PFDs required for King County swimmers, boaters
SEATTLE, Wash. — Those who recreate on the waters of King County are now required to wear life jackets. The ordinance passed with a 5-4 vote.
Those caught without a PFD risk a $86 fine.
The ordinance says that life vests are required when people boat, swim or recreate on these rivers: the South, Middle and North Fork and main stem of the Snoqualmie River, the South Fork of the Skykomish, the Tolt River, the Raging River, the Sammamish River, the Cedar River, the White River and the Green River.
According to an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the law applies to people swimming in water more than five feet from the shore or greater four feet deep, as well as inner tubing, rafting, using a surfboard, canoe or kayak. . The new ordinance does not apply to people at designated public beaches, to skin divers or to shore anglers.
The new rule is based on safety concerns, especially because of this year’s excessive, melting mountain snowpack that could make for dangerous waterways, according to the article. King County is located on Puget Sound.
Read the full article at: King Co requires life vests for swimmers, floaters
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