at the lakes.

Antonella Trapote and her 6-year-old daughter, Natasha, love that Covington Park's lake is near their Spring Brook Twp. home, but there are few options closer to home. The nearest swimming spots are more than 10 miles away in Scranton or at Lackawanna State Park, Trapote said. They've traveled outside the county to Tobyhanna State Park or Gouldsboro State Park for swimming.

"There's nowhere, really," she said.

'Difficult to run'

Swimming areas can be hard to maintain, Barrese said.

"Public pools are difficult to run as they're very maintenance- and labor-intensive," he said. "A lot of work goes into keeping it clean."

Hiring and keeping lifeguards is also a challenge. It can be difficult for lifeguards to get certified or recertified, Barrese said.

A lack of lifeguards forced park officials to close the pool for the season in mid-July last year. It is typically open from Memorial Day weekend to the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Between 20,000 and 22,000 visitors come to the pool complex during a typical season, Barrese said.

Outdoor swimming areas are particularly beneficial for those on a fixed budget, Gary Drapek, president and CEO of United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, said.

"This is especially important in neighborhoods of low- and moderate-income families who do not have the chance or financial ability to travel elsewhere," he said.

They are also a safe place for kids to hang out, Drapek said.

"It's sad that over the years a number of community pools have closed due to funding or difficulty in recruiting lifeguards and other pool attendants," he said.

Scott Gassenmeyer, Scranton's newly appointed parks and recreation manager, wants to ensure the city's three pools open safely.

"They're the cornerstone of their communities," he said.

Even with the city's sanctioned pools and area lakes where swimming is permitted, swimming spots like the Nay Aug Gorge will still draw illicit dippers.

"Wake up in the morning and we know that the sun's (going to) be out, it's going to be in the 80s and 90s, there's going to be people that are going to be up there swimming, and they're going to be walking on those dangerous rocks and edges up there and swimming in those spots," Judge said. "We're keenly aware of that fact, and we do as much as we can to prepare for it."

Contact the writer: clee@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 ext. 5365; @Cleespot on Twitter.