A water hole to the west of Canberra where a 27-year-old man died on Christmas Day is understood to have claimed about a dozen lives since becoming a popular swimming spot in the 1960s.
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The most recent incident has prompted renewed calls from authorities for people to take care in Canberra's waterways.
ACT Policing are investigating after a man was found unresponsive in the water at Casuarina Sands, on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, on Sunday afternoon.
Police and paramedics said the death was not suspicious.
Reported drownings at the Cotter River spot date back to the early 1960s, when a concrete weir spanning the width of the river was built to make a larger pool of water for recreation activities.
In 1991, then-ACT finance minister Craig Duby called for the removal of the weir, claiming many of the nine people who had drowned in the area since 1962 had become trapped in turbulence of the weir pool.
A Royal Lifesaving Society report found three young Canberra men drowned, 10 more people were rescued and a police officer nearly drowned in an unsuccessful rescue in November 1966. The fierce current reportedly swept the boys over the weir as they jumped in the water.
One of the three boys was brought to shore and later died in hospital while the bodies of the other two were not found for days. Police diver Constable George Harris was also swept over the weir and it is understood he suffered from immersion, bruising and shock.
Following the triple-death, a surf lifesaving group was believed to have patrolled the Casuarina Sands on weekends until 1981.
In the wake of the drowning, former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Major General Ronald Grey awarded bravery medals to Colin Trinder, a Dickson resident who attempted to rescue the boy, and to ACT-based police officer senior Constable Tony Lewis.
Five years after the patrols stopped, 13-year-old Brandon Mcllroy of Downer drowned when he and a girl sitting in an inflatable dinghy were swept over the weir in November 1986. The girl broke free but the boy was trapped for more than 90 minutes. A police officer was again injured while trying to save the boy.
The most recent reported drowning at Casuarina Sands before Sunday appears to be in January 1997, when a 65-year-old man died at Canberra Hospital the day after he was rescued.
It was reported the man suffered cardiac arrest while swimming.
ACT Policing have not detailed the circumstances surrounding the Christmas Day drowning but urged Canberrans to take care when swimming and watch out for each other when in and near the water.
The call for vigilance while swimming was joined by NSW Police and the Australian Medical Association following the drowning of a man at beach just south of Sydney also on Christmas Day.
AMA president Dr Michael Gannon reminded swimmers to check the depth of the water before jumping in and to be mindful of floating debris or unexpected hazards.
"It is important to remember that water depth can change on a daily basis due to tides and sand movement. Never assume the depth of the water without checking first," he said.
"Before entering the water, familiarise yourself with the conditions by taking note of any safety signs."
Royal Lifesaving reports more than a third of the 280 drowning deaths in Australia between July 2015 and June 2016 occurred in summer.
The ACT has the lowest drowning rate in Australia, claiming two of the 280 people who drowned in the country in the 2015-16 financial year.
