A Friday river rescue in St. Charles serves as a reminder of the restricted boating order for the Fox River / Chain O’Lakes.

According to a St. Charles Fire Department news release, emergency personnel were called at around 7:32 p.m. Friday (July 14, 2017) to a river rescue at the Main Street Bridge, where two subjects had gone over the dam in kayaks.

One subject was struck by a rock and was injured but able to make it to shore behind the Harris Bank at Walnut and Riverside avenues. The other was carried by the current to the bridge at Illinois and Riverside avenues.

The kayakers had entered the river in the area of Pottawatomie Park, and several bystanders noticed them having difficulty. One bystander alerted a police officer, who then contacted the Fire Department.

One of the men was injured, the other was taken to Delnor Hospital. The release did not identify either person or the condition of the man taken to the hospital.

Geneva and South Elgin fire departments, as well as the St. Charles Dive Team, assisted in the rescue efforts.

The Fire Department said the incident serves as a reminder that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has restricted the Fox River to boating, from the Chain O’Lakes to the Montgomery Dam.

“Swift current, floating debris, submerged structures and piers have created condition significantly hazardous to navigation on the Fox River/ Chain O’Lakes,” said IDNR Region 2 Cmdr. Brett Scroggins. “The conditions are also treacherous for emergency service personnel called upon to rescue persons involved in boating mishaps.”

The restriction is in place until further notice.

SOURCE: St. Charles Fire Department, Illinois Department of Natural Resources news releases