At River Park in Baltic on Sunday morning, three yellow signs were tacked to fence posts and a bulletin board warning visitors that swimming in the nearby Shetucket River where a mother and young daughter recently drowned was still prohibited.

The river where Kelly Dora, 39, and her daughter, 5-year-old Aralye McKeever, died on Tuesday was still running fast this weekend with streams of water running in opposite directions at some points near the stony shore that led to a steep drop-off ledge.

Taftville Fire Co. #2 Chief Timothy Jencks, whose department assisted with pulling the unconscious bodies of Dora and McKeever from the river last week, said there are ways to mitigate water tragedies.

“Read the water, be aware of local surroundings and wear personal flotation devices,” he said.

Jencks’ advice was echoed by other public safety and beach officials at a time of year when waders and swimmers cluster on beaches and along the shores of the hundreds of rivers and streams that crisscross the state.

Jencks said the specialized dive team that recovered the two victims are called to upwards of 20 such incidents in any given year. Those calls can include rescues, evidence searches and ice-related issues.

He said the river on the day the victims were swept away was swollen by days of heavy rain that propelled currents to near the three-knot mark.

“If a river looks angry, it’s not a good idea to go swimming,” he said, noting neither Dora nor McKeever was found wearing a flotation device.

Since 2018, six people have drowned at Connecticut state parks, said Paul Copleman, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, including a September 2021 drowning at East Lyme’s Rocky Neck State Park and a May 2022 drowning at Uncas Pond at Nehantic State Forest, also in East Lyme.

Hours after police announced the Shetucket River deaths, DEEP issued a safety warning to anyone visiting state park waterways in the wake of extreme weather.

“Swimming in or near flooded waterbodies with high waters, swift currents, and moving debris can pose serious dangers,” DEEP officials warned, adding potential changes in river topography could occur due to shifting sediments.

At Ocean Beach Park in New London on Sunday, sunbathers staked out sections of what the location’s website touts as the “New England’s Finest Sugar Sand Beach.” Beach Manager Dave Sugrue said 12 lifeguards, along with a cadre of alternates, were on the job on a sunny, balmy day when the parking lot was full and the overflow lot was quickly filling up.

“We have auditors come out a few times a year and film the lifeguards to track the number of scans they are doing per hour,” he said.

Sugrue said he personally wrote the section on the beach’s website addressing rules and safety. That paragraph warns that swimming, while a fun activity for all ages, “can also turn into the biggest disaster if it’s not done responsibly.”

Sugrue, who said there hasn’t been a drowning at the beach in years, said he reposts the safety rules to social media sites a few times a year to ensure the word gets out ahead of busy weekends and summer holidays.

The notice includes a list of recommendations to ensure a safe beach day, including:

-Make sure children take swim lessons

-Swim only in designated areas where lifeguards are present

-Never swim alone

-Establish rules and boundaries for kids

-Discourage children from diving, jumping into water and playing “holding breath” games

Sugrue said young children and inexperienced swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, but not to rely exclusively on the devices. He said a child’s safety is ultimately the responsibility of a parent or guardian.

“Never trust a child, lifeguard or any other individual to take it on for you,” he wrote.

Michael Healey, chief public affairs officer for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, said he was unaware of any recent confirmed drownings at Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, a popular destination for Connecticut residents willing to make the trip across the state border.

Healey said his agency announced the death of a man at the beach earlier this month, but it was not clear whether the death was due to drowning or a medical condition. Westerly police did not respond to a request for information on the death.

“If it was by drowning, then it would be the only drowning in the past five years,” Healey said in an email.

In July 2022, Healey said, three individuals were rescued in the space of a week after suffering injuries, including a broken neck and dislocated shoulders, while swimming during “red flag” times when surf is high and currents hazardous.

“Ocean waves are very powerful,” Healey said, adding the last confirmed drowning at the beach was in August 2015.

At Green Harbor Beach off Pequot Avenue in New London, two tower-based lifeguards watched kids and parents splash in the roped-off swimming area. New London resident Danielle Blyden waded into the shallow water with her 5-year-old son, Dakari, who sported a bright inflatable chest vest.

“He’s just learning to swim now and knows not to go out too far, ” she said. “And I’m always right there to watch.”

j.penney@theday.com