August 14, 2025 3:20 p.m.  

Two new water safety signs were installed on Thursday at Ben Irving Reservoir.

The project was part of a collaborative effort between the YMCA of Douglas County,

Douglas County Parks Department and FX Signs.

A YMCA release said the project also included stocking the life jacket station with free youth life jackets provided by the Y’s annual free youth life jacket distribution initiative. The effort has given away more than 3,700 life jackets to date.

The new signage includes:

*A “No Swimming” sign placed on the dock to promote proper boat-only use of the dock and to reduce dangerous swimming near the boat landing

*A Life Jacket Station sign, offering instructions for proper fit and encouraging visitors to borrow a life jacket if they don’t have one

The initiative builds on the YMCA’s broader water safety mission, which includes installing six Rescue River Stations across the county, and promoting its “Know Before You Go” resource – where residents can check a live river temperature reading before heading out. That information is available at www.ymcaofdouglascounty.org

YMCA of Douglas County Marketing and Development Director Brittany Arnold said, “Water safety is a top priority of the YMCA, and this project just expands on that mission”. Arnold said, ‘We hope that our community can enjoy these beautiful water recreation areas we have here locally while staying safe”.