CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Chesterfield County rescue crews have yet to recover the body of a man who reportedly drowned in the Swift Creek Reservoir Sunday night.
On Monday, at least two rescue crews searched near the Harbour Pointe Clubhouse and Pool on Promontory Road in Brandermill. The search began around 8 a.m. and ended Monday afternoon, due to a severe weather threat.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS sent an email around 4:30 p.m. that recovery efforts would resume Tuesday.
First responders have not released the name nor age of the subject of the search.
Details about how the man got into the water and what happened while he was in the water have also not been released.
Sources told CBS 6 the man was on his own pontoon boat Sunday evening around 6 p.m. when the incident occurred.
Chesterfield Fire and EMS Captain Joe Harvey said a family member was on the boat at the time, and attempted to recover the man from the water, but was unsuccessful.
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Swift Creek Reservoir recovery efforts continue
Several sources on the scene said it took first responders about six minutes to get to the reservoir when the initial drowning call came in, but almost an hour went by before a rescue boat was deployed in the water.
Those sources told CBS 6 it may have been because a responding unit had a flat tire, and other responding units may have been answering other medical calls at the time.
Chesterfield County Fire and EMS have not confirmed this information.
Captain Joe Harvey said rescue teams would be using sonar technology to try to locate the man.
"They can utilize sonar to actually quickly get them hopefully in an area that they can dive in on a specific point," Harvey said.
Sources on the scene told CBS 6 that crews were able to pinpoint a possible location of where the man could be, which is in a spot about 15 feet deep. However, the nature of the reservoir will make it difficult for divers to recover anything.
"There's a lot of silt on the bottom and once a diver gets in that water, and begins to swim conducting his search patterns, the silt kicks up and takes their visibility to almost nothing," Harvey said.
Despite appearing calm on the surface, neighbors in the area said the nearly 1,700-acre reservoir can have strong currents that can easily pull someone under.
Harvey said he encouraged anyone who decides to go boating on the reservoir this summer to wear a lifejacket.
He also said those who are not strong swimmers should not try to dive into the water to save someone who may be drowning, but rather, to throw them a life preserver and call for help immediately.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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