BORDEN — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has no plans to change its policies in the wake of two unrelated drownings in five days at Deam Lake near Borden.

Prior to last week, there had only been three drownings at the lake in more than a decade, but the recent incidents have raised new questions about safety at the Deam Lake Recreation Area.

Da’Quan Yewell, 13, of Louisville, drowned on a field trip June 29 while swimming to a buoy about 50 feet from shore. Miguel Ramirez, 28, of Louisville, died Monday after he exited a rental rowboat about 60 to 70 feet from shore holding onto a life jacket. He lost his grip of the jacket and disappeared under the water.

Both bodies were recovered by the Indiana State Police dive team and both deaths have been classified as accidental drownings.

“We consistently review our safety policy to maximize the safety of our customers and balance safety versus expense,” DNR spokesman Martin Benson said. “At this point, there are no changes planned.”

Yewell’s death was the only drowning to occur inside the designated swimming area. In fact, only one other person has drowned in the swimming area of any state lake since 2001. That was at Lake Monroe in 2007.

The DNR offers beach swimming at 18 properties, including state parks, reservoirs and three forestry properties. Deam Lake has not had lifeguards since 1999. During 2000, the Department of Natural Resources was only able to provide lifeguards at eight of its 21 beaches in operation at the time because of a lack of qualified applicants, Benson said.

Benson said there had been no problems at the 13 properties where the DNR did not have lifeguards, so the state adopted a “swim-at-your-own-risk” policy at all of its beaches. Benson said there were many factors for why they stopped offering lifeguards. He said patrons enjoyed being able to swim from sunrise to sunset, instead of being restricted to swimming only when lifeguards were present, and after Labor Day when the beaches typically closed.

Since 2000, three other people have drowned at Deam Lake. The DNR switched computer systems in 2000, so numbers from before that time period were not immediately available.

Shane Shemayne, 35, disappeared in August 2003 while attempting to swim from the beach to the dam. His body was found two days later floating on the water’s surface. In June 2004, Darryl Grace, 18, of Louisville, drowned after swimming from a boat that had stopped near the shore but outside the swimming area. He possibly had seizure, according to officials. Matthew “Ian” Cowart, 26, of Jeffersonville, rented a rowboat on July 5, 2006, with his girlfriend when he jumped into Deam Lake and attempted to retrieve an oar that had slipped into the water.

A 15-year-old boy was hospitalized on Labor Day in 2010 after nearly drowning at the lake while trying to swim past the buoy. He was rescued by others in the water and pulled to shore.

The beach appeared normal Tuesday with scores of swimmers in the lake.

The News and Tribune spoke to numerous families Tuesday afternoon at Deam Lake. Most had heard of the drownings and said they would have no problem paying extra for lifeguards, but believe it comes down to personal responsibility.

Mark Wilson, of Frankfort, Ill., said parents have to be responsible for their children. However, Wilson said it would have been helpful to rope off a more shallow area for young children, noting that his young children would be under water just a few feet from the shore.

Donald and Melissa Tindle, of New Albany, had been at the lake all weekend with their children. Donald, 31, grew up near the lake and said he has been around it all his life. He even helped pull the 15-year-old to shore in 2010.

The Tindles noted that the buoys had been moved farther out, and a rope that had previously marked the swimming area had been removed. However, they agreed people were ultimately responsible.

“If you can’t swim, don’t get in the water,” Melissa said, who added that her son always wears a life jacket because he is still learning to swim.

Joe McKay, a 79-year-old from Henryville, said he does not believe they should have lifeguards.

“If they had lifeguards, parents wouldn’t be as careful,” McKay said.

Conservation officers have noted that swimmers are only allowed in the designated area and boats cannot be in the swimming area. Anyone not obeying those rules can be charged with an infraction.

“Our officers do boat patrol quite often, but we’re spread pretty thin,” Conservation Officer Jim Schreck said.

With the recent retirements of three conservation officers, there is now only one officer assigned to Clark County. Schreck said that officer is responsible for the Ohio River, Deam Lake and Clark State Forest. He also must enforce any other hunting or fishing violations and respond to any accidents like all-terrain vehicle wrecks.

The Department of Natural Resources hopes to bring on a couple more officers in the fall.

Schreck said officers even cited several men for not having life jackets in their boat Monday as the officers returned from searching for the drowning victim. Schreck said the most important lesson from both drownings is to wear a life jacket.

“In my years we've never pulled a victim out of the water that was wearing a lifejacket,” Schreck said.

He said the investigation into Yewell’s death is still considered active, but they have found no support to claims by the victim’s family that the drowning was due to foul play. A child who was swimming with Yewell reportedly told a woman on the beach that an older man had held the child under water.

Schreck said they interviewed all witnesses, including some who came forward after the fact, and the evidence contradicted the claims of foul play.