Milwaukee County leaders stress importance of water safety with area pools, beaches now open

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- We are already knee-deep in swimming season. Hometown pools and beaches have been opened, even though the weather hasn't always been swimming friendly. 

On Monday, Milwaukee County held a news conference to talk about water safety and what everyone can do to have a safe summer.

"First and foremost, we can all learn how to swim," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. 

That may sound like an obvious first step, but according to the Centers for Disease Control, only 45% of adults say they've taken swimming lessons. 

The other point of emphasis is for parents. A veteran Milwaukee County lifeguard says one of the biggest issues he sees is unsupervised kids at the big pools. 

"Now obviously we have lifeguards for a reason, to supervise those children, but would you- you know-let your kid wander off near a lake? I wouldn't. So, it's the same thing with a pool," said Benjamin Wozniak, Milwaukee County. 

The CDC says drowning is the leading cause of death for kids between the ages of one and four. 

Milwaukee County parks offer swim lessons at outdoor pools in the summer and at indoor pools all year long. 

Other communities all around southeast Wisconsin also have lessons.