Reading of .215 highest result during Wagga Beach alcohol study

A study, which was partly conducted in Wagga, has found 16 per cent of swimmers – or about one person in six – recorded a positive blood alcohol content and seven per cent were over the legal driving limit, recording a level of 0.05 or higher.

Researchers used a breathalyser to check if people were swimming under the influence of alcohol. A total of 684 people were surveyed and breathalysed across 16 days at four research sites.

Backed by Royal Life Saving Australia and James Cook University, the researchers spoke to people at four popular locations: The Murrumbidgee River at Wagga, the Murray River at Albury,  Alligator Creek in Townsville and the Hawkesbury River in Western Sydney.

Principle investigator Amy Peden, the national manager of research and policy at Royal Life Saving Australia, said the highest overall reading was .334, which was recorded at Albury.

“This research will help us to target drowning prevention strategies at those most at risk,” Ms Peden said.

At Wagga Beach, researchers surveyed and breathalysed 176 people and most of them told the researchers they visited the river to walk, have a picnic or to swim.

Almost half  – 49 per cent –  said they sometimes or always drank alcohol at the river and 10 per cent were 0.05 or above when breathalysed.

Just a third said they knew how to perform CPR.

Ms Peden said researchers had not known what to expect during the survey as they had never before undertaken a study like this.

However, she said the researchers had received positive feedback from members of the public and most of the people asked to undertake a breath test had been willing to help.

“We didn’t know what to expect, but we did know alcohol was a factor in some drowning,” Ms Peden said.

“A lot of the people we spoke to were surprised by their readings. Nobody could accurately predict their levels, and pretty much everyone who blew over said they didn't expect it to be that high.

“Everyone had their own story to tell about a recent drowning or their own experiences of a near-drowning or incident.

“Alcohol is known to increase your risk of drowning and that’s especially true at rivers around the country.

“The average blood alcohol content of an adult who has been drinking and unintentionally drowned in an Australian river is 0.20, or four times the legal limit.

“We now have a better understanding of the type of person who drinks alcohol at the river. That person visits the river in the afternoon, with friends and on warm days. They are more likely to be frequent river users who spend longer in the water than those who weren’t drinking.”

Ms Peden said the findings would be used to help develop new safety campaigns.

The Murrumbidgee River sits at sixth place in the nation’s top 10 river drowning blackspots.

There have been 22 drowning deaths in the Murrumbidgee River over the last 15 years, 12 of which have taken place in Wagga with the most recent being in February.

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