HOOPER, Utah — Two teens died in separate incidents in or near Utah bodies of water this weekend.
The body of a 17-year-old boy was recovered Sunday night after he presumably drowned in Weber County. The Weber County Sheriff's Office said three 17-year-old boys were swimming at the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area on Sunday when one of them went under and never resurfaced.
Monday morning, officials reported that a 14-year-old boy who went missing over the weekend near a reservoir in Cache Valley was found dead. Conner Bowden was last seen around 2:30 p.m. at Hyrum State Park, and his body was eventually found by the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) Dive Team.
"We also brought in a DPS boat earlier this morning and they did another sonar scan," said Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi with the Cache County Sheriff's Office. "Just after 10:00, they put some divers into the water, and shortly after that, they did find Conner here in the same vicinity as the dock."
It's not certain whether Bowden drowned, but crews searched the water because it appeared to be the highest probability of where he could be.
FOX 13 News asked Laura Haskell, the drought coordinator with the Utah Department of Water Resources, if rivers and reservoirs are especially dangerous right now after a historic winter and the spring runoff.
"They are definitely. You have more flow. More water means more possibility of having a problem, of having some sort of accident," she said.
She said reservoirs are currently 86% full right now, and this time last year, they were only about 60% full.
"Our water streams are flowing very high, and with them flowing kind of high and with our temperatures being cooler this past month, the water is cooler," said Haskell.
Devan Chavez, the public information officer for the Utah Division of State Parks, said they've seen water temperatures in southern Utah that are 50-60 degrees.
With the holiday weekend coming up ahead of the 4th of July next week, Chavez says there are several ways people can stay safe while out on the water.
"Wear your life jacket. Nationally, 80% could have potentially survived their incident had they jacket," said Chavez. "Always check park conditions and weather conditions before you go out."
Chavez also urged the public to always recreate with a buddy, friend or family member to have someone who can help, if needed.
The Weber County Sheriff's Office said Monday afternoon that they will not be releasing the name of the victim due to he and his friends all being juveniles.
