The Virginia Department of Wildlife says there were 11 boating incidents at Smith Mountain Lake last year, and two deaths were reported. That’s up from nine incidents and no deaths in 2024. The 2025 data make Smith Mountain Lake the number one for incidents among single bodies of water in Virginia for the year. Still, officials say reported incidents are much lower than they used to be, hitting 21 in 2022 and 20 in 2023.
Smith Mountain Lake has highest incident rate
