NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Halvonik 717-787-1381
Report Text

Auditor General Jack Wagner Urges DCNR to Restore
Lifeguard Protection at All State Park Beaches

HARRISBURG, May 14, 2008 – With the summer swimming season about to begin, Auditor General Jack Wagner today urged the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to consider restoring lifeguard service at 37 state parks with lake beaches.

DCNR, which had eliminated lifeguards in 22 state parks from 1999 to 2007, announced in January 2008 that it was discontinuing protection at the remaining 15 state parks this summer. DCNR said that eliminating lifeguards at state beaches would save the state about $800,000 a year. Only the state’s beaches at Presque Isle will remain guarded.

In a report issued today, Wagner questioned both DCNR’s decision to eliminate lifeguard protection as well as its communications on the issue.

"As the state's fiscal watchdog, I commend DCNR officials for trying to make sure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively," Wagner said. "However, in this case, I am certain that the saving of one life outweighs the potential $800,000 in annual savings that DCNR has cited to justify its actions. I strongly urge DCNR to reconsider its decision, and I would encourage the General Assembly to consider strengthening state law to require the presence of lifeguards at all state park beaches."

The 15 state park beaches affected this season are: Raccoon Creek in Beaver County; Shawnee in Bedford County; Canoe Creek in Blair County; Moraine in Butler County; Beltzville in Carbon County; Bald Eagle and Black Moshannon in Centre County; Parker Dam in Clearfield County; Pine Grove Furnace in Cumberland County; Cowan’s Gap in Fulton County; Yellow Creek in Indiana County; Tuscarora in Schuylkill County; Laurel Hill in Somerset County; Chapman in Warren County; Gifford Pinchot in York County.

Wagner asked DCNR to reconsider its decision because, he said, Pennsylvania state parks typically contain natural bodies of water that are dark and murky, and parents are not best-equipped to rescue children swimming in such waters.

In his eight-page report, titled "Eliminating lifeguards on lake beaches at Pennsylvania Parks: A Wise Decision?" Wagner questioned the wisdom of eliminating lifeguard services at the state park beaches. The report said that DCNR’s claim that eliminating lifeguards at the lake beaches is part of a national trend was misleading. Wagner also faulted DCNR's brochures and Web site for minimizing the public danger of "open swimming" in state lakes in information contained in brochures and on its Web site.

Among Wagner's four recommendations was that DCNR provide greater public warnings in its brochures, on its Web site, and at all the unguarded beaches, so that swimmers understand they are swimming at their own peril.

Wagner’s report is available in its entirety at www.auditorgen.state.pa.us.

Auditor General Jack Wagner is responsible for ensuring that all state money is spent legally and properly. He is the commonwealth’s elected independent fiscal watchdog, conducting financial audits, performance audits, and special investigations. The Department of the Auditor General conducts approximately 5,000 audits per year.

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