The month of July was a deadly month for child drownings in pools and spas in Texas.
Eight children drowned in July alone. So far in 2018, 28 children have drowned in pools and spas in Texas, more than any other state, according to the USA Swimming Foundation.
Across the country, 190 children have drowned in pools and spas this year.
With more than a month left of summer, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Pool Safely campaign is urging families to follow simple steps to stay safer when spending time in or near the water.
- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water.
- Designate a Water Watcher to supervise children in the pool or spa. This person should not be reading, using a smart phone or be otherwise distracted.
- Learn how to swim, and teach your child how to swim.
- Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults.
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
- Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards, and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers and ask your public pool if their drains are "VGB compliant."